Composed in Weimar, this early cantata features only an alto soloist—unusual for Bach's later choral works—and explores themes of resisting sin through intense chromatic harmonies and expressive recitatives.
This aria from Bach's cantata BWV 54 features a remarkable da capo structure with contrapuntal rigor. The four-voice fugal treatment (voice, violins, violas, continuo) musically embodies the theological concept of sin's pervasiveness. Composed during Bach's Weimar period, it represents his first extant church cantata for solo voice, showcasing early mastery of text expression through dissonance and complex counterpoint.
Composed in 1714, Widerstehe doch der Sünde is Bach's first extant church cantata for a solo voice (alto). It features striking harmonic boldness, including intentional dissonances in the opening aria to symbolize resistance to sin. The work showcases Bach's early mastery of textual illustration through music.
