You mortals, tell of God’s devotion

The cantata "Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe" (You mortals, tell of God’s devotion) BWV 167 is one of the first works which Bach wrote in his capacity as Kantor of St. Thomas’s Leipzig. It was composed for the Feast of St John, and was performed for the first time on 24 June 1723 in Leipzig. This concise and lively cantata is scored for four vocal soloists and modest instrumental forces; only the final chorale "Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren" is for all four vocal parts and the use of strings, with the soprano reinforced by a slide trumpet. The text is partly drawn verbatim from Zacharias’s hymn of praise in St Luke’s Gospel chapter 1. It praises God’s grace and love, as fulfilled by his promise of salvation through Jesus for which John has prepared the way and the path.