when was it composed?
1715/1716
what is a cantata?
a vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment which comprises of many movements. Originally written using both sacred and secular texts, during the Baroque period in Germany it became most connected with the Lutheran Church.
what are the text and music based on?
a Lutheran hymn
what is a cantus firmus?
a ‘fixed song’- it is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition