(What need I of this world) for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, vocal ensemble, transverse flute, oboe I+II, bassoon, strings and basso continuo

It would be a disservice to the cantata “Was frag ich nach der Welt” (What need I of this world), composed for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity in 1724, were we to misconstrue it as a conventional example of a Protestant renouncement of the earthly world. After all, the composition is replete with subtle arguments and messages that inspired Bach to sensitive and original compositional solutions.