Composed for the ninth Sunday after Trinity, which fell on August 6, 1724,

Bach's Cantata No. 94 "Was frag ich nach der Welt" (What ask I of the world) (BWV 94) sets a cantata text by Balthasar Kindermann from 1664 for its first, third, fifth, seventh, and eighth movements and anonymous texts for its second, fourth, and sixth movements. Unusually, "Was frag ich nach der Welt" is the only extant Bach cantata without a full movement-length recitative; instead, all of the inner movements are various hybrid forms. The cantata is scored for bass, tenor, alto, and soprano soloists and chorus, transverse flute, a pair of oboes doubling on oboe d'amore, strings, and basso continuo. "Was frag ich nach der Welt" is in D major with its first, fifth, and eighth movements in the tonic; its second movement in the relative minor of B minor; its third in the subdominant of G major; its fourth in the minor supertonic of E minor; its sixth in the dominant of A major; and its seventh in F sharp minor, the relative minor of the dominant of A major. The first movement is a choral fantasia with a cantus firmus in the chorus and an independent orchestral part with the oboes doubling the violins and a concertante solo flute. The second movement is an aria for lyrical bass soloist and energetic continuo. The third is a hybrid for tenor soloist, a pair of oboe d'amore, and a continuo in which the music alternates between a triple-time arioso based on the chorale and a recitative in common time. The fourth is another hybrid, an aria in the form of a trio sonata for alto soloist, transverse flute, and continuo that alternates between Allegro and Adagio tempos. The fifth movement, like the third, is another fusion of Adagio and recitative for tenor soloist and continuo. The sixth is an lush da capo aria for tenor soloist, strings, and continuo divided into organ, bassoon, cello, and bass. The seventh is a graceful aria in the form of a trio sonata for soprano soloist and continuo. "Was frag ich nach der Welt" concludes with a straightforward harmonization of Kindermann's chorale for chorus and full orchestra colla parte.

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