Johann Sebastian Bach's chorale cantata cycle is the year-cycle of church cantatas he started composing in Leipzig from the first Sunday after Trinity in 1724. It followed the cantata cycle he had composed from his appointment as Thomaskantor after Trinity in 1723.
Bach's second cantata cycle is commonly used as a synonym for his chorale cantata cycle, but strictly speaking both cycles overlap only for 40 cantatas. Two further chorale cantatas may belong to both cycles: the final version of , and the earliest version of ; it is, however, uncertain whether these versions were first presented in Bach's second year in Leipzig. Bach composed a further 13 cantatas in his second year at Leipzig, none of them chorale cantatas, although two of them became associated with the chorale cantata cycle. After his second year in Leipzig, he composed at least eight further cantatas for inclusion in his chorale cantata cycle.
Around the start of the Bach Revival in the 19th century, almost no manuscripts of Bach's music remained in St. Thomas in Leipzig, apart from an incomplete chorale cantata cycle. In Leipzig the chorale cantatas were, after the motets, the second most often performed compositions of Bach between the composer's death and the Bach Revival. Philipp Spitta, in his 19th-century biography of the composer, praised the chorale cantatas, but failed to see them as a cycle tied to 1724–25. It took about a century after Spitta before Bach's cantata cycles were analysed in scholarly literature, but then Bach's ambitious project to write a chorale cantata for each occasion of the liturgical year was characterized as "the largest musical project that the composer ever undertook".
Development of the second cantata cycle and the chorale cantata cycle Possibly the idea for writing a series of chorale cantatas was inspired by the bicentennial anniversary of the first publications of Lutheran hymnals (1524). The first of these early hymnals is the Achtliederbuch, containing eight hymns and five melodies. Four chorale cantatas use text and/or melody of a hymn in that early publication (BWV 2, 9, 38 and 117). Another 1524 hymnal is the Erfurt Enchiridion: BWV 62, 91, 96, 114, 121 and 178 are based on hymns from that publication. BWV 14 and 125 were based on hymns from Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn, also published in 1524.
Apart from some cantatas composed after Palm Sunday 1725, the chorale cantata cycle and the second cantata cycle overlap, and the two designations are often used interchangeably in scholarly literature. Otherwise the cycle is described as breaking off after Palm Sunday or Easter 1725. There are some cantatas that belong to one of both cycles, but not to the other, for instance the chorale cantata for Trinity 1727 replaces the Trinity cantata of the second cycle composed in 1725. Also, some cantatas traditionally seen as belonging to the chorale cantata cycle are not chorale cantatas in a strict sense, for instance the cantata for the Sunday between New Year and Epiphany added to the chorale cantata cycle in 1727. Neither the second cantata cycle, nor the chorale cantata cycle are complete annual cycles as extant. Even a merging of both cycles into one, with some occasions having two cantatas, which hardly can be seen as an intention of the composer, would still be missing a few cantatas (e.g. for Easter 3 and Trinity XXVI).
