Cantata No.1 Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (BWV 1) (Study Score)

J S Bach Cantata No.1 Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (BWV 1) (Study Score)

Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern | How bright and fair the morning star BWV 1
Cantata for the Feast of Annunciation Day.

The cantata “ Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” BWV 1 was written for 25 March 1725, when the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Mary coincided with Palm Sunday.  It forms the conclusion of Bach’s cantata cycle of 1724/25.

The anonymous librettist retained the outer verses 1 and 7 of Philipp Nicolai’s text (1599) which is assigned to the feast of Epiphany according to old tradition but was also sung at the Annunciation of the Blessed Mary. Verses 2 to 6 form the basis for the tenor and bass recitatives and the soprano and tenor arias.

Bach’s composition has a particularly festive brilliance with his use of 2 horns, 2 oboes da caccia and the two concertante solo violins. The violins’ lively figurations clearly reflect an image of the shining morning star.

- Urtext of the New Bach Edition.

- Performance material (BA10001), vocal score (BA10001-90) available for sale