Works by J. S. Bach in the
All Saints Choir repertoire
Christ lag in Todesbanden (chorus from Cantata BWV 4)
Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt (aria [duet] from Cantata BWV 4)
From Deepest Woe I Call to Thee (chorale from Cantata BWV 38 w/text from BWV 131)
Gute Nacht, o Wesen (from Jesu meine Freude, BWV 227)
Lobe den Herren, der alles so herrlich regieret (aria from Cantata BWV 137)
O little one sweet, O little one mild (O Jesulein suss, o Jesulein mild, BWV 493)
Wie freudig ist mein Herz (aria from BWV 199)
Wir eilen mit schwachen (aria [duet] from Cantata 78)
Other works by
Johann Sebastian Bach
Passions and Oratorios
Cantatas, arranged by the Church year
“ . . . one can’t help feeling that the sustained popularity of Bach’s orchestral suites and concerti gives a somewhat lopsided view of him, and that as a result many people miss out on the rich displays of invention and insights that are to be found in the cantatas. One senses that Bach in his cantatas was not intent on ‘pure composition’, devoid of performance ramifications and opportunities, for these are scrupulously crafted musical elaborations tailored to the Gospel readings and the liturgy and to the unfolding of the seasons, as well as to the individual performers available to him on any given day. To display the whole range of artistic possibilities was a practical, not an abstract, goal: his pursuit of musical science was a means of gaining ‘insight into the depths of the wisdom of the world’ according to the statement given on his behalf by J A Birnbaum, and proof that ‘music has been mandated by God’s spirit’, as he himself noted in his copy of Calov’s Bible commentary. Whatever one’s own beliefs, how can one doubt that a sense of God’s grace was manifest to Bach in all the music he was composing, rehearsing and performing — always assuming that it was done in the spirit of devotion?”
— John Eliot Gardiner, from performance notes in
Volume 3 of the Montetverdi Choir’s Bach Cantata Pilgrimage series
Advent
Schwingt freudig euch empor (BWV 36)
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 61)
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 62)
Septuagesima
Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke, “I am content with my good fortune” (BWV 84)
Sexagesima
Leichtgesinnte Flattergeister, “Scatterbrained frivolous people” (BWV 181)
Easter
Christ lag in Todesbanden, “Christ lay in the bonds of death” (BWV 4)
Fourth Sunday after Easter
Wo gehest du hin? (BWV 166)
Fifth Sunday after Easter
Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch (BWV 86)
Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinen Namen (BWV 87)
Ascension Day
Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen (“Ascension Oratorio,” BWV 11)
Sunday after Ascension Day
Sie werden euch in den Bann tun I (BWV 44)
Sie werden euch in den Bann tun II (BWV 183)
Trinity Sunday
Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott (BWV 129)
First Sunday after Trinity
O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (BWV 20)
Second Sunday after Trinity
Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes (BWV 76)
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (BWV 147)
Third Sunday after Trinity
Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis (BWV 21)
Fourth Sunday after Trinity
Ein ungefärbt Gemüte (BWV 24)
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 177)
Fifth Sunday after Trinity
Siehe, ich will viel Fischer aussenden (BWV 88)
Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten (BWV 93)
Sixth Sunday after Trinity
Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust (BWV 170)
Eighth Sunday after Trinity
Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist (BWV 45)
Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz (BWV 136)
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren (BWV 137)
Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben (BWV 77)
Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan (BWV 99)
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
Christus, der ist mein Leben (BWV 95)
Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir (BWV 38)
Twenty-seventh Sunday after Trinity
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140)
Feast of St. Michael and All Angels
Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir (BWV 130)