Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantataIhr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet (You, who call yourselves of Christ),[1]BWV164 in Leipzig for the 13th Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 26 August 1725.
Aria (tenor): Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet
Recitative (bass): Wir hören zwar, was selbst die Liebe spricht
Aria (alto): Nur durch Lieb und durch Erbarmen
Recitative (tenor): Ach, schmelze doch durch deinen Liebesstrahl
Duet (soprano, bass): Händen, die sich nicht verschließen
Chorale: Ertöt uns durch dein Güte
Music
The music for four soloists and a few instruments is essentially chamber music. Bach sets the arias in forms which deviate from the standard da capo aria. In the tenor aria the strings and the voice share a theme, which appears in two similar halves, A B A' B'. In the alto aria, accompanied by sighing motifs in the flutes, the second section is repeated rather than the first, A B B'. In the duet Bach achieves a quartet, adding to soprano and bass voice the high instruments in unison and the continuo. The text is presented in three sections and repeated completely in a fourth section, which imitates the first. The closing chorale is a four-part setting.[3]