The cantata BWV 130 ("Lord God, we all praise thee") is one of four cantatas Bach composed for the feast of St. Michael and All Angels, an important festival in the Lutheran calendar (the others are cantatas Nos. 19, 50, and 149). It belongs to the second annual cycle of cantatas written in Leipzig, and was first performed on St. Michael's Day (September 29) in 1724. The author of the text is not known, but it is based on the hymn by Paul Eber (1554) from which the cantata takes its name. In keeping with the festive character of the text, the work is lavishly scored for an orchestra that includes three trumpets, timpani, and three oboes. All appear in the resplendent opening chorus, where the chorale tune (known in the English-speaking world as "The Old Hundredth") appears in the soprano line. Around this the altos, tenors, and basses weave a rich contrapuntal web. The epistle for St. Michael's Day relates the story of the heavenly war in which Michael and his angels overcome Satan and his cohorts, who are cast into darkness (Revelation 12:7-12). This is the subject of the opening bass aria, which follows on after a short alto recitative. Again employing the three trumpets and timpani (but no strings), the aria has a militaristic dynamism and strength that colorfully evokes the titanic battle. In a later revision, Bach dropped the trumpet and drum parts, substituting strings. The following accompanied recitative for soprano and tenor introduces a contrasting mood. Its light textures give way to a tenor aria with flute obbligato in the style of a gavotte, the airiness perfectly suited to a text addressed to the angelic "Prince of Cherubim." The cantata ends with a chorus that returns to the trumpet-and-drum splendor of the opening movements—the battle is now won and triumphantly celebrated.

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