As the title indicates, Bach's Cantata No. 128 "Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein" (On Christ Ascent to Heaven Alone) (BWV 128) was composed for the Feast of the Ascension, which fell on May 10, 1725. Bach's cantata sets a text by Marianne von Ziegler based on a hymn by Josua Wegelin von Ernst Sonnemann from 1661 and ends with Matthäus Avenarius' 1673 chorale O Jesu, meine Lust. The cantata is scored for tenor, bass and alto soloists, chorus, strings, and basso continuo and, as suits the festive occasion, a large orchestra that includes a pair of horns, a pair of oboes, an oboe d'amore, and a solo high trumpet in the central third movement. "Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein" is in G major, with its first and fifth movements in the tonic and its central movements in the minor mediant of B minor. The first movement is a huge chorale fantasia in which the sopranos intone the hymn melody above the intricate counterpoint of the other voices while the orchestra of horns and oboes doubling the upper strings elaborates the chorale's parts over a sempre staccato continuo. The second movement is a brief secco recitative for soloist and continuo. The third movement for bass soloist, virtuoso solo trumpet, strings, and continuo starts and ends as a triple-time aria, but the aria breaks off two-thirds of the way through for an intensely dramatic common time recitative for soloist against string chords. The fourth movement is a 6/8 time da capo duet aria in the form of a trio sonata for alto and tenor soloists, solo melancholy oboe d'amore, and continuo. "Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein" concludes with a harmonization of Avenarius' chorale for chorus with strings and winds colla parte and the pair of horns providing a descant.

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