Composed for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, which fell on September 22, 1726, Bach's Cantata No. 17 "Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich" (He who offers thanks praises me) (BWV 17) is in two parts. The first is based on anonymous text from the Old Testament (Psalm C) and the second is based on a text from the New Testament (Luke 17, 15-16). There also is a closing harmonization based on a chorale by Johann Gramann from 1530. As suits a text offering praise and thanks, the tone of the music is fundamentally joyous, albeit with two sorrowful movements. The cantata is scored for alto, soprano, tenor, bass and soloists, chorus, plus a pair of oboes, strings, and basso continuo. The cantata is in A major with its first and seventh movements in the tonic, its second and fourth movements are in the relative minor of F sharp minor, its third in the dominant of E major, its fifth in the subdominant of D major, and its sixth in the dominant's relative minor of C sharp minor. The first movement opens a grand orchestral sinfonia followed by a triumphal choral fugue. The second movement is a gloomy recitative for alto soloist accompanied only by the basso continuo. The third movement is an aria for soprano soloist with the first and second violins providing an invention-like texture above the continuo. The fourth movement starts the second part of the cantata with a dour recitative for tenor soloist and continuo. The fifth movement is a confident aria for tenor accompanied by strings and continuo. The sixth movement is a desolate recitative for bass and continuo. "Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich" concludes with a fully scored harmonization of Gramann's hymn for the entire chorus and orchestra. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide
