Birthday of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels

Thursday 23 February 2023

Birthday of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels

23 February 2023 – In 1713 Bach was court organist in Weimar, and he went with his employer, William Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, to the 31st birthday celebrations of the neighbouring ruler, Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, who was a keen hunter.

After an extended hunting party, Bach performed this cantata on the evening of that day as a birthday gift by his employer. It is Bach's oldest known secular cantata.

That same Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels visited Leipzig many years later, on January 12, 1729, and Bach wrote as a homage the cantata O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a.

Cantatas

  • Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd!, BWV 208
    (first performance 23 February 1713, Weimar period)

Playlist

WBCF0223-Birthday of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels

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Image of the day

Hotel Jaegerhof in Weissenfels originally was the hunting lodge of the Dukes of Saxe-Weissenfels, and the location for the first performance of Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd!, BWV 208 in 1713.

Hotel Jaegerhof in Weissenfels originally was the hunting lodge of the Dukes of Saxe-Weissenfels, and the location for the first performance of Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd!, BWV 208 in 1713.