The cantata "Der Herr denket an uns" BWV 196 has a particular charm due to its early compositional period, penned by the just 22-year-old Bach, and its brevity and simple scoring make it easy to perform even for ensembles with limited capacity.The cantata was composed on the occasion of a wedding ceremony in 1707/08, which cannot be specified. The work therefore dates from Bach's Weimar period and is one of his early cantatas, as can already be seen from its brief form: the libretto text does not contain any free poetry but is exclusively biblical (Psalm 115:12-13), there are no recitatives and the arias are kept extremely short. The instrumentation is also of a manageable size: in addition to the soprano, tenor and bass solo voices and a four-part choir, only strings and basso continuo are required. As is typical of Bach's early cantatas, the cantata begins with a short instrumental sinfonia and ends with a choral movement rather than a chorale.
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