Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd (Hunting Cantata), BWV 208

What it is

This cantata, with text by court poet Salomon Franck, was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach for the birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels in 1713, while Bach worked as court organist in Weimar. It is Bach's earliest surviving secular cantata and includes the well-known aria "Schafe können sicher weiden" ("Sheep May Safely Graze").

Why it matters

The cantata shows Bach writing music to please and flatter a ruler, using mythological characters like Diana and Pan, following the fashion of the time to link hunting with good government. It also reveals Bach's early experiments with instruments like the horn, likely written for players at the Weissenfels court. The commission helped Bach build ties with Saxe-Weissenfels, which later made him an honorary court composer.

Look closer

• Why might a composer write music praising a ruler's hunting skills?
• What does the use of horns and pastoral instruments tell you about the cantata's themes?
• What does this piece reveal about how musicians depended on patrons in Bach's time?