This work was written around 1736 or 1737, and so may have been premiered before the first known performance at the grave-side ceremony for Count Joachim Friedrich von Flemming [de] on October 11, 1740.
[3] "O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht" has been characterized as something between a cantata and a motet.
[4] This work is a motet version of the chorale Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid.
The lower voices of the choir sing counterpoint to the chorale melody line in the soprano.
It is structured as a chorus, O Jesu Christ, mein's Lebens Licht, comprising chorale strophes separated by repeated instrumental interludes.