Sheep May Safely Graze (from the Birthday Cantata)

Description

Delightfully arranged for solo piano in a setting by Egon Petri, Sheep May Safely Graze is one of those familiar classics that never gets old!



“Sheep may safely graze” (German: Schafe können sicher weiden) is a soprano aria by Johann Sebastian Bach setting words by Salomon Franck. The piece was written in 1713 and is part of the cantata Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208.[a] The cantata's title translates The lively hunt is all my heart's desire, and it is also known as the Hunting Cantata.



Like the same composer's “Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring”, it is frequently played at weddings. However, it was originally written for a birthday celebration, that of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. Bach was based at the nearby court of Weimar, and musicians from both courts appear to have joined together in the first performance in Weißenfels. Bach is known to have used the music again for other celebrations, but it remained unpublished until after his death.