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Primary sourceDocument1731

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140

Johann Sebastian Bach · 1731

A mature chorale cantata by Bach, based on a 1599 Lutheran hymn, first performed in Leipzig in 1731.

Bach composed this cantata for Leipzig services and reused part of it in his later Schübler Chorales.

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Handwritten manuscript page of music on aged, brownish paper, with ink staves and notes in dense rapid passages, and the heading 'Aria Adagio' written at the top left. Ink smudges and stains are visible across the page.
Johann Sebastian Bach, autograph part for the aria in Cantata BWV 140, 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme'.

About this source

What it is

This church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach was composed in Leipzig to complete his cycle of chorale cantatas and first performed on 25 November 1731. It is based on Philipp Nicolai's hymn 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme', with additional poetry by an unknown author drawing on the Song of Songs; the chorale texts were arranged by Picander.

Why it matters

Regarded as one of Bach's most accomplished sacred works, it shows his skill in blending traditional hymn tunes with dramatic, opera-like recitatives and duets. Bach later reused its central movement as the basis for one of his Schübler Chorales. The cantata connects Bach's work to earlier Lutheran hymn writers and to the collaborators who supplied him with texts.

Look closer

  • Why might Bach have reused music from this cantata in a later, different work?
  • What does the combination of a centuries-old hymn with new, opera-style poetry tell us about Bach's approach to composing?
  • What can the stains and smudges on the manuscript tell us about how it was used?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Johann Sebastian Bach on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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