Scoring and structure Bach structured the cantata in six movements, scored for
soprano (S),
alto (A),
tenor (T) and
bass (B) soloists, a
four-part choir SATB, and a
Baroque instrumental ensemble of
oboe (Ob), two
violins (Vl),
viola (Va) and
basso continuo. In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the
Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The
keys and
time signatures are taken from
Alfred Dürrs's standard book
The Cantatas of J. S. Bach, using the symbol for common time (4/4). He gives the duration as 17 minutes. The
cantus firmus of movement 3 is typically sung by the soprano of the choir.
Movements 1 The first movement, an arioso for the bass as the , takes the text "" from the gospel, part of "But now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, 'Where are you going?". This simple question is one of the shortest lyrics for a movement in a Bach cantata. It is given it a broader meaning, as if Jesus asked each individual about the destination of life. Its form is between arioso and aria.
John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the
Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000, noted that the movement, with shifting stresses in a triple metre, is "an understated yet deeply affecting prelude to the cantata".
2 In the second movement, an aria for tenor, "", the answer to the broader question is given, in a serene meditation, according to Gardiner. Bach illustrated the contrast of "going" versus "staying" in the middle section by rising scales and long notes.
3 The third movement is a hymn stanza, "", with the cantus firmus, the melody of "" sung unadorned by the soprano as a prayer for the right faith. The melody is accompanied by the violins and viola in
unison, for an impression "of great vigour and determination, urged on by steady continuo quavers", described by Gardiner as "a strong collective and committed response". The music is a precursor of Christe eleison duet in the Mass in B minor.
4 In the fourth movement, a recitative for bass, the singer reflects "", warning to live alone for earthly pleasures. The bass is now the "counsel of wisdom".
5 The fifth movement is an aria for alto, "" that reinforces the thought. The oboe reinforces the first violin. The musical illustration is mostly devoted to the word "" (laughs), although the text warns that a fall may come "" (when fortune winks). The laughter is pictured in "the various oscillating semi-quaver figures in the strings" and in
melismas on the word "". The orchestra plays a
minuet, interrupted by "frivolous cascades of paired semiquavers" supporting the
melismas of the soloist. As Gardiner noted, the "giggling is infectious: voice, oboe and the complete string band at one point erupt in gales of unison laughter".
6 The cantata is concluded by a four-part setting of the first stanza of the hymn "", a prayer for support in the hour of death. It is sung to the melody of "".
Manuscripts and publication While the autograph score of is lost, manuscripts of parts survived, handed down by
C. P. E. Bach. The cantata was published by the
Bach-Gesellschaft in the
Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe (BGA), the first attempt at a complete edition of Bach's works a century after the composer's death, in vol. 33 in 1887. It was edited by
Franz Wüllner. The
New Bach Edition (, NBA) published the work in 1960, edited by Dürr, with critical commentary added the following year. This edition tried to "complete" the tenor by a reconstruction, based on the assumption that a part had been lost.
Carus-Verlag published a critical edition in German and English as part of its in 2014, edited by Ute Poetzsch. It restored the tenor aria to a three-part accompaniment. == Recordings ==