DESCRIPTION:
Ich habe meine Zuversicht (I have placed my confidence), BWV 188, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the solo cantata in Leipzig for the 21st Sunday after Trinity and probably first performed it on 17 October 1728.

Bach composed this cantata for the 21st Sunday after Trinity. However, the score was "cut to pieces and sold to private individuals" in the 1800s; the work as it now exists is a reconstruction. The prescribed readings for the day were Ephesians 6:10--17, and John 4:46--54 . The text for movements 2 to 5 was written by Picander. The sixth movement is an anonymous chorale written before 1603.

The opening sinfonia derives from Bach's keyboard concerto in D minor, BWV 1052. The tenor aria has been compared to movements from both the French Suite and the Fifth English Suite. It opens with a string ritornello doubled by oboe; the two parts move into counterpoint after the tenor enters. Formally, the movement has an extended two-part A section before moving to a B section remarkable for its emphasis on instrumental arpeggiation. The bass recitative is secco and concludes with a pastoral arioso. The alto aria is "dark and dramatic", in E minor with cello and organ obbligato. The organ line is complex, contributing to a movement that is "a complex and ever-changing kaleidoscope of richly entwined rhythms and melodies". The soprano recitative is short and accompanied by chordal strings. The final movement is a four-part setting of the chorale tune, doubled by oboe, taille, and strings.

Although originally composed for four solo voices (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), a four-part choir, two oboes, taille, two violins, viola, organ, and basso continuo, I created this arrangement for Oboe, French Horn & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).