Composed for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, which fell on April 2, 1725, Bach's Cantata No. 8 "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben" (Dearest God, when shall I die) (BWV 8) sets the five-verse hymn by Caspar Neumann, for which the unknown writer retained the first and last verses of the hymn for the outer movements of the cantata and paraphrased the hymn for the central movements. The text dwells on thoughts of inevitable death and just punishment for the wicked, but holds out the hope for redemption through the intercession of Jesus. The cantata is scored for tenor, alto, bass and soprano soloists, chorus, a transverse flute, a pair of oboe d'amore, strings, basso continuo, and a solo trumpet doubling the sopranos in the outer movements. The cantata is in E major with its first and sixth movements in the tonic, its second, third and fifth movement C sharp minor, and its fourth movement in A major. The first movement opens with a wonderfully evocative orchestral introduction for dueting oboes d'amore, a tolling transverse flute above gently plucked strings. The orchestra continues to dominate the texture even after the chorus has entered with brief statements of the first verse of Neumann's poem. The second movement is a duet in the form of a trio sonata between an oboe d'amore and the tenor soloist above a pizzicato continuo. The third movement is a mournful accompanied recitative for alto soloist. The fourth movement is a sprightly dance for solo transverse flute and strings with a manful bass soloists plus continuo. The fifth movement is a withdrawn Secco recitative for solo soprano. "Liebster Gott, wann werd ich sterben" closes with a magnificent setting of the last lines of Neumann's hymn performed by the entire chorus and orchestra. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide
