I go and search for thee with yearning BWV 49

Scoring: Soli SB, Obda, 2 Vl, Va, Vcpic, Org obl, Bc

The beginning of Cantata no. 49 (I go and search for thee with yearning) may also be the most well-known part of this work: in the introductory sinfonia for organ and orchestra Bach refers back to the final movement of a lost concerto with concertante melody instrument which he later reworked into the Harpsichord Concerto in E major BWV 1053. The cantata, conceived as a composition in dialogue between the “faithful soul” (soprano) and Jesus (bass), is characterized by the expressiveness of the love poetry from the biblical Song of Songs, which finds its lyrical expression especially in the virtuosity and charm of its instrumentation – a “masterpiece in the Bachian art of characterization.” (Alfred Dürr)