Gedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet, BWV 217 explained

German: Gedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet (Be mindful of our condition, Lord), BWV 217, is a church cantata, formerly attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. It is now attributed to Johann Christoph Altnickol, Bach's son-in-law.

History and text

The unknown composer wrote this piece for the First Sunday after Epiphany. The librettist is also unknown.^[1]

Scoring and structure

The cantata is scored for SATB soloists and choir, flauto traverso, two violins, viola and basso continuo.^[2]

It has five movements:

1. Chorus: German: Gedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet
2. Recitativ (soprano): German: Ach, Jesus ist verloren
3. Aria (alto): German: Saget mir, beliebte Felder
4. Duet recitative and arioso (tenor and bass): German: Sei, kummervolles Herz, getrost
5. Chorus: German: Ändert euch, ihr Klagelieder

Recording

• Alsfelder Vokalensemble / Steintor Barock Bremen, Wolfgang Helbich. The Apocryphal Bach Cantatas. CPO, 1991.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Cantata BWV 217 Gedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet. Bach Cantatas . 14 December 2012.
2. Web site: Cantates 217–224. 18 May 2013. Université du Québec. fr. 28 May 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120528182042/http://www.uquebec.ca/musique/catal/bacjs/baccatv2b.html. dead.