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.
Part of Bach's first cantata cycle from 1723, BWV 138 is somewhat experimental: Bach juxtaposes a series of recitatives, in which the Christian despairs of his life, with three stanzas of an anonymous chorale that speak of faith in divine deliverance. This structure foreshadows many of his later chorale cantatas.
Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz (Why do you trouble yourself, my heart), BWV 138
This week's cantata is based on a libretto by Salomon Franck, a poet whom Bach would set in over 16 of his cantatas. Franck's libretto explores the Christian's atypical approach to death: that rather than fearing it, he looks forward to it, and the hope of the resurrection to new life.
Christus, der ist mein Leben (Christ, He is My Life), BWV 95
Johannes Gigas was a 16th-Century theologian and hymnwriter from Thuringia. Bach set one of Giga's hymns, with a general theme of penitence, during his second cantata cycle, and it was first performed on October 1st, 1724.
Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost (Ah, dear Christians, be comforted), BWV 114