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For this choral cantata, Bach took the 1st, 4th and 7th verses of the chorale of the same name by Georg Neumark. The other verses, however, were mixed with free adaptations.

The six-movement cantata is based on the song of the same name by Ahasverus Fritsch, which was first recorded in the Darmstadt songbook in 1698. It is therefore one of the choral cantatas that use a h...

It seems reasonable to link the creation of the work to a penitential service held in St. Mary's Church in Mühlhausen to commemorate the devastating fire that ravaged large parts of the town on May 29...

The cantata "Erforsche mich Gott und erfahre mein Herz" BWV 136 was composed during Bach's first year in office as Thomaskantor in Leipzig and was premiered on the 8th Sunday after Trinity, July 18, 1...

Thanks to its popular choral text, Bach's choral cantata "Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren" BWV 137 has long been one of the St. Thomas cantor's most frequently performed works. Unlike t...

Although 'Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz' (What is it troubles thee, my heart) BWV 138 is based on the chorale of the same name, it is nevertheless not regarded as one of Bach's chorale cantatas. I...

Although "Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz" BWV 138 is based on the hymn of the same name, it is not one of Bach's chorale cantatas. In this unusual composition from Bach's first year, further choral...

Bach's choral cantata with the opening text "Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott recht kindlich verlassen kann" BWV 139 was performed for the first time on November 12, 1724 at the main church service...

Bach chose an unconventional beginning for his nine-movement cantata 'Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind' BWV 153, which he composed in his first year as Kantor of St. Thomas's for the Sunday after N...

Bach chose an unconventional beginning for the nine-movement cantata "Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind" BWV 153, which he composed for the Sunday after New Year in 1724, his first year in office as...

The cantata 'Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren' BWV 154 was first performed on 9 January 1724, the 1st Sunday after Epiphany. The structure and extent of the work are unusual: it comprises eight, inste...

The cantata "Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren" BWV 154 was performed for the first time on January 9, 1724, the 1st Sunday after Epiphany. The structure and length of the work are unusual: it comprise...

'Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe' (I stand with my open grave before me) BWV 156 is one of the few surviving cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach that is based on texts from the so-called Picander cycle....

Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe BWV 156 is one of Johann Sebastian Bach's few surviving cantatas on texts from what is known as the Picander period. As in several other cantatas on texts by this poet,...

The cantata for the 20th Sunday after Trinity. 'Ah! I see now, as I to the wedding bidden', BWV 162 was first performed on 25 October 1716 in the Castle church at Weimar. During the first year in his...

The cantata for the 20th Sunday after Trinity Ach, ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe BWV 162 was first performed on October 25, 1716 in Weimar's Schlosskirche. Bach performed the cantata again...

This six-movement cantata BWV 164 was performed for the first time on 26 August 1725 in Leipzig. The text was written by Bach's Weimar cantata poet Salomon Franck and had been published earlier in 171...

The six-movement cantata BWV 164 was first performed in Leipzig on August 26, 1725. The text was written by Bach's Weimar cantata composer Salomon Franck and appeared in his collection "Evangelisches...

The cantata 'O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad'' (O Holy spirit's solemn rite) BWV 165 is one of Bach's earliest cantata compositions and was presumably first performed in the Weimar Schlosskirche for Tr...

The cantata "O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad" BWV 165 is one of Bach's earliest cantata compositions and was probably first performed for the Feast of the Holy Trinity in 1715 in Weimar's Schlosskirche...

The cantata 'Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe' (You mortals, tell of God's devotion) BWV 167 is one of the first works which Bach wrote in his capacity as Kantor of St. Thomas's Leipzig. It was compo...

The cantata "Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe" BWV 167 is one of the first works that Bach wrote as Leipzig's Thomaskantor. The cantata is intended for the Feast of St. John and was first performed i...

The text for Bach's cantata "Tue Rechnung! Donnerwort" was published in Salomon Frank's "Evangelische Andachts-Opffer" as early as 1715, during Bach's time in Weimar. However, the concise but forceful...

Bach's cantata "Gott soll allein mein Herze haben" BWV 169 comes from the third Leipzig cantata cycle; it was first performed on October 20, 1726 on the 18th Sunday after Trinity. Recent research has...

The cantata Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ begins with an expansive chorale arrangement, for which Bach drew on a tried and tested pattern: the chorale is performed by the four-part vocal ensemble,...