Composer: J.S. Bach
Model: DZ 4566
Arranged by: Vladimir Gorbach
Instrumentation: 4 guitars
Level: Intermediate
8 pages
Publisher: d'Oz Publications
Composed in 1708 for the inauguration of the Mühlhausen town council, *Gott ist mein König* (BWV 71) is one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s first major cantatas, already revealing the remarkable assurance and imagination of a twenty-two-year-old composer. Written shortly after Bach’s appointment as organist at the Divi Blasii Church, the work is distinguished by its scope and dramatic range, far exceeding the modest civic pieces generally composed for such occasions.
Its bold conception is often associated with the influence of Dieterich Buxtehude and his famous *Abendmusiken*, which Bach encountered during his visit to Lübeck two years earlier. This edition presents the third movement of the cantata—the *Fuga* set to the text "Dein Alter sei wie deine Jugend" ("May your old age be like your youth"), a striking example of Bach’s early contrapuntal mastery, here arranged for four guitars. Retaining the original key of A minor, the arrangement draws upon the guitar’s tonal color, articulation, and rhythmic precision to illuminate the energy and architectural elegance of Bach’s fugal writing.
