Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750. Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten (Cantata)

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten (Who only lets dear God rule), BWV 93, in Leipzig for the fifth Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 9 July 1724. It is part of his chorale cantata cycle, the second cantata cycle he started after being appointed Thomaskantor in 1723. The cantata is based on the seven stanzas of the hymn "Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten" by Georg Neumark, published in 1657. 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 and featuring a duet in the centre. The cantata is scored for four soloists—soprano, alto, tenor and bass—a four-part choir, and a Baroque ensemble of two oboes, two violins, viola, viola da gamba and basso continuo.