Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7
| Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam | |
|---|---|
| BWV 7 | |
| Chorale cantata by J. S. Bach | |
Baptism of Jesus (topic of the chorale) by José de Ribera, 1643
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| Translation | Christ our Lord came to the Jordan |
| Occasion | Feast of St John the Baptist |
| Performed | 24 June 1724: Leipzig |
| Movements | 7 |
| Cantata text | anonymous |
| Chorale | "Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam" by Martin Luther |
| Vocal |
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| Instrumental |
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Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam (Christ our Lord came to the Jordan), BWV 7, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the Feast of St. John the Baptist and led its first performance on 24 June 1724.
It is the third cantata Bach composed for his chorale cantata cycle, the second cycle he started after being appointed Thomaskantor in 1723. The cantata is based on the seven stanzas of Martin Luther's hymn "Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam", about baptism. The first and last stanza of the chorale were used for the outer movements of the cantata, while an unknown librettist paraphrased the inner stanzas of the hymn into the text for the five other movements. The first movement, a chorale fantasia, is followed by a succession of arias alternating with recitatives, leading to a four-part closing chorale.
The cantata is scored for three vocal soloists (alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir, two oboes d'amore, two solo violins, strings and basso continuo.
Bach composed this cantata for St John's Day 24 June 1724 in Leipzig, as the third cantata of his second annual cycle (the chorale cantata cycle), which had begun about two weeks earlier on the first Sunday after Trinity. The cycle was devoted to Lutheran hymns, typically rendered by keeping their text of the first and last stanza, while a contemporary poet reworded the inner stanzas.
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