In celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary, Constance Coles and Bill McKeown have arranged a performance of J.S. Bach’s cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140), lead by Kent Tritle with chamber orchestra, choir and soloists in the Cathedral’s Great Choir.

About Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140)
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140) is regarded as one of Bach’s most mature and popular sacred cantatas. Based on the hymn of the same name, Bach sprinkles the text and tune of the hymn throughout the cantata (in mvmts. 1, 4, and 7) while the inner movements use text based on the love poetry of Song of Songs in sequences of recitative and duet. He uses a tenor soloist as narrator in these sections, while a bass and soprano sing the “love-duets.” The choir chimes in with hymn tune first as a chorale fantasia, then in the style of a chorale prelude, and finally, they sing the third stanza as a four-part chorale.

Bach composed the cantata for the 27^th Sunday after Trinity and performed it only once on November 25, 1731 in Leipzig. It has since become a beloved cantata, often performed during the Advent season.