Dearest Jesus, sore I need Thee (Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen)

SKU: CA.3103207

ISBN 9790007092450. Key: E minor / g major. Language: German/English. Text: Lehms, Georg Christian.

The text of the cantata Dearest Jesus, sore I need Thee for the 1st Epiphany Sunday 1726 was written by the Darmstadt poet Georg Christian Lehms. It is conceived as a dialog between Jesus and the Faithful Soul. Bach titled his cantata Concerto in Dialogo and accordingly, it is structured as a dialog between soprano and bass, set in the voice types that were - not only for Bach - typically used for the soul (soprano) and Jesus (bass). The cantata is based on the narrative of the twelve-year-old boy Jesus in the temple; however, in spite of closely following the gospel text, it is interpreted more widely here: it is through Jesus that the believer finds God's dwelling. Bach creates a great arch from the opening aria full of yearning and searching through to the joyful duet Nun verschwinden alle Plagen. He himself added the four-part closing chorale to the text model, thus communicating the sense of joyous certainty to the congregation of believers. Score available separately - see item CA.3103200.