Who's behind the notes? Discover Johann Sebastian Bach: Master of Baroque Music
Johann Sebastian Bach's "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied," BWV 190, is a festive church cantata composed for New Year's Day (also the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ) during his first year in Leipzig (1724). Scored originally for soloists, choir, trumpets, timpani, oboes, strings, and continuo, it features a powerful opening chorus combining Psalm texts with Luther's German Te Deum. The text focuses on praise and thanksgiving, with references to the naming of Jesus. Significant portions of the original manuscript for the first two movements (only vocal and violin parts survived) have been lost, leading to several reconstruction attempts by various scholars and musicians throughout the 20th century.