This cantata for soprano, solo oboe and strings was composed with a libretto by an unknown author, but possibly attributable to Picander (Christian Friedrich Henrici), a frequent Bach collaborator in Leipzig. Its premiere date was February 9, 1727, and the gospel for that Sunday (third before Lent) is the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20: 1-16).
The libretto’s message elaborates on the parable, describing in the successive movements the Christian spirit of contentment with what one gets and the precept of not envying what others receive.
Even with the limited resources that Bach brings into play, the cantata presents a rich formal variety. It opens with a solemn and expansive aria in triple rhythm, with a leading role of the oboe and accompaniment of all strings; the second movement is a “secco” recitative; then follows another aria with the oboe, solo violin and continuo, which presents an animated and dance character as an illustration of the concept of “enjoying the bread”. The fourth movement is a recitative accompanied by the strings, leading to the closing chorale in four voices, with the instruments doubling the voices.
The text of the chorale is a stanza of a poem by Ämilie Juliane von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1686), selected by the librettist to conceptually complement the rest of the text.
This cantata marks the closing of the third annual cycle of cantatas that Bach composed in Leipzig, and it is possible to establish a link between its textual content, certain aspects of the musical language used, and the closing of a phase for our esteemed Thomaskantor.
