Now come, the nation's Saviour (Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland)

SKU: CA.3106205

ISBN 9790007043582. Key: B minor. Language: German/English. Text: Luther, Martin. Text: Martin Luther.

Bach's second cantata starting with the text Come now, God's chosen saviour (II) BWV 62 was first performed in 1724 on the 1st Advent Sunday (which, at that time, was the only Advent Sunday with church music in Leipzig) and belongs to the annual cycle of chorale cantatas. As was usual for chorale cantatas, the unknown librettist used the first and last verses of Martin Luther's hymn verbatim for the opening chorus and the concluding chorale but adapted the texts of the inner verses. After two contrasting arias - the one dance-like, the second almost heroic - an almost enraptured accompagnato (Wir ehren diese Herrlichtkeit, und nahen nun zu deiner Krippen), in which the soprano and contralto mostly sing in parallel thirds and sixths, leads to a simple concluding chorale. Score available separately - see item CA.3106200.