Mühlhausen

EARLY MASTERWORKS (1707–1708)

The 22 year-old Bach held his second post as organist in Mühlhausen at the Divi-Blasii-Kirche. This was the start of a very fruitful year. He wrote the cantata “Gott ist mein König” (BWV 71), which was premiered on 4th February 1708 in front of many of the inhabitants of Mühlhausen. This cantata is the only cantata that was printed during Bach’s lifetime. Today, the Mühlhausen period is often called Bach’s “early mastery”, due to the sheer number of compositions that date from this time. Here Bach was able to compose zealously and run musical riot.