Cantata no. 116: Du Freidefürst, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV.116

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ (You Prince of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ), BWV 116, in Leipzig for the 25th Sunday after Trinity. He led the first performance on 26 November 1724, concluding the liturgical year of 1724.

The cantata is based upon Jakob Ebert's hymn "Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ". It matches the Sunday's prescribed gospel reading, the Tribulation from the Gospel of Matthew, in a general way. The hymn's first and last stanzas are retained unchanged in both text and tune: the former is set as a chorale fantasia, the latter as a four-part closing chorale. An unknown librettist paraphrased the inner stanzas as alternating arias and recitatives. Bach scored the cantata for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), a four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of natural horn enforcing the soprano in the hymn tune, two oboes d'amore, strings, and basso continuo.