Bach had taken up regular cantata composition a year before when he was promoted to concertmaster at the Weimar court, writing one cantata per month to be performed in the Schlosskirche, the court chapel in the ducal Schloss. Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn was his first cantata for the fourth Sunday in Advent. The libretto by the court poet Salomo Franck is related to the day's prescribed gospel reading, the testimony of John the Baptist. Franck derives from it thoughts about baptism as a preparation of the individual Christian who is addressed as a limb of Christ.

Librettist Salomo Franck (1659-1725) (Nos.1-5) Elisabeth Kreuziger (ca.1500-ca.1535) (No.6)
Date of composition 1715 in Weimar, Germany
Premiered 1715, December 22nd in Weimar, Germany
First published 1881 (BGA)
Dedicated to 4th Sunday in Advent
Type Sacred Cantata
Tonality A Major
Catalogue BWV 132
Instruments 4x Voice
Chorus/Choir
Orchestra
Links
Autotranslations beta Jean-Sébastien Bach: Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn en la majeur, BWV 132
Johann Sebastian Bach: Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn in la maggiore, BWV 132
Johann Sebastian Bach: Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn A-dur, BWV 132