| Die Elenden sollen essen | |
|---|---|
BWV 75 | |
| Church cantata by J. S. Bach | |
 Nikolaikirche, c. 1850 | |
| Occasion | First Sunday after Trinity |
| Bible text | Psalms 22:26 |
| Chorale | "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" |
| Composed | 1723: Köthen |
| Performed | 30 May 1723: Leipzig |
| Movements | 14 in two parts (7, 7) |
| Vocal | SATB choir and solo |
| Instrumental |
|
Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Die Elenden sollen essen (The miserable shall eat),[1] BWV 75, for the first Sunday after Trinity. He led its first performance in Leipzig on 30 May 1723, his first Sunday in the position of Thomaskantor. The complex work is in two parts, each consisting of seven movements, and marks the beginning of his first annual cycle of cantatas.
Bach composed the cantata at a decisive turning point in his career. After various positions in churches and courts, he assumed the post of Thomaskantor in Leipzig on the first Sunday after Trinity, performing this cantata. In taking this job he in fact became responsible for the church music in four churches of Leipzig, and he began the ambitious project of composing a new cantata for every occasion of the liturgical year.
The work's structure is unusual in that it is in two symmetrical parts; seven of the fourteen movements are intended to be performed before the sermon, the other seven after it. The first part's text begins with a quotation from Psalm 22 and contrasts wealth and poverty. The text in the second part is focused on being poor or rich in spirit. Each part is concluded by a stanza of Samuel Rodigast's hymn "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan". Bach scored the cantata for four vocal soloists and a four-part choir (SATB), and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of trumpet, two oboes, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola, and basso continuo including bassoon. Parts I and II are each arranged in the same sequence: an opening movement (which is a chorus in Part I, a sinfonia in Part II), followed by alternating recitatives and arias, and a concluding chorale. The performance was acknowledged in the press, noting that Bach "produced his first music here with great success."[2]