Chorale cantatas composed as part of the second annual cycle (Trinity I 1724 to Palm Sunday 1725) All extant church cantatas Bach composed for occasions from 11 June 1724 (Trinity I) to 25March 1725 (Palm Sunday) are chorale cantatas. As such these cantatas have consecutive "K" numbers in the chronological Zwang catalogue for Bach's cantatas published in 1982. In the Zwang catalogue the cantata for Reformation Day Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80, is inserted between the cantatas for Trinity XXI and XII, as a cantata premiered in 1724.Philippe (and Gérard) Zwang. Guide pratique des cantates de Bach. Paris, 1982. . See Johann Sebastian Bach: Correspondance Catalogues Zwang — Schmeider at More recently, this cantata is, however, no longer considered to have been composed in 1724.Günther Zedler. Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach: Eine Einführung in die Werkgattung. Books on Demand, 2011. , p. 32–37
Bach's last newly composed chorale cantata in his second year in Leipzig was , for the feast of the Annunciation on 25March, which fell on Palm Sunday in 1725. Of the chorale cantatas composed up to Palm Sunday 1725 only K77, 84, 89, 95, 96 and 109 (BWV135, 113, 130, 80, 115 and 111) were not included in the chorale cantata cycle that was still extant in Leipzig in 1830.Alfred Dörffel. Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe Volume 27: Thematisches Verzeichniss der Kirchencantaten No. 1–120. Breitkopf & Härtel, 1878. Introduction, pp. V–IX
Sundays after Trinity In 1724 the period of the Sundays after Trinity included St. John's Day (24June), Visitation (2July, that year coinciding with Trinity IV), St. Michael's Day (29September) and Reformation Day (31October). That year the last Sunday after Trinity, that is the last Sunday before Advent, was Trinity XXV: Trinity I, 11 June 1724: O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20 (K 74). Trinity II, 18 June 1724: (K 75). St. John's Day, 24 June 1724: (K 76). Trinity III, 25 June 1724: (K 77). Visitation, 2 July 1724 (that year coinciding with Trinity IV): Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, BWV 10 (K 78). Trinity V, 9 July 1724: Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, BWV 93 (K 79). Trinity VI (no extant Bach cantata for this Sunday in 1724) Trinity VII, 23 July 1724: Was willst du dich betrüben, BWV 107 (K 80). Trinity VIII, 30 July 1724: Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält, BWV 178 (K 81). Trinity IX, 6 August 1724: Was frag ich nach der Welt, BWV 94 (K 82). Trinity X, 13 August 1724: Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101 (K 83). Trinity XI, 20 August 1724: Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut, BWV 113 (K 84). Trinity XII (no extant Bach cantata for this Sunday in 1724) Council election (no extant Bach cantata for this Monday in 1724) Trinity XIII, 3 September 1724: Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 33 (K 85). Trinity XIV, 10 September 1724: Jesu, der du meine Seele, BWV 78 (K 86). Trinity XV, 17 September 1724: Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 99 (K 87). Trinity XVI, 24 September 1724: Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? BWV 8 (K 88). St. Michael's Day, 29 September 1724: Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir, BWV 130 (K 89). Trinity XVII, 1 October 1724: Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost, BWV 114 (K 90). Trinity XVIII, 8 October 1724: Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn, BWV 96 (K 91). Trinity XIX, 15 October 1724: Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 5 (K 92). Trinity XX, 22 October 1724: Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 180 (K 93). Trinity XXI, 29 October 1724: Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 38 (K 94). Reformation Day: Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80 (K 95) – there is however uncertainty whether an early version of this cantata was composed for, or even performed at, 31 October 1724. Trinity XXII, 5 November 1724: Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit, BWV 115 (K 96). Trinity XXIII, 12 November 1724: Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott, BWV 139 (K 97). Trinity XXIV, 19 November 1724: Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig, BWV 26 (K 98). Trinity XXV, 26 November 1724: Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 116 (K 99).
