Who's behind the notes? Discover Johann Sebastian Bach: Master of Baroque Music
"Woferne du den edlen Frieden" is the fourth movement, an aria, from Johann Sebastian Bach's church cantata "Jesu, nun sei gepreiset", BWV 41. Composed for the Feast of the Circumcision (New Year's Day) and first performed in 1725 in Leipzig, it is part of Bach's second annual cycle of cantatas. The aria is scored for tenor, obbligato violoncello piccolo, and continuo. The violoncello piccolo, a smaller five-stringed cello, allows for a virtuosic and extreme obbligato part filled with large leaps and complex counterpoint that is highly characteristic of Bach's innovative instrumental writing. The text reflects on the peace granted by God.