(Joyful be, O ransomed throng) for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, vocal ensemble, transverse flute I+II, oboe I+II, oboe d’amore, violino concertato, strings and basso continuo

Recent research has corroborated the long-held assumption that Bach composed the greater part of his Leipzig cantatas during his first years there as Thomascantor. From 1730 onward, he then parodied many of these works, reorganizing them in new compilations such as the Christmas Oratorio and the four short masses BWV 233 to 236, thus maximizing the fruits of his earlier labours. The St John the Baptist cantata “Freue dich, erlöste Schar” (Joyful be, O ransomed throng) BWV 30 is one parody composition of this time, and despite being one of Bach’s latest sacred works, it is based on a homage cantata “Angenehmes Wiederau” (O most charming Wiederau), which he composed in 1737 for the Saxon court official J. C. Hennicke.