About this work
In the opening chorus, the chorale moves in long notes while the other voices and the orchestra seem to search for a way around it. This opposition makes the title’s question audible before the text is examined in detail. To keep the design clear, the cantus firmus must retain its direction, and the more mobile lines should not dissolve into undifferentiated activity.
The cantata gradually travels from anxiety towards comfort. The tenor aria sends long figures flowing, and later the oboe carries the chorale at the centre of the work. In rehearsal, identify these changes of perspective before polishing details. German consonants provide momentum; the vowels sustain the sound and prevent the phrases from breaking into fragments.
The most spectacular contrast comes in the exchange between bass and trumpet. It needs vigour, but also enough room for the words to remain intelligible. The closing chorale does not have to become louder still: its simplicity gathers the whole journey. A shared pulse and coordinated phrase endings give it more strength than an emphatic slowdown.
What the document containsthe vocal and instrumental score of the cantata;a 28-page PDF;no accompanying MIDI file.The file follows the choruses, recitatives, and arias in their complete order.