About this work
Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest was first performed on 2 November 1723 for the inauguration of the organ at Störmthal near Leipzig. Bach reused several movements from a lost secular cantata, BWV 194a, and organised the new work in two groups of six numbers intended to frame the sermon.
The opening chorus, with three oboes, bassoon, strings and continuo, has the breadth of a dance. Recitatives and arias then reduce the space around bass, soprano or tenor. A soprano-bass duet with two oboes animates the second part, while two chorales punctuate this course of twelve movements.
In the opening chorus, preserve the dance suppleness across its long span and make every return of the motif recognisable. Recitatives need a continuo responsive to changes in the text; in the arias, agree on articulation between voices and instruments. Shape both parts as one arc, with stable but never ponderous chorales.
What the document containsDocument: The document contains 48 pages in PDF format. No MIDI file is currently attached to this historical record. The 48-page full score contains all twelve movements, divided into two groups of six with a chorale closing each part.The historical record marks the work and file as public domain but does not document the editor or exact provenance of this copy. The file preserved by LesPartitions.info can be compared with the reference catalogue. Following that check, LesPartitions.info separates established facts from information that remains incomplete.