Jesu meine Freude

Jesu meine Freude (Jesus My Joy) is a motet composed by Johann Sebastian Bach around 1723. A motet is a style of vocal composition that originated in the early 13th century, typically a Latin religious choral work, but can also be secular or for soloists with accompaniment. Bach's motets, including Jesu meine Freude, returned to the a cappella style, though this often included instrumental doubling and organ continuo.12

Bach served as the director of church music in Leipzig, where he composed numerous cantatas and other sacred works, including passions and oratorios. The St. Matthew Passion, for example, is one of his most elaborate sacred works. Bach's compositions often employed symbolism, including pictorial symbolism and number symbolism, though the extent of its deliberate use is debated.34