Apart from his hundreds of church cantatas, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote secular cantatas in Weimar, Köthen and Leipzig, for instance for members of the Royal-Polish and Prince-electoral Saxonian family (e.g. Trauer-Ode),Work at Bach Digital website. or other public or private occasions (e.g. Hunting Cantata).Works , and at Bach Digital website. The text of these cantatas was occasionally in dialect (e.g. Peasant Cantata)Work at Bach Digital website. or in Italian (e.g. Amore traditore).Work at Bach Digital website. Many of the secular cantatas were lost, but for some of these the text and the occasion are known, for instance when Picander later published their libretto (e.g. BWV Anh. 11–12).Works and at Bach Digital website. Some of the secular cantatas had a plot carried by mythological figures of Greek antiquity (e.g. Der Streit zwischen Phoebus und Pan),Work at Bach Digital website. others were almost miniature buffo operas (e.g. Coffee Cantata).

Extant secular cantatas are published in the New Bach Edition (Neue Bach-Ausgabe, NBA), Series I, volumes 35 to 40, with the two Italian cantatas included in volume 41.Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): New Edition of the Complete Works – Series I: Cantatas at Bärenreiter website The Bach Digital website lists 50 secular cantatas by Bach.Bach's secular cantatas in BWV order, each followed by a link to the Bach Digital Work (BDW) page of the cantata at the Bach-Digital website: Less than half of Bach's known secular cantatas survive with music. For most of the others at least the libretto survives. Some of the secular cantatas are based on music Bach had composed at an earlier date (e.g. some music of the first Brandenburg Concerto was adopted in a secular cantata), and Bach quite often parodied secular cantatas into church music: for instance his Christmas Oratorio opens with music originally written for a secular cantata.Robert Cowan. "JSB: the full works" in The Independent, 2 May 1997

In the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV) the range of Nos. 201 to 216a contains mostly extant secular cantatas. Other secular cantatas are in the range of the church cantatas (BWV 1–200), most of them with an "a", "b" or "c" index added to the number of a church cantata while the cantatas share the same music. The same applies for the secular cantata precursors of the Easter Oratorio. Other secular cantatas are listed in BWV Anh. I, that is the appendix of the lost works. Even for these cantatas the music can sometimes be reconstructed, based on the church cantatas that were derived from them.

History Bach's earliest cantatas are church cantatas, although his early Wedding Quodlibet is sometimes grouped with the secular cantatas.Terry 1933, pp. 103–104Secular Cantatas: Der zufriedengestellte Aeolus (BWV 205), Quodlibet (BWV 524). Hänssler Classics, Edition Bachakademie Vol. 63, Rilling. The oldest extant secular cantata is from his Weimar period where he composed the Hunting Cantata (BWV 208, first version) for the birthday of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels on 23 February 1713. The libretto was written by Salomon Franck. A few years later, the cantata was performed again, in a modified version, for his employer Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

In his Köthen period, Bach wrote congratulatory cantatas for his new employer, Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, usually on the Prince's birthday, or for New Year. BWV 66a, 134a, Anh. 6, Anh. 7, 184a, 173a and Anh. 8 are examples of such cantatas, the oldest of which were composed on a libretto by Christian Friedrich Hunold. Up to this point Bach's secular cantatas are generally in the Serenata format, lighthearted music with allegorical characters conversing about the excellence of the employer, and expressing their best wishes. "Introduction", pp. 9ff.

A secular wedding cantata, BWV 202, an Italian cantata (BWV 203), and the secular model for the Störmthal cantata BWV 194 probably originated around the same period. From 1723 until his death in 1750 Bach was employed as in Leipzig: the bulk of his around 20 extant secular cantatas originated in this period.Terry 1933, p. 97 Bach's earliest known secular cantata on a libretto by Picander dates from 1725. Bach wrote or re-staged at least 36 secular cantatas in the last 25 years of his life, and around half of these were on librettos by Picander.

