Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam is one of a few cantatas J.S. Bach compose in honouor of Saint John the Baptist, first performed in 1724 on this Solemnity celebrating the birth of the Baptist, June 24th. The libretto is based on a hymn by Martin Luther – yes, I know, but Pastor Martin maintained his devotion, and could write very good German and compose fine hymnody. And Bach could write even better counterpoint to bring this to a glorious conclusion.
Here is the Bach Institute performing the glorious cantata, a rendition which deserves a lot more than 624 views:
