In this cantata Buxtehude sets a text by Cyriakus Schneegass from a collection of sacred poetry entitled Sieben und Zwentzigh Neue Geistliche Gesenge, 1588. The text celebrates the newborn Jesus and the coming of a new church year. The work is scored for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, three violins, violone, and continuo. With the exception of the third violin part which often doubles the first soprano, the strings rarely double the voices creating a nice rich texture whenever they are all playing and singing at the same time. Although Buxtehude sets more than one verse of a strophic poem his setting is through-composed and doesn't revisit motivic material during successive verses. Also this cantata avoids solo sections. When one voice sings, all four parts sing.

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