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Cantata 106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit’, also referred to as the ‘Actus tragicus’, is Bach’s well-known funeral cantata. It is a brilliant early work from the Mühlhausen period, probably written in 1707 when Bach was only 22 years of age. Although the occasion for which the work was composed remains uncertain, it is assumed that this was the death of Bach’s uncle Tobias Lämmerhirt (on his mother’s side of the family) who died on 10 August 1707. It is a very special cantata, the music expressive and profound, the mood most sorrowful. With this piece alone the young Bach excelled beyond his examples and beyond all comparable works by his predecessors. Nevertheless, the instrumentation is quite modest, comprising four soloists, two recorders, two viols, a small choir and continuo, while the music is generally soft and slow – hardly a showy spectacle! Perhaps Bach even had a solo vocal ensemble in mind, reflecting the subdued mood. The work is based on various bible passages concerning deat
