Baroque · 1713
Sheep May Safely Graze (Cantata BWV 208)
J. S. BachBWV 208 (aria 'Schafe können sicher weiden')
- Key
- Bb
- Time
- 12/8
- Tempo
- ♩=60
- AO focus
- AO1
Incipit
Form
Aria — soprano + two recorders + continuo. From Bach's secular 'Hunting Cantata' (BWV 208), commissioned for a duke's birthday. Often arranged for various solo instruments — the recorder duo is the original timbre.
Teaching points
- Compound 12/8 metre — gentle pastoral lilt evokes flocks of grazing sheep
- Recorder duo — paired thirds and sixths; the two players must blend tightly
- AO1: Bach's most-loved aria for non-virtuosic forces. Manageable for school recorder ensembles
- AO3: secular cantata text repurposed as sacred — the aria's image of pastoral protection has been adopted into Christian funeral music
Full score ↓Public domain
Score: IMSLP (Bach-Gesellschaft + Bärenreiter NBA, all public domain).