Occasions for Bach's secular cantatas written in Leipzig included Birthdays and name days for successive prince-electors of Saxony and other rulers, and their relatives, of principalities and duchies in Saxony, and similar occasions for academics of the university of Leipzig. Bach wrote sacred cantatas for funerals and weddings: he also wrote a few secular works for such occasions. In his Leipzig period part of Bach's secular cantata production is no longer in the Serenata format, but rather dramma per musica, implying a dramatic plot beyond mythological figures congratulating or paying homage to the person in whose honour the cantata was written.

Numerical and alphabetical The BWV numbers assigned to the secular cantatas are random with regard to chronology and occasion. In the Bach Compendium (BC), the secular cantatas are part of series G. That series also includes two cantatas known from very scant sources (Nos. 49 and 52), insufficient to determine whether they were intended as sacred or secular. + Secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach BWV2a BWV3 BC Text incipit Other title BDW 30a 30.1 G 31 Angenehmes Wiederau, freue dich in deinen Auen 36a 36.2 G 12 Steigt freudig in die Luft 36b 36.3 G 38 Die Freude reget sich 36c 36.1 G 35 Schwingt freudig euch empor 66a 66.1 G 4 Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück Serenata 134a 134.1 G 5 Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht Serenata 173a 173.1 G 9 Durchlauchtster Leopold 184a 184.1 G 8 Fragment 193a 193.1 G 15 Ihr Häuser des Himmels, ihr scheinenden Lichter 194a 194.1 G 11 Fragment 198 G 34 Lass, Fürstin, lass noch einen Strahl Mourning Ode 201 G 46 Geschwinde, geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde The Dispute between Phoebus and Pan 202 G 41 Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten 203 G 51 Amore traditore 204 G 45 Ich bin in mir vergnügt On Contentedness 205 205.1 G 36 Zerreißet, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft Aeolus Placated; Dramma per musica 205a 205.2 G 20 Blast Lärmen, ihr Feinde! Verstärket die Macht Dramma per musica 206 206.1 G 23 Schleicht, spielende Wellen Dramma per musica 206.2 G 26 207 207.1 G 37 Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten Dramma per musica 207a 207.2 G 22 Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten Dramma per musica 208 208.1 G 1 Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd Hunting Cantata 208a 208.2 G 3 208.3 G 27 209 G 50 Non sa che sia dolore 210 210.2 G 44 O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit 210a 210.1 G 29 O angenehme Melodei Fragment 211 G 48 Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht Coffee Cantata 212 G 32 Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet Peasant Cantata; Cantate en burlesque 213 G 18 Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen Hercules at the Crossroads; Dramma per musica 214 G 19 Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! 215 G 21 Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen 216 216.1 G 43 Vergnügte Pleißenstadt Fragment 216a 216.2 G 47 Erwählte Pleißenstadt Apollo and Mercurius 249a 249.1 G 2 Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet ihr Sorgen Shepherd Cantata 249b 249.2 G 28 Verjaget, zerstreuet, zerrüttet, ihr Sterne The Celebration of Genius Anh. 6 1151 G 6 Dich loben die lieblichen Strahlen der Sonne Anh. 7 1153 G 7 Heut ist gewiss ein guter Tag Anh. 8 1152 G 10 Congratulation cantata Anh. 9 1156 G 14 Entfernet euch, ihr heitern Sterne Anh. 10 1160 G 30 So kämpfet nur, ihr muntern Töne Anh. 11 1157 G 16 Es lebe der König, der Vater im Lande Anh. 12 1158 G 17 Frohes Volk, vergnügte Sachsen Anh. 13 1161 G 24 Willkommen! Ihr herrschenden Götter der Erden Anh. 18 1162 G 39 Froher Tag, verlangte Stunden Anh. 19 G 40 Thomana saß annoch betrübt Anh. 20 1155 G 33 Latin ode Anh. 195 G 13 Murmelt nur, ihr heitern Bäche Anh. 196 1163 G 42 Auf, süß-entzückende Gewalt Anh. 197 1150 G 52 Ihr wallenden Wolken Cantata deest 1159 G 25 Serenade deest G 49 Outline

