This aria is the 5th movement of Bach's church cantata BWV 98 "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan", composed in Leipzig for the 21st Sunday after Trinity. Unlike a typical chorale setting, Bach opens the vocal line with an embellished version of the hymn "Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht" (I will not let go of my Jesus) by Andreas Hammerschmidt, creating an intimate dialogue between voice and strings. The music reflects the text's unwavering devotion through its persistent rhythmic motifs and expressive melismas on words like "walten" (govern), symbolizing divine control.
This poignant aria from Bach's church cantata BWV 98 features an obbligato oboe line originally symbolizing weeping eyes, here reimagined for string trio. Its melody derives from Samuel Rodigast's chorale "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan", composed during Bach's Leipzig period as part of his third cantata cycle.
Bach's BWV 98 is a church cantata composed for the 21st Sunday after Trinity. While based on Samuel Rodigast's hymn, it is not a typical chorale cantata from Bach's second cycle. The opening chorus features an intricate obbligato violin part weaving through the homophonic choral texture, with elaborate melismas on the word "walten" (govern) emphasizing God's control. Unlike his other settings of this chorale (BWV 99 and 100), this cantata has a more intimate, chamber-music character with interesting structural features like the bar form treatment in the opening movement.
