A “New” J. S. Bach Chorale-Aria? “Sende, Herr, den Segen ein” from Ihr Tore zu Zion BWV 193

Abstract: The autograph score of J. S. Bach’s cantata Ihr Tore zu Zion BWV 193 is lost, and even extant parts are incomplete. Several scholars have attempted to supplement or reconstruct the work. In the case of the fifth movement, “Sende, Herr, den Segen ein,” for which the extant parts are for the alto and the oboe d’amore, the task appeared to be merely that of providing the lost basso continuo. I shall discuss in detail the musical characteristics that indicate that in this aria, contrary to current assumptions, Bach originally used not one, but three obbligato instruments, and that one of these obbligato parts might have used a chorale melody. My suggestion for the chorale melody Bach possibly used is the first line of the chorale Nun danket alle Gott , which can be embedded into the texture convincingly in every respect, including both musical characteristics and the liturgical connections between the aria text and the text of the suggested chorale. Beyond the completion of the musical texture of the fifth movement of the cantata Ihr Tore zu Zion , a cantata known to have been composed for the occasion of the installation of new town council members, I also attempt to substantiate the hypothesis, based on musical characteristics, that it may be a parody of an earlier wedding cantata from Köthen.