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Author
J. S. Bach (German, 1685-1750)
- came from a family that was musicians for several generations back
- orphaned at age 10
- served as a chamber musician for the duke of Weimar, then for the prince of Anhalt-Cöthen
- later served as cantor at St. Thomas's Church in Leipzig
- Wikipedia Article
About the Piece
(much of thedescription comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is Cantata
- 1st movement is elaborate counterpoint
- 8th movement is homophonic and unified, easy for congregation to join in on
- text is in German
- each line in the first movement is treated fugally
- majestic
- instruments are non-obtrusive, but do play a different melody in the first movement.
Purpose
- sacred
- cantatas were meant to be sermons in song
Reflections
Another great piece; though, sadly, I still find myself wishing it were in English. It also doesn't quite feel right to listen to just the first and last movements. If I have more time, I would like to listen to the whole thing from start to finish.