This cantata was first composed in Weimar in 1716, in a shorter version now catalogued as BWV 70a. It was later augmented and repurposed for a different Sunday of the liturgical year in Leipzig, where it saw two performances, in 1723 and 1731. The reason this was possible is that the readings for both Sundays deal with the second coming of Jesus, while the 26th Sunday after Trinity (its final calendar place in Leipzig) adds the element of the Final Judgement. The original libretto, by Salomon Franck, had no recitatives, as was often the case with his texts. So an anonymous librettist (possibly Bach himself) added four recitatives addressing the gaps in content, inserted a chorale as No. 7, and turned the piece into a longer, two-part work.
The Leipzig version calls for trumpet and oboe (not part of the original orchestration), strings, including a cello obbligato, 4-part choir, 4 solo voices and basso continuo.
The opening chorus, one of Bach’s earliest large-scale pieces, is in abridged da-capo form. It sets the calls “wachet!” (“watch!”) and “betet!” (“pray!”) from Franck’s libretto (a reference to Luke’s gospel, corresponding to the original Sunday for BWV 70a) to runs of 16th notes and long, sustained notes respectively, with lively calls from the orchestra. The orchestra recedes or rests in the second section, before the abbreviated da-capo section.
The first inserted recitative is next, introducing the concept of the Final Judgement to Franck’s text. It’s accompanied by the full orchestra for a very dramatic effect, with chords punctuating the words warning the sinners of the upcoming judgement. Halfway through, however, as the text gives hope to the children of God, the musical lines soften and a long melisma illustrates the word “Freude” (“joy”).
Next comes an alto aria, on text that refers to the liberation coming from the end of time (the mention of Egypt being a reference to Israel’s captivity). The basso continuo line is split into a fundamental and an obbligato line for cello, added for the 1731 Leipzig revision. Runs of 16th notes on the voice line illustrate “fliehen” (“flee”).
The following two movements are a recitative / aria pair, for tenor and soprano respectively. In the secco recitative the text hints at the Passion story, with a quote from Matthew 26:41, “The spirit is willing, yet the flesh is weak,” ending with a dramatic “Ach!”. Interestingly, that gospel verse starts with the words “Watch and pray”. The soprano aria is accompanied by violins and violas in unison and continuo. Still hinting at the Passion, the text alludes to the “tongues of the mockers”, and phrases such as “will and must occur” and “Christ’s word must remain firm” refer to the fulfillment of the scriptures. Bach illustrates the concept of “firmness” (“bestehen”) with long, sustained notes on an otherwise agile, fast moving vocal line.
Another secco recitative for the tenor, discussing how God will lead his believers to Eden, leads to a hymn by Christoph Demantius from 1620 set as a plain 4-part chorale with the instruments doubling the voices. This closes the first part of the cantata.
The shorter Part Two, which would have been played after the sermon, opens with a lively tenor aria, accompanied by first violins and oboe in unison, second violins, violas and continuo. The text, part of Franck’s original libretto, continues to refer to the blessed souls of the righteous, flourishing in Eden.
In stark contrast, the bass recitative and aria that follow seem like a scene from an opera. The recitative brings back the fear of Judgement Day and, just like No. 2, is accompanied by the full instrumental ensemble, to illustrate concepts such as the “collapse of the world” or the “last stroke”. As called for in the text, the trumpet makes an appearance with the chorale tune to “Es ist gewißlich an der Zeit” by Barthold Ringwald (1582).
Towards the end, though, hope returns and the inevitable melisma for “Freuden” is there to reassure us. This serves as a transition to the aria, which starts with a calm and sweet setting, marked “molt’ adagio”, of the text describing the “blessed day of revival”. Abruptly, the middle section paints one last time the collapse of the world, in a “presto” with rapid patterns of 16th notes in the strings. To conclude, the aria transitions to an adagio with the vocal line and just the continuo accompaniment to describe the final place where Jesus leads the believer.
The final chorale, on text by Christian Keymann from 1658, is harmonized in 7 parts: the trumpet and the oboe double the sopranos, but the strings all get independent parts.
