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Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Arrangement of a chorale from a Bach cantata
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" is the popular English title of the chorale from the 1723 Advent cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life), BWV 147, by Johann Sebastian Bach on the top of Johann Schop's psalm melody. The chorale occurs twice in the cantata, with different texts each time (neither of which matches the English): as its sixth movement, Wohl mir, dass ich Jesum habe (It is well for me that I have Jesus), and again as its tenth movement, Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Jesus Remains My Joy). The English title was used in a 1908 publication of "Three Chorales" by the Church Music Society, and was further popularized by the piano transcriptions made by Myra Hess, in 1926 for piano solo and in 1934 for piano duet, as published by Oxford University Press. Whether played instrumentally or sung in German or English, the chorale is often heard at weddings and during Advent, Christmas, and Easter.
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