Dearest Jesus, sore I need Thee

Scoring: Soli SB, Coro SATB, Ob, Vl solo, 2 Vl, Va, Bc

The text of the cantata "Dearest Jesus, sore I need Thee" for the 1st Epiphany Sunday 1726 was written by the Darmstadt poet Georg Christian Lehms. It is conceived as a dialog between Jesus and the Faithful Soul. Bach titled his cantata "Concerto in Dialogo" and accordingly, it is structured as a dialog between soprano and bass, set in the voice types that were – not only for Bach – typically used for the soul (soprano) and Jesus (bass). The cantata is based on the narrative of the twelve-year-old boy Jesus in the temple; however, in spite of closely following the gospel text, it is interpreted more widely here: it is through Jesus that the believer finds God’s dwelling. Bach creates a great arch from the opening aria full of yearning and searching through to the joyful duet "Nun verschwinden alle Plagen." He himself added the four-part closing chorale to the text model, thus communicating the sense of joyous certainty to the congregation of believers.