The cantata is based on a text by Erdmann Neumeister published in 1711. While at Weimar Bach set at least one other cantata text by this librettist; he also set others by the court poet Salomon Franck. The text cites Isaiah, related to the gospel, the parable of the Sower. The third movement is in the style of a sermon, combined with a litany by Martin Luther. The closing chorale is the eighth stanza of Lazarus Spengler's hymn "Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt".
| Librettist | Erdmann Neumeister (Based on a text by Erdmann Neumeister) |
| Date of composition | 1713 (1713-1714, unsure;) in Weimar, Germany |
| First published | 1852 in Leipzig, Germany |
| Type | Cantata |
| Tonality | G Minor |
| Catalogue | BWV 18 |
| Approx. duration | 15 minutes |
| Spoken language | German |
| Instruments |
Voice (Soprano)
Voice (Tenor) Voice (Bass) Chorus/Choir Bassoon Strings Continuo 2x Recorder |
| Autotranslations beta |
Jean-Sébastien Bach: Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt en sol mineur, BWV 18 ""Just as the rain and snow fall from heaven"" Johann Sebastian Bach: Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt in sol minore, BWV 18 ""Just as the rain and snow fall from heaven"" Johann Sebastian Bach: Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt g-moll, BWV 18 ""Just as the rain and snow fall from heaven"" |