Cantata for Whit Monday

Complete score
Oboe 1
Oboe 2
Continuo

J.S.Bach wrote this cantata for Whit Monday and performed it for the first time on 6th of June 1729. It belongs to his 4th cantata cycle - also called “Picander”-cycle. This series was titled “Cantaten auf die Sonn- und Fest-Tage durch das gantze Jahr” (cantatas for the sundays and feasts throughout the whole year) as its author with the colorful name Picander (his real name was Christian Friedrich Henrici) wrote. The cantata starts with a wonderful sinfonia, which has its origin in the first movement of the 3rd Brandenburg Concerto. Bach seemed to like it pretty much, so he took his masterpiece from his Weimar times and added five wind instruments: two corno da caccia which have newly written parts for the sinfonia and ripieno parts for two oboes (doubling the first and second violin) and a taille (doubling the viola).

The score has the second movement: an intimate aria for alto, two oboes and basso continuo. It is based on Bachs manuscript and the continuo facsimile part.

Epistle: Acts 10, 42-48
Gospel: John 3, 16-21

Bach cantatas website
Cantata text
Facsimile bach-digital.de
Facsimile (available parts) bach-digital.de