BWV 422

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Original source: Chorale, Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen, BWV 422
Chorale Text: Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen*, by Paul Gerhardt (1653)
Tune: Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen, by Georg Ebeling (1666) (Zahn 6461)
First Performance: Unknown*
Appearance in Early Collections (Key): Riemenschneider 357; Breitkopf 356; Dietel 117*; AmB 46II p.313
Other Harmonizations: BWV 248.33

Notes

This chorale survives without text. The text that appears here is the one provided by editors of the Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe (BGA).

Speculation regarding liturgical occasion: Regarding the possible original source of this setting, Häfner suggests two possibilities from the Picander–Jahrgang:
1) Welt, dein Purpur stinkt mich an for the 1st Sunday after Trinity using the 10th verse of Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen (Picander 42)
2) Gott, du Richter der Gedanken for the 19th Sunday after Trinity using the 6th verse of Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen (Picander 63)
(See NBA III/2.1 KB, p.88 or III/2.2 KB, pp.323–324)

The first option listed above is further supported by the fact that this portion of the Dietel collection falls roughly in order of the liturgical calendar with Dietel 116 also falling on the 1st Sunday after Trinity.
Dietel 112 (BWV 74.8) = for Whit Sunday
Dietel 113 (BWV 1125) = ??
Dietel 114 (BWV 129.5) = for Trinity Sunday
Dietel 115 (BWV 358) = for the Feast of John the Baptist?? (See notes for BWV 358)
Dietel 116 (BWV 39.7) = for 1st Sunday after Trinity
Dietel 117 (BWV 422) = for 1st Sunday after Trinity??

View a complete listing of speculations regarding the liturgical occasions of individual BWV 253–438 chorales.

Dietel Variant: The setting presented above corresponds to both the Breitkopf publication and the AmB 46II manuscript. The chorale appears in the earlier Dietel manuscript in variant form. The two versions are shown side–by–side below.