Gedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet, BWV 217

Gedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet (Be mindful of our condition, Lord), BWV 217,^[a] is a church cantata, formerly attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. It is now attributed to Johann Christoph Altnickol, Bach's son-in-law.

History and text

The unknown composer wrote this piece for the First Sunday after Epiphany. The librettist is also unknown.^[1]

Scoring and structure

The cantata is scored for SATB soloists and choir, flauto traverso, two violins, viola and basso continuo.^[2]

It has five movements:

1. Chorus: Gedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet
2. Recitativ (soprano): Ach, Jesus ist verloren
3. Aria (alto): Saget mir, beliebte Felder
4. Duet recitative and arioso (tenor and bass): Sei, kummervolles Herz, getrost
5. Chorus: Ändert euch, ihr Klagelieder

Recording

• Alsfelder Vokalensemble / Steintor Barock Bremen, Wolfgang Helbich. The Apocryphal Bach Cantatas. CPO, 1991.

Notes

1. "BWV" is Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, a thematic catalogue of Bach's works.