Cantata No. 18: Gleich wie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fallt, BWV 18 [Weimar version in G minor]

Cantata No. 18: Gleich wie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fallt, BWV 18 (Just like the rain and snow falling from the heavens) was composed in 1713 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) during his tenure at the ducal court in Weimar, where he began producing a remarkable series of church cantatas that laid the foundation for his later Leipzig cycles. Written for Sexagesima Sunday, the work draws its text from Isaiah 55:10-11, Erdmann Neumeister, and Lazarus Spengler. The original Weimar version in G minor features a compact orchestration with violas and basso continuo, while Bach later revised the cantata in Leipzig (c. 1724), transposing it to A minor and expanding the instrumentation with additional forces such as recorders. Cantata No. 18 continues to hold an important place in the early cantata repertoire. Instrumentation: 2(opt).0.0.1: 0.0.0.0: Hpchrd(or Org): Str (0.0.2-2-2-2.1.1): Mix Chorus. Reprint of the original Weimar edition in G minor, edited by Moritz Hauptmann and published in the Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe.