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Thomas Braatz wrote (October 16, 2005)
Only a set of almost all of the original parts has survived. These were mainly copied by Johann Andreas Kuhnau (1703-sometime after 1745) from the autograph score which disappeared during C.P.E. Bach's lifetime during which he probably presented it as a gift or sold it off. Kuhnau had also prepared the initial untransposed continuo part (now lost.) Other copyists involved in creating the parts were Christian Gottlob Meißner (1707-1760) who used Kuhnau's continuo part to create another continuo part and the transposed, partly figured organ continuo part. Also two other unidentified individuals prepared the violin doublets. All parts were carefully revised and corrected by Bach who supplied numerous dynamic markings, directions such as 'Aria senza l'organo' ('the aria to be performed without organ' - the NBA editors are not 100% certain that this notation was Bach's) after Meißner had included this mvt. in his transposed continuo part, and Bach added missing fermatas in Mvt. 7 and also took measures to ensure that the parts playable on an ordinary oboe would indeed be playable by the "Hautbois d'Amour."
Dating the Composition and Performances
Alfred Dürr based the date of the 1st performance on September 12, 1723 upon the following observations regarding the original set of parts: 1) the watermark (MA in its smaller form); 2) the analysis of the handwriting of both Kuhnau and Meißner; and 3) the notation of the oboe d'amore in a French violin clef.
It can no doubt be assumed that there were additional performances of this cantata under Bach's direction during his lifetime, but no evidence for this has yet been found.
Original Title and Designation
In lieu of the missing autograph score, the title and designation of this cantata in Kuhnau's handwriting on the cover page for the original parts provide perhaps a close resemblance to the original:
Domin: 16 post Trinit: | Christus der ist mein Leben,
sterben ist etc. | a | 4 Voci | Corno |
2 Hautbois d'Amour | 2 Violini | Viola | con |
Continuo | di Sign: | JSBach |
