First performed in Leipzig on January 1, 1725, BWV 41 ("Jesus, now be praised) is a cantata for New Year and the feast of the Circumcision. It belongs to the second annual cycle (Jahrgang) of cantatas composed by Bach after he was cantor of the Thomasschule in Leipzig in 1723. In keeping with the majority of works included in this cycle, it is a chorale cantata, the type in which the text is wholly based on a Lutheran hymn. In the present instance it was drawn by an unknown poet from the hymn by Johannes Herman (1593) that gives the cantata its name. As is usual in the chorale cantatas, the outer movements of Jesu, nun sei gepreiset are chorale settings of the first and last strophes of Herman's hymn. The unusual length of the chorale verses (fourteen lines) led Bach to produce a large multi-sectional fantasia for the festive opening chorus, which consists of four clearly defined parts: the opening allegro, which is repeated once, an adagio, a presto, and a final return to the opening two lines. The scoring for this movement is typically festive, including three trumpets, timpani, three oboes, a violoncello piccolo (a now extinct instrument with a range lying between the viola and cello), strings, and continuo bass. The four inner movements consist of a paraphrase of the middle strophe of the hymn. The first movement is a pastorale-type aria for soprano supported by the three oboes, its gentle contours and sentiments that call for God's blessing in the forthcoming year contrasting effectively with the dynamic brilliance of the opening chorus. This movement is followed by a recitative for alto and a second aria, this time for the tenor. It is again concerned with God's blessings, and includes a virtuoso obbligato part for the violoncello piccolo, the wide leaps calling for a technically accomplished player. The final chorale, which Bach would employ unchanged in Cantata No. 171 (also for New Year) the following year brings back the trumpet fanfares of the opening chorus. The autograph score is now housed in the Staatsbibliothek, Berlin.

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