This post features Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” with a link to the solo guitar tab.
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
The video below demonstrates the classical guitar arrangement for “Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”
Tab
This is a sample of the first page of the solo guitar arrangement. The complete tablature is 3 pages and can be downloaded as a PDF.
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History & Lyrics
“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is a piece of music from the Baroque. The melody was composed in 1641 by Johann Schop (1590 – 1667), a German violinist and composer. Johann Sebastian Bach used this melody and arranged it for chorale movements 6 and 10 of his cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (“Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life”) between 1717 and 1723.
These are the most common English words. They were written by the British poet Robert Bridges. The lyrics are not an exact translation of Bach’s German lyrics but were inspired by the same hymn that Bach had drawn upon.
Jesu, joy of man's desiring,
Holy wisdom, love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned,
With the fire of life impassioned,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying round Thy throne.
Through the way where hope is guiding,
Hark, what peaceful music rings;
Where the flock, in Thee confiding,
Drink of joy from deathless springs.
Theirs is beauty's fairest pleasure;
Theirs is wisdom's holiest treasure.
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown
For more information about the music and the words see the Wikipedia article on the subject here.
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