Now Thank We All Our God from Cantata 79: Brass Quintet Score & Parts

Marlatt's arrangement respects Bach's harmonic language while solving a real orchestration problem: the original horn parts sit awkwardly for modern brass quintet, and this version redistributes that writing to the trumpet section with musicality intact. The strategic rests keep the texture fresh and prevent the brass from wearing out during a wedding or service performance, which means your players stay engaged and the chorale itself stays luminous rather than buried.

A hymn of gratitude rendered in brass, with the warmth and dignity that comes from Bach's open harmonic progressions. The texture glows rather than blares, and the rests create breathing room that makes the chorale feel contemplative rather than processional.

Church musicians and brass directors who need repertoire that works for both weddings and liturgical services without sacrificing musical substance. This suits ensembles at the intermediate level who can handle Baroque harmonic language but benefit from Marlatt's pragmatic voicing choices.

• Shape the opening phrase as a unified gesture across all five players; Bach's harmonies sing best when each voice carries its weight equally rather than highlighting the top line
• Balance the organ accompaniment low enough that it supports without overwhelming the quintet's natural resonance in a church acoustic
• Take care with the trumpet/horn transitions that used to live in different orchestral families; mark clearly where the color shifts so the ensemble hears it as intentional rather than uneven
• Let the final cadence breathe slightly before the organ resolves alone; that micro-pause honors Bach's structural punctuation

Reserve this for occasions where liturgical substance matters: a wedding ceremony where the couple wants Bach rather than contemporary Christian music, or a church service where the brass quintet doubles the choir during the final chorale. It works equally well as a prelude before a service begins.

• Balancing five independent lines while maintaining unified phrasing
• Reading and executing Baroque harmonic progressions with awareness of voice leading
• Adapting orchestral writing to chamber brass instrumentation
• Sustaining tone with dynamic subtlety across longer phrases
• Responding to organ as a harmonic foundation rather than a solo voice