Bach composed the cantata in his second annual cycle in Leipzig for the second Sunday after Easter, called Misericordias Domini. The prescribed readings for that Sunday were from the First Epistle of Peter, Christ as a model (1 Peter 2:21–25), and from the Gospel of John, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11–16).
| Librettist | John 10: 11 (No.1) Anonymous (Nos.2, 4-5) Cornelius Becker (1561-1604) (No.3) Ernst Christoph Homburg (1605-1681) (No.6) |
| Date of composition | 1725 in Leipzig, Germany |
| Premiered | 1725, April 15th in Leipzig, Germany |
| First published | 1872 in Leipzig, Germany |
| Dedicated to | 2nd Sunday after Easter (Misericordias Domini) |
| Type | Sacred Cantata |
| Tonality | C Minor |
| Catalogue | BWV 85 |
| Approx. duration | 20 minutes |
| Spoken language | German |
| Instruments |
Voice (Soprano)
Voice (Alto) Voice (Bass) Voice (Tenor) Chorus/Choir Piccolo Cello/Violoncello Piccolo Oboe Strings Continuo |
| Links | |
| Autotranslations beta |
Jean-Sébastien Bach: Ich bin ein guter Hirt en do mineur, BWV 85 ""I am a good Shepherd"" Johann Sebastian Bach: Ich bin ein guter Hirt in do minore, BWV 85 ""I am a good Shepherd"" Johann Sebastian Bach: Ich bin ein guter Hirt c-moll, BWV 85 ""I am a good Shepherd"" |