Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende? (Who knows how near is my end?), BWV 27, is a sacred cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.

It was composed in Leipzig in 1726 for the sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, which fell that year on October 6, date of the work's premiere.

The prescribed readings for the day are Ephesians 3: 13-21 and Luke 7: 11-17.

The texts are of mixed authorship, with Ämilie Juliane von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt responsible for the text of movement 1, Johann Georg Albinus for the final chorale, and an anonymous source for the texts of the remaining movements.

The chorale theme Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten (Zahn 2778) was first documented by Georg Neumark in Jena, but the melody can be likely traced back to Kiel, 1641.

Scoring and structure
The piece is scored for corno, oboes I/II/III, oboe da caccia, organo obbligato, violins I/II, viola, and basso continuo, along with four vocal soloists (soprano, altus, tenor, bass) and four-part choir. It is in six movements:

1. (Chorale & recitativo): "Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende?" for choir, soloists, corno, oboes, strings, and continuo.
2. Recitativo: "Mein Leben hat kein ander Ziel" for tenor and continuo.
3. Aria: "Willkommen!" for altus, oboe da caccia, organo obbligato, and continuo.
4. Recitativo: "Ach, wer doch schon im Himmel wär!" for soprano, strings, and continuo.
5. Aria: "Gute Nacht, du Weltgetümmel!" for strings, and continuo.
6. Chorale: "Welt, ade! ich bin dein müde" for corno, oboes, strings, and continuo colle parti.

Text

Recordings

• Bach Cantatas Vol. 4 - Sundays after Trinity I - Sopr.: Edith Mathis; Alt.: Julia Hamari; Ten.: Peter Schreier; Bass: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Münchener Bach-Chor/Münchener Bach-Orchester; Karl Richter, conductor. Label: Archiv Produktion
• Bach Cantatas Vol. 8: Bremen/Santiago - Sopr.: Katharine Fuge; Alt.: Robin Tyson; Ten.: Mark Padmore; Bass: Thomas Guthrie; Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. Label: Soli Deo Gloria
• Bach Edition Vol. 11 - Cantatas Vol. 5 - Sopr.: Marjon Strijk; Alt.: Sytse Buwalda; Ten.: Knut Schoch; Bass: Bas Ramselaar; Holland Boys Choir/Netherlands Bach Collegium; Pieter Jan Leusink, conductor. Label: Brilliant Classics
• Die Bach Kantate Vol. 51 - Sopr.: Edith Wiens; Alt.: Gabriele Schreckenbach; Ten.: Lutz-Michael Harder; Bass: Walter Heldwein; Gächinger Kantorei/Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Helmuth Rilling, conductor. Label: Hänssler
• Händel: Dixit Dominus - Bach: Kantaten - Sopr.: Maria Regina Heyne; Alt.: Ruth Sandhoff; Ten.: Kim Schrader; Bass: Daniel Böhm; Kammerchor Carmina Mundi e.V. Aachen/Coll’arco; Harald Nickoll, conductor. Label: Kammerchor Carmina Mundi e.V. Aachen
• J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 27, BWV 59, BWV 118 & BWV 158 - Sopr.: Rotraud Hansmann; Alt.: Helen Watts; Ten.: Kurt Equiluz; Bass: Max van Egmond; Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg Concerto Amsterdam (Leader: Jaap Schröder); Jürgen Jürgens, conductor. Label: Teldec
• J.S. Bach: Cantatas Nos. 27, 34 & 41 - Sopr.: Johannes Pohl; Alt.: Jonas Will; Ten.: Markus Schäfer; Bass: Harry van der Kamp; Tölzer Knabenchor (Chorus Master: Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden)/Baroque Orchestra; Gustav Leonhardt, conductor. Label: Sony Classical
• J.S. Bach: Christus, Der Ist Mein Leben - Cantates BWV 27, 84, 95 & 161 - Sopr.: Dorothee Mields; Alt.: Matthew White; Ten.: Hans Jörg Mammel; Bass: Thomas E. Bauer; Collegium Vocale Gent; Philippe Herreweghe, conductor. Label: Harmonia Mundi France
• J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 16 - Sopr.: Johannette Zomer; Alt.: Annette Markert; Ten.: James Gilchrist; Bass: Klaus Mertens; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir; Ton Koopman, conductor. Label: Antoine Marchand
• J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk - Sacred Cantatas Vol. 2 - Alt.: Paul Esswood; Ten.: Kurt Equiluz; Bass: Siegmund Nimsgern; Wiener Sängerknaben & Chorus Viennensis (Chorus Master: Hans Gillesberger)/Concentus Musicus Wien; Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor. Label: Teldec

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