This is the only English translation of this important book by the world's most distinguished Bach scholar. This work is widely regarded as the most authoritative and comprehensive treatment of the Bach cantatas. It begins with a historical survey of the seventeenth-century background to the cantatas, and performance practice issues. The core of the book is a work-by-work study in which each cantata in turn is represented by its libretto, a synopsis of its movements, and a detailed analytical commentary. This format makes it extremely useful as a reference work for anyone listening to, performing in, or studying any of the Bach cantatas. All the cantata librettos are given in German-English parallel text. For the English edition the text has been carefully revised to bring it up to date, taking account of recent Bach scholarship.

Alfred Durr is one of the principal editors of the Neue Bach Ausgabe in which he edited "Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier." He holds honorary doctorates of music at Baldwin-Wallace College, Ohio and at Oxford University. Richard Jones is a Bach scholar who has been a music editor, writer, and teacher since 1980. He studied at the University of Oxford and has taught at the universities of Cardiff and Sheffield. In 1997 he became the editor of the piano grade exam pieces for the Associated Board.