Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich

This is believed to be Bach's earliest surviving cantata. Although the exact date is not known, it is thought to date either from Bach's late years employed in Arnstadt[?] (where he was up to 1707) or his early years in Weimar (from 1708).

The piece is written for soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, a choir and an orchestra consisting of bassoon, violins and basso continuo.

Bach was influenced by Dietrich Buxtehude (in 1705, Bach walked around 200 miles from Arnstadt[?] to Lübeck to hear his music and organ playing) and this work is often seen as one of the clearest examples of that influence.

Bach ends this work with a passacaglia for the whole ensemble of instrumentalists and singers. The theme of this closing movement was later adapted by Johannes Brahms for the theme of his passacaglia in the finale of his Symphony No. 4.

External links

• Original German text (http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/150)
• English translation of the text (http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/BWV150)
• Another English translation (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV150-Eng3.htm)
• Downloadable vocal scores of Bach's cantatas in .pdf format (http://www.bh2000.net/score/sacrbach/)