(An undisguised intention) for alto, tenor and bass, vocal ensemble, oboe I+II, oboe díamore I+II, trumpet, strings and basso contiuno

Although cantata BWV 24, “An undisguised intention”, was first performed on 20 June 1723 in Leipzig, it is related in tone to Bach’s Weimar cantatas, perhaps to provide stylistic unity with cantata BWV 185, “O heart filled with mercy and love everlasting”, which was reperformed in the same church service. The libretto by Erdmann Neumeister, which rebukes and woos by turn, sets the stage for an unmistakably moralising cantata that was well suited to performance in the vice-ridden commercial cities of Leipzig and Hamburg.