Johann Sebastian Bach, the Cantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, composed at least four Ascension cantatas that have survived.
Composer Biography
Georg Philipp Telemann, a friend and colleague of Bach, composed over 30 cantatas specifically for Ascension Day.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Both Bach and Telemann used their music to express a fundamental trust in God and to offer listeners a foretaste of a blessed, carefree life in heaven.
Composition History
Bach's Cantata BWV 128 is part of a group of nine cantatas composed in 1725 using texts by the Leipzig poetess Christiana Mariana von Ziegler.
Compositional Technique
Bach reused the alto aria "Ach, bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben" from his Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 in the "Agnus Dei" of his Mass in B minor a decade later.
Historical Context
The Feast of the Ascension, marking the end of Christ's earthly existence, was celebrated with the same splendor in the Protestant church as Christ's birth, resurrection, and Pentecost.
Composition History
The music for Bach's Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 had a history of prior use, with its opening chorus composed in 1732 for the inauguration of the Thomasschule extensions and two arias from a 1725 wedding cantata.
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