In 1725, on this feast of the Presentation/Candlemas/Purification, J.S. Bach first presented his cantata Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin – With Joy and Peace I Depart, from a hymn by Martin Luther, who, in turn based on the timeless words of Saint Simeon, as he holds the Saviour of the World, Lumen Gentium, the Light of the Nations.
