Cantatas written for Ascension Day by Georg Philipp Telemann and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach can be heard in Missa etcetera on Ascension Day, May 14, at 22:00 CET.
The cantatas by Georg Philipp Telemann come from different phases of his career.
The first cantata, “Der Himmel ist offen”, was composed during the ‘French Year’ from 1714/15, when Telemann worked as Kantor at the Barfüsserkirche in Frankfurt.
The second cantata, “Er neigte den Himmel”, dates from 1762. A striking feature of this cantata is that the four soloists each represent a different allegorical character: Der Glaube (soprano), Die Freude (alto), Die Andacht (tenor) and Der Christ (bass).
The final cantata in this hour is by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.
In the 1750s, he worked as Kantor and organist in Halle. In that capacity, he composed cantatas; about twenty of them have been preserved.
One of them is “Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen”, with which we conclude this hour.
Broadcasts Missa etcetera:
Thursday, May 14, 2026, 22:00 – 23:00 CET
Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 12:00 – 13:00 CET
Click here to view the playlist.
Pictured: The Ascension (Rembrandt van Rijn, source: olvternood.nl)
