Composed for Easter Tuesday, which fell on April 11, 1724, Bach's Cantata No. 134 "Ein Herr, das seinen Jesum lebend weiss" (The heart that truly knows Jesus) (BWV 134) is a parody cantata; that is, a re-working of an early work with new texts. In this case, the original work was a secular serenata-cum-duo-cantata, Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht (The Time, the Day and the Year make) (BWV 134a), that was composed for New Year's Day 1719. In the case of "Ein Herr, das seinen Jesum lebend weiss," Bach did not even bother to write out a new score, but rather, wrote out the new text below the original text. The result is scored for alto and tenor soloists, chorus, a pair of oboes, strings, and basso continuo. "Ein Herr, das seinen Jesum lebend weiss" is in B flat major with its first, second, fifth, and sixth movements in the tonic and its third and fourth movements in the major subdominant of E flat major. In keeping with its origins, the cantata starts with a duet recitative for alto and tenor soloists with florid continuo accompaniment. Its second movement is a richly scored da capo aria in fast triple time for tenor soloist and full orchestra. Its third is a second duet secco recitative for the two soloists and continuo and its fourth is a duet da capo aria in cut time for the two soloists and continuo. The fifth is a third secco recitative for the two soloists and continuo that becomes a very brief arioso in its closing bars. "Ein Herr, das seinen Jesum lebend weiss" concludes with a chorale fantasia in triple time for the chorus and orchestra interspersed with passages for the soloists.

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