It was published for the first time in 1728 as Cantaten auf die Sonn- und Fest-Tage durch das gantze Jahr (Cantatas for the Sun- and feastdays throughout the year).
[6] According to Bach's biographer Spitta, the composer chose Picander among other poets producing sacred poetry, such as Erdmann Neumeister and Salomon Franck, because Picander had few talents apart from having a swift pen and some affinity with music, that is, he could develop almost anything into lyrics, and so was amenable to producing texts tailored to the composer's expectations.
A supposedly cordial relationship between the poet and the composer is illustrated by the fact that Picander's wife became a sponsor to Bach's daughter Johanna Carolina, born in 1737.
From Advent 1724 Picander started publishing spiritual poetry for the occasions of the liturgical year in weekly installments, some of it however rather secular in content, with a satirical undertone or indulging in self-pity.
He continued such publications until the last Sunday after Trinity the next year, at which point he bundled this year cycle of poetry in Sammlung Erbaulicher Gedanken (collection of elevating thoughts), which included lyrics for 68 chorale melodies, and the libretto for a Passion oratorio known as Erbauliche Gedanken auf den Grünen Donnerstag und Charfreitag über den Leidenden Jesum (BWV Anh.
One of Picander's secular cantata librettos, Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen, however appears to have been set by Bach for presentation in Weißenfels on 23 February 1725 (BWV 249a, a.k.a.
In August 1725 Bach set another of Picander's secular librettos, Zerreißet, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft, BWV 205, a.k.a.
Another Picander libretto for a secular cantata is known to have been set by Bach and performed in Kothen, Steigt freudig in die Luft, BWV 36a.
For that sacred work Picander had published a libretto in 1725, but the text used by Bach for his 1726 cantata is an extensively reworked version of the 1725 print.
From 1727 Picander was publishing his Ernst-Schertzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte, large collections of serious, jocular and satirical poetry.
For the period from St. John's Day 1728 to Trinity IV 1729 there also appear to be no settings by Bach of cantatas for the liturgical year on texts outside Picander's cycle.
It remains however uncertain whether the St Matthew Passion, with some of its music overlapping with that commemorative cantata and composed on a libretto by Picander, was premiered or performed on Good Friday 15 April 1729.