J.S. Bach: Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BWV 14 - The Church Cantatas, Vol. 142

Cantata 14 ‘Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit’ was written later, in 1735, in order to complete the unfinished 1724-25 cycle of chorale cantatas. In that season, ten years earlier, the text was already at hand; the early date of Easter, however, meant that there was no fourth Sunday after Epiphany, so that the cantata was not required. The text was probably written by the retired deputy headmaster of the Thomasschule in Leipzig. It is a chorale cantata in five movements, based on a chorale by Luther and written for three soloists (soprano, tenor and bass), four-part choir, two oboes, horn, strings and basso continuo. The opening choral movement is exceptional for Bach in that it is written as an old-fashioned motet. The chorale melody is elaborated on and imitated line by line, and is heard subsequently in long notes in one of the voices. Fine examples of text illustration include the words ‘wilde Wellen’ in the bass aria no. 4. Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach Artists: Netherlands Bach Collegiu