During the 18th century, the musical centerpiece of Lutheran worship services was the cantata, a multi-movement piece featuring chorus, orchestra, and vocal soloists. Johann Sebastian Bach composed over 200 cantatas during his long career as a Lutheran church musician. Listen to a complete Bach cantata every Sunday afternoon on Discover Classical.
While we know that Johann Christoph Rube composed the chorale of the same name upon which this cantata is based, the identity of author of the libretto is contested. The likeliest candidate is Andreas Stübel, co-rector of the Thomasschule, the boys' school that Bach taught at as part of his duties as Thomaskantor. Bach set a number of Stübel's libretti in 1724, ending his second cantata cycle early the next year, which conincided with Stübel's death. This cantata was first performed on November 12th, 1724.
Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott (Fortunate the person who upon his God), BWV 139
We begin a new liturgical year this week with a cantata written for the first Sunday in Advent in 1714. Usually translated as “Savior of the Nations, come," it is partly based on the traditional Lutheran hymn of the same name.
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Savior of the Nations, Come), BWV 61
The chorale, "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland," is a German paraphrase of the Latin hymn, "Veni, redemptor gentium," and is traditionally the first hymn in Lutheran hymnals. Last week, we heard a setting of this chorale in Bach's cantata BWV 61. After he was appointed Thomaskantor in 1724, Bach returned to this popular Advent hymn and wrote a second, larger cantata for the first Sunday in Advent of that year.
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Savior of the Nations, Come), BWV 62