Notated by Bach as a cantata for the fourth Sunday after Easter, this work for chorus and alto, tenor, and bass soloists was composed to a text by Marianne von Ziegler as emended by the composer. Thus, Cantata No. 108 was one of nine for which Ziegler's volume of poems provided most of the texts. The cantata addresses the topic of the Holy Ghost promised to his disciples by the departing Christ. Two quotations from the Gospel of John are added as is a chorale based on a hymn by Paul Gerhardt. In common with the other eight cantatas to Ziegler's texts, No. 108 lacks an opening choral movement. Scholars have detected in this group of cantatas a greater freedom of invention on Bach's part, given that he was not obliged to follow the form of the liturgical chorale. Although Ziegler wrote more texts that Bach might have utilized, his engagement with her texts abruptly ended. Perhaps criticism from within the Lutheran Church caused this, or it may have been that the need for fresh texts had lessened, at least in the composer's estimation. Bach scholar Eric Chafe referred to Cantata No. 108 as a catabasis cantata, that is, one in which a downward progression of key signatures can be observed, signifying a descent from the divine to the human. The bass soloist begins the work with a recitative, "Es ist euch gut, dass ich hingehe" (It is for you that I now depart), telling of his sending the comforter "to you." The tenor soloist next sings an aria, asserting that no doubt will detain him. In the following recitative, the tenor soloist vows "Thy Spirit shall guide me," leading to a chorus stating that the arrival of truth's spirit will result in him leading his followers to every truth. The alto soloist then voices the belief that whatever the heart seeks shall be bestowed and that the supplicant will spend an eternity in which heaven's majesty may be enjoyed. The concluding chorale assures the listener that the spirit sent by God shall lead the faithful on a well-prepared pathway and that they should not stray from that path where salvation lies. ~ Erik Eriksson, All Music Guide
