(How beauteous beams the morning star) for soprano, tenor and bass, vocal ensemble, corno I+II, oboe da caccia I+II, strings and continuo

The cantata “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” (How beauteous beams the morning star), written for the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1725, completes Bach’s chorale cantata cycle of 1724. As it was the first work featured in the inaugural version of the Complete Works of Bach in 1851, it was later given the number BWV 1. The orchestration of this cantata is particularly exquisite: aside from four voices and the obligatory strings, it includes two concertante violins, two oboes da caccia and two horns – three uncommon pairings of solo instruments. The addition of brass instruments, however, was not necessarily unconventional for the orchestration of a celebratory hymn – Bach’s predecessor in Leipzig, Johann Kuhnau, also composed a “morning star” cantata with two obbligato horns.