One of the earliest cantatas Bach composed for the ducal court of Weimar, the exact dating of BWV 18 ("As the rain and snow fall from heaven") is unknown. It was probably composed in either 1713 or 1714, perhaps as late as 1715. It is a cantata for the second Sunday before Lent (or Sexagesima) which like many of the Weimar cantatas was revised and revived by Bach during his years as cantor in Leipzig (1723 - 1750). The text is one of five set by Bach (the others are Nos. 61, 24, 28, and 29) to come from the pen of the great reformer Erdmann Neumeister (1671 - 1756), although that for BWV 18 adheres to an earlier style. The scoring of four violas and bass continuo is highly unusual (it was altered to include two recorders in the Leipzig revision), giving the instrumental texture a quiet, prayerful quality apposite to the setting of the litany that lies at the heart of this short cantata. Neumeister's text takes its point of departure from the gospel of the day, the parable of the sower (Luke 8:4-15). A feature of the Weimar cantatas is a separate opening instrumental movement marked "sinfonia" (many of the later cantatas have instrumental introductions, but not separately designated as such), as is the case here. The form here is a slow introduction in which the falling rain and snow are depicted by tumbling scales, followed by a fugal figure. It thus resmbles an organ piece, but also includes elements of concerto form in the use of ritornelli. There is no opening chorus, the bass soloist going straight into a recitative comparing the nurturing of the earth with the spreading of the word. The structure of the central section, based on four sections of the litany, is unique among Bach's works. Tenor and bass soloists alternate in advancing the penitential plea, which in each verse is first taken by the sopranos singing an unvaried archaic modal chorale, and then the full chorus for the final line -- "Hear us, dear God." The only aria in the cantata follows. It is for soprano and richly accompanied by the four violas playing in unison. Neumeister's text points to the word of God as being the only protection against the traps of "the world and Satan." The cantata concludes with a four-part setting of the eighth stanza of Lazarus Spengler's hymn "Durch Adam's Fall" (1524). ~ All Music Guide
