Bach: Recitativo and Aria

from Cantata 208, BWV.208 (“Sheep May Safely Graze”)

Arranged for Solo Piano by Gerardo Teissonnière

“Sheep may safely graze” (German: Schafe können sicher weiden) is a soprano aria by Johann Sebastian Bach to words by Salomon Franck. The piece was written in 1713 and is part of the cantata Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208 (Only the lively hunt pleases me), also known as the Hunting Cantata.

Like the Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, “Sheep may safely graze” is frequently played at weddings. However, the cantata BWV 208 was originally written for a birthday celebration of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. Bach was based at the nearby court of Weimar, and musicians from both courts appear to have joined in the first performance in Weißenfels. Source: Wikipedia