Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen (Klavierauszug)

What does Bachs Christmas Oratorio¨ have to do with Hercules? More than you might think at first glance. In the fall of 1733, with the eleventh birthday of the Saxon Crown Prince Friedrich Christian fast approaching, Johann Sebastian Bach composed the secular cantata Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen (Let us watch him, let us guard him), which he then performed on the princes birthday (September 5) with the Collegium Musicum in the garden of Zimmermanns coffeehouse in Leipzig. The libretto by Picander tells the mythological story of the young Hercules, who, forced to choose between lust and virtue, naturally chooses the right path. The fact that Hercules is intended to represent the young Crown Prince is already suggested in the opening choral movement before becoming explicit in the closing chorus. Most of the choruses and arias in the cantata are familiar today through their incorporation by Bach into his later Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248. For example, the festive opening chorus Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen (Let us watch him, let us guard him) forms the opening chorus Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben (Bow ye, thankful, kneel and praise ye) of the New Years cantata. While the musical impact is no doubt altered by the unfamiliar thematic embedding, the audience is sure to make many pleasant rediscoveries!