🎶cantāmus edition🎶Graupner Chorale No. 𝟠𝟝𝟠: 𝕾𝖔 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖎𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖓𝖓 𝖜𝖔𝖍𝖑, 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖎𝖙 𝖐𝖊𝖈𝖐 𝖚. 𝖐𝖚𝖊𝖍𝖓 (GWV 1136/41)

Chorale No. 858 of 1345
Music: Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)
First performance: 11/05/1741 (Ascension Day)
Verse Text: So streit denn wohl, streit keck und kühn
Text source: 12th verse of Auf, Christenmensch, auf, auf zum Streit (Johann Scheffler, 1668)
Chorale melody: Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt (Johann Hermann Schein, 1628)
7th movement of cantata Begürtet eure Lenden (GWV 1136/41)
Scoring: SATB, 2 horns, 4 timpani, 2 oboes, strings and continuo
Reissued performance with vocals powered by cantāmus (cantamus.app/) of this video: • Christoph Graupner - C...
Chorale Text (From Auf, Christenmensch, auf, auf zum Streit by Johann Scheffler AKA Angelus Silesius from 1668):
So streit’ dann wohl, streit’ keck und kühn,
dass du mög´st überwinden,
streng an die Kräfte , Mut und Sinn,
dass du dies’ Gut mög’st finden.
Wer nicht will streiten um die Kron’,
bleibt ewiglich in Spott und Hohn.
Translation (GPT-4o to prompts by me):
Fight bravely on, fight bold and keen,
That vict'ry might be sealed.
Shore up your might, let will convene,
That treasures be revealed.
Who shuns the battle for the crown,
On them shall all forever frown.
The melody ("Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt" by Johann Hermann Schein) was set numerous times by Bach (including what is for me one of his most wonderful moments, in BWV 156 where he masterfully juxtaposes the melody above a tenor aria - • Bach - Cantata Ich ste... . It was also set by many other composers. The melody is well known to English-speaking congregations. For it is used (under the tune name "Mach's mit mir Gott" for the hymns "Lo! God is here! let us adore" (New English Hymnal No. 209 - • Lo! God is here ) and "Thou hallowed chosen morn of praise" (New English Hymnal No. 122 - • Thou Hallowed Chosen M... ).
Graupner set the melody 6 times. Here, for Ascension Day 1741 he gives it full military honours with horns and four timpani.

[@morphixnm]

I wonder if these were composed in such way so that the congregation could sing the simple, unadorned parts while instrumentalist company them? This is different than say the Bach Corrales were the vocal parts have been made more complex and would have required professional singers.