Bach wrote the cantata in 1723 during his first year in Leipzig for the 21st Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, "take unto you the whole armour of God" (Ephesians 6:10–17), and from the Gospel of John, the healing of the nobleman's son (John 4:46–54). The unknown poet of the cantata text stressed the faith, which made the healing possible. The cantata opens with a quote from the Gospel of Mark, The possessed boy, Mark's rendition of the gospel (Mark 9:24). The following movements almost form a dialogue between fear and hope, or belief and doubt, such as Bach would compose three weeks later in O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 60, and again for Easter of 1724 in Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen, BWV 66. Movement 2 is a dialogue, movement 3 the expression of fear, movements 4 and 5 turn to hope. The closing chorale is verse 7 of "Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt" of Lazarus Spengler (1524).
Date of composition | 1723 |
Premiered | 1723, October 17th |
Dedicated to | 7th Sunday after Trinity |
Type | Sacred Cantata |
Tonality | D Minor |
Catalogue | BWV 109 |
Instruments |
2x
Voice
Chorus/Choir Orchestra |
Links | |
Autotranslations beta |
Jean-Sébastien Bach: Ich glaube, lieber Herr en ré mineur, BWV 109 Johann Sebastian Bach: Ich glaube, lieber Herr in re minore, BWV 109 Johann Sebastian Bach: Ich glaube, lieber Herr d-moll, BWV 109 |