List of Known Dedicatees of Bach’s Congratulatory and Tributary Cantatas

1. Members of the Princely Houses of Thuringia

Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weißenfels (Feb. 23, 1682 - June 28, 1736): BWV 208, BWV 210a, BWV 249a

Loyse Christine, Duchess of Saxe-Weißenfels (1675-1738) née Countess of Stollberg, widowed Countess of Mansfeld, became in 1712 spouse of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weißenfels: BWV 208

Ernst August, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (April 19, 1688 – January 19, 1748), co-regent of Weimar: BWV 208

Friedrich II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha and Altenburg (August 8, 1676 – March 23, 1732): BWV Anh. 20

2. Members of the Princely Houses of Anhalt

Royal Family of Anhalt-Cöthen: BWV 134a, BWV 184a, BWV 194a, BWV Anh 6, BWV Anh 8, BC G52

Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Cöthen (November 28, 1694 – November 19, 1728): BWV 66a, BWV 173a, BWV 244a, BWV Anh. 7

Charlotte Friederike Wilhelmine, Princess of Anhalt-Cöthen (November 30, 1702 – July 22, 1785) née Princess of Nassau-Siegen, since 1725 spouse of Prince Leopold: BWV 36a

Johann August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst (August 9, 1677 – November 7, 1742): BC G13

3. Members of the Princely House of Saxony

Friedrich August I, Prince of Saxony (May 12, 1670 – February 1, 1733), since 1697 after converting to Catholicism assumed the title of August II (the Strong) and simultaneously became King of Poland: BWV 193a, BWV Anh. 9, BWV Anh.11

Christiane Eberhardine, Princess of Saxony and Queen of Poland (December 19, 1671 = September 4, 1727), née Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, since 1693 the spouse of Friedrich August II, after whose conversion to Catholicism she nevertheless remained a Lutheran and for the final two decades of her life she was estranged from him and lived at Pretzsch palace in Torgau until her death: BWV 198

Friedrich August II, Prince of Saxony and as August III the King of Poland (October 7, 1696 – October 5, 1763), son of Friedrich August I and Christiane Eberhardine: BWV 205a, BWV 206, BWV 207a, BWV 208a, BWV 215, BWV Anh. 12, BWV Anh. 13, BC G25

Maria Josepha, Princess of Saxony and Queen of Poland (December 8, 1699 – November 7, 1757) née Archduchess of Austria; 1719 Spouse of Friedrich August II: BWV 214, BWV Anh. 13

Friedrich Christian, Next-in-line to become Elector of Saxony (September 5, 1722 – December 17, 1763), son of Friedrich August II and Maria Josepha: BWV 213

Maria Amalia, Princess of Saxony (November 24, 1724 – 1760) Daughter of Friedrich August II and Maria Josepha (BWV Anh. 13)

4. Members of the Nobility of Saxony

Dieskau, Carl Heinrich von (1706 – 1782) the Leipzig district administrator, “Directeur des Plaisirs” and since 1747 the Director of the Royal Chapel and Chamber Music in Dresden, beginning in 1742, the Lord of the Manor Klein-Zschocher near Leipzig: BWV 212

von Flemming, Joachim Friedrich Count (1665-1740), General of the Cavalry and since 1724 City Commander (Governor) of Leipzig: BWV 210a, BWV 249b, BWV Anh. 10

von Hennicke, Johann Christian Count (June 13,1681 – June 8, 1752) vice-president and director of the religious foundations in Naumburg, Merseburg and Zeitz, was raised to the peerage in 1728, assumed positions as Privy-councilor, a conference minister in 1737, became a baron on February 8, 1741 and on September 7, 1745 the Lord of the Manor Wiederau near Leipzig: BWV 30a

5. Citizens of Leipzig and Members of the University of Leipzig Staff

Ernesti, Johann August (1707 – 1781), on November 16, 1734 he became the Rector at the St. Thomas School in Leipzig, later (1759) held a position as Professor of Theology: BWV Anh. 19

Gesner, Johann Matthias (1691 – 1761), after 1730 the Rector at the St. Thomas School in Leipzig until 1734, thereafter a founding deacon and professor at the University of Göttingen: BWV 36c, BC G49

Hohmann, Peter (1694 – 1763) a Leipzig merchant with his wife, Christiana Sibylla Mencke (1706 – 1759), daughter of a university professor, Burkhard Mencke, a bridal couple: BC G42

Korttte, Gottlieb (1698 – 1731) Professor of Law at the University of Leipzig from 1726 to 1731: BWV 207

Müller, August Friedrich (1684 – 1761) Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Law at the University of Leipzig beginning in 1714, as professor after 1731; served as university rector in 1733 and 1743: BWV 205

Rivinus, Johann Florens (1681 – 1755) Professor of Law at the University of Leipzig beginning in 1723, served as rector there in 1729 and 1735: BWV 36b

Wolff, Johann Heinrich (1690 – 1759) a Leipzig merchant and his wife, Susanna Regina Hempel (1708 - 1779), and the daughter of a tax commissioner from Zittau, Christian Andreas Hempel, a bridal couple: BWV 216

Unknown – a university professor in 1725: BWV 36c (First Version)

Based on a list found on pp. 232-233 from volume 2 of Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten ed. Christoph Wolff/Ton Koopman, Metzler/Bärenreiter, 1997]
Contributed by Thomas Braatz (July 5, 2008)