By text incipit

Most of the secular cantatas are named after the first words of the libretto (incipit): Amore traditore, BWV 203 (1720?) Angenehmes Wiederau, BWV 30a (28 September 1737, text probably by Picander) Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten, BWV 207a (3 August 1735) Auf, süß-entzückende Gewalt, BWV Anh. 196 (27 November 1725, music lost, text by C. Gottsched) Blast Lärmen, ihr Feinde, BWV 205a (19 February 1734) Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück, BWV 66a (10 December 1718, music largely lost, text by Christian Friedrich Hunold) Dich loben die lieblichen Strahlen der Sonne, BWV Anh. 6 (1 January 1720, music lost, text by Christian Friedrich Hunold) Die Freude reget sich, BWV 36b (27 July 1735, music partially lost, text possibly by Picander) Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, BWV 134a (1 January 1719, music reconstructed after BWV 134, text by Christian Friedrich Hunold) Durchlauchtster Leopold, BWV 173a (10 December 1722?) Entfernet euch, ihr heitern Sterne, BWV Anh. 9 (12 May 1727, music lost, text by Christian Friedrich Haupt) Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen, BWV 249a (23 February 1725, music partially lost) Erwählte Pleißenstadt, BWV 216a (1728–1731, music partially reconstructable based on BWV 216, text by C. G. Meißner?) Es lebe der König, der Vater im Lande, BWV Anh. 11 (3 August 1732, music lost, text by Picander)Picander (=Christian Friedrich Henrici). Ernst-Schertzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte, Volume IV. Leipzig: Friedrich Matthias Friesen (1737), pp. 3–7 Froher Tag, verlangte Stunden, BWV Anh. 18 (5 June 1732, music lost, text by Johann Heinrich Winckler) Frohes Volk, vergnügte Sachsen, BWV Anh. 12 (3 August 1733, music lost, text by Picander)Picander (=Christian Friedrich Henrici). Ernst-Schertzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte, Volume IV. Leipzig: Friedrich Matthias Friesen (1737), pp. 14–17 Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde, BWV 201 (1729, text by Picander) Heut ist gewiss ein guter Tag, BWV Anh. 7 (10 December 1720, music lost, text by Christian Friedrich Hunold) Ich bin in mir vergnügt, BWV 204 (1726–1727, text by Christian Friedrich Hunold) Ihr Häuser des Himmels, ihr scheinenden Lichter, BWV 193a (3 August 1727, music lost, text by Picander) Laß, Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl, BWV 198 (17 October 1727, text by Johann Christoph Gottsched) Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen, BWV 213 (5 September 1733, text by Picander) Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet, BWV 212 (30 August 1742, text by Picander) Murmelt nur, ihr heitern Bäche, BWV Anh. 195 (9 June 1723, music lost, text published in 1723) Non sa che sia dolore, BWV 209 (1747?) O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a (12 January 1729, fragment) O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit, BWV 210 (19 September 1741) Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen, BWV 215 (5 October 1734, text by Johann Christoph Clauder) Schleicht, spielende Wellen, BWV 206 (two versions: 7 October 1736, or 1734, and 3 August 1740) Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV 211 (1734, text by Picander) Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36c (1725?) So kämpfet nur, ihr muntern Töne, BWV Anh. 10 (25 August 1731, music largely lost, text by Picander) Steigt freudig in die Luft, BWV 36a (30 November 1726?, music largely lost, text by Picander) Thomana saß annoch betrübt, BWV Anh. 19 (21 November 1734, music lost, text probably by ) Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214 (8 December 1733, text by Picander) Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten, BWV 207 (11 December 1726) Vergnügte Pleißenstadt, BWV 216 (5 February 1728, incomplete, text by Picander) Verjaget, zerstreuet, zerrüttet, ihr Sterne, BWV 249b (25 August 1726, music lost, text by Picander) Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208 and 208a (three versions: 23 February 1713, 1715 and 3 August 1742, text by Salomon Franck)