Bach Cantata Notes

BWV 85

The "Good Shepherd" Cantata BWV 85 is modest in scope but musically on a very high level.  It opens with a sober and beautiful bass aria with oboe and strings.  The alto aria has an obbligato that was played variously on cello and violin in the several Leipzig performances.  We play it here with violin obbligato.  Two oboes accompany the solo soprano in a lovely setting of the chorale "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr."  An elaborate accompanied recitative leads the tenor into the beautiful and pastoral aria, one of the most appealing of all the tenor arias. A verse of the chorale "Ist Gott mein Schild und Helfersmann" ends the cantata.

©Craig Smith