Advent 1724 to Epiphany 1725 OccasionSecondcantatacycleChoralecantatacycle 1 Advent I BWV 62 2 Christmas BWV 91 3 Christmas 2 BWV 121 4 Christmas 3 BWV 133 5 Christmas I BWV 122 6 New Year BWV 41 7 New Year I — (BWV 58) 8 Epiphany BWV 123 9 Epiphany I BWV 124 10 Epiphany II BWV 3 11 Epiphany III BWV 111 12 Epiphany IV — BWV 14 13 Epiphany V — 14 Epiphany VI — 15 Septuagesima BWV 92 16 Purification BWV 125 17 Sexagesima BWV 126 18 Estomihi BWV 127 19 AnnunciationPalm Sunday BWV 1 20 Easter (BWV 4)(BWV 249) BWV 4 21 Easter 2 BWV 6 — 22 Easter 3 (BWV 158?) — 23 Easter I BWV 42 — 24 Easter II BWV 85 BWV 112 25 Easter III BWV 103 — 26 Easter IV BWV 108 — 27 Easter V BWV 87 — 28 Ascension BWV 128 (BWV 128) 29 Ascension I BWV 183 — 30 Pentecost BWV 74 — 31 Pentecost 2 BWV 68 (BWV 68) 32 Pentecost 3 BWV 175 — 33 Trinity BWV 176 BWV 129 34 Trinity I BWV 20 35 Trinity II BWV 2 36 St. John's D. BWV 7 37 Trinity III BWV 135 38 Trinity IV — BWV 177 39 Visitation BWV 10 40 Trinity V BWV 93 41 Trinity VI — BWV 9 42 Trinity VII BWV 107 43 Trinity VIII BWV 178 44 Trinity IX BWV 94 45 Trinity X BWV 101 46 Trinity XI BWV 113 47 Trinity XII — BWV 137 48 Trinity XIII BWV 33 49 Trinity XIV BWV 78 50 Trinity XV BWV 99 51 Trinity XVI BWV 8 52 St. Michael's D. BWV 130 53 Trinity XVII BWV 114 54 Trinity XVIII BWV 96 55 Trinity XIX BWV 5 56 Trinity XX BWV 180 57 Trinity XXI BWV 38 58 Reformation D. (BWV 80b) BWV 80 59 Trinity XXII BWV 115 60 Trinity XXIII BWV 139 61 Trinity XXIV BWV 26 62 Trinity XXV BWV 116 63 Trinity XXVI — 64 Trinity XXVII — BWV 140 A new liturgical year starts with the first Sunday of Advent: when a cantata cycle is listed without taking the chronology of composition into account, this is where the list starts. The period from Advent 1724 to Epiphany 1725 included Christmas (25December), New Year (1January) and Epiphany (6January): First Sunday of Advent (Advent I), : Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62 (K 100).
In Leipzig concerted music was not allowed for the second to fourth Sunday of Advent (silent time), so the next cantatas in the cycle are those for Christmas: Christmas Day (Feast of the Nativity of Christ), : Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV 91 (K 101). Second Day of Christmas (Christmas 2), : Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121 (K 102). Third Day of Christmas (Christmas 3), : Ich freue mich in dir, BWV 133 (K 103). First Sunday after Christmas (Christmas I), : Das neugeborne Kindelein, BWV 122 (K 104). New Year (Feast of the Circumcision of Christ), : Jesu, nun sei gepreiset, BWV 41 (K 105).
In 1725 the next occasion was Epiphany, while there was no Sunday between New Year and Epiphany: Epiphany, : Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen, BWV 123 (K 106).
Sundays after Epiphany There were six Sundays between Epiphany and Lent in 1725: Epiphany I, : Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht, BWV 124 (K 107). Epiphany II, : Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3 (K 108). Epiphany III, : Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit, BWV 111 (K 109).
The three last Sundays before Ash Wednesday are called Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Estomihi. In 1725 the feast of Purification (2 February) fell between the first and the second of these Sundays: Septuagesima, : Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn, BWV 92 (K 110). Purification, : Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125 (K 111). Sexagesima, : Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort, BWV 126 (K 112). Estomihi, : Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott, BWV 127 (K 113).
Lent up to Palm Sunday In Leipzig there was no music during Lent (starting on Ash Wednesday), except for Annunciation (25March) and the Passion music on Good Friday. In 1725 Annunciation coincided with Palm Sunday: Annunciation — Palm Sunday, : Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1 (K 114).
After this cantata the consecutive set of chorale cantatas breaks off.
Continuation of the second annual cycle Newly composed cantatas, to make the year cycle complete up to Trinity Sunday, were no longer in the chorale cantata format, possibly because Bach lost his librettist, likely Andreas Stübel, who died on 31January 1725.
Only three cantatas staged between Good Friday and Trinity of 1725 became associated with the chorale cantata cycle. Bach's second year cycle of cantatas is complete apart from the cantatas for ChristmasII, EpiphanyIV–VI, and TrinityIV, VI, XII and XXVI–XXVII. For most of the occasions that lack a cantata in the second cycle there are however extant chorale cantatas.
Good Friday and Easter