Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid (Oh God, how much heartache), BWV 3, is a church cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.
It was composed in Leipzig at the end of 1724 for the second Sunday after Epiphany of 1725, which occurred that year on 14 January, date of the work's first performance.
The prescribed readings for the day are Romans 12: 6-16 and John 2: 1-11.
The cantata is a chorale cantata based on the chorale (1587), attributed to Martin Moller.[1] The words of the chorale are left unchanged in movements 1, 2 and 6, and transformed by an unknown author in the other movements.
The chorale theme (Zahn 533a) is the melodic line of Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht II, which first appeared in Wolflin Lochamer's 1455 Liederbuch, printed in Nürnberg (a comprehensive discussion of the melody's origin can be found at bach-cantatas.com).
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The piece is scored for corno, trombone, oboe d'amore I/II, violins I/II , viola, and basso continuo, four vocal soloists (soprano, altus, tenor, and bass) and four-part choir. It is in six movements:
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