Bach probably composed around 300 cantatas, of which about 200 are extant today. A formidable figure, yet not remarkable by the standards of the day—the output of composers such as Graupner (with a total of some 2000 cantatas) and Telemann almost makes Bach look lazy. While we may enjoy the odd revival of a cantata by Graupner or Telemann, both fine composers admired by Bach himself, their output is never going to play a major part in the lives of all but a few specialists. With Bach it’s different. It is not going too far to say that without knowledge of at least a representative cross-section of those 200 hundred cantatas, we cannot arrive at any real understanding of one of the greatest of all composers. Today there is no difficulty gaining access to the cantatas on disc; in addition to several complete sets, the catalogues boast dozens of individual recordings performed in a wide variety of styles.