Johann Sebastian Bach composed the secular cantata Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre

macht (Time, which day and year doth make),[1] BWV 134.1, BWV 134a,[2] while he was in the
service of the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen.[a] Bach wrote the work as a serenata for
the celebration of New Year's Day 1719.
The libretto by Christian Friedrich Hunold, an academic at the University of Halle, takes the form
of a dialogue between two allegorical figures, Timeand Divine Providence, representing the past
and future, respectively. Bach set the words in eight movements consisting of
alternating recitativesand arias, culminating in a choral finale. Most movements are duets of solo
voices, an alto as Divine Providence and a tenor as Time. Even the closing movement features
long duet passages, leading to parts for four voices. The singers are supported by a Baroque
instrumental ensemble of two oboes, two violins, viola and continuo. The character of the music
is close to Baroque opera, including French dances.
Later, in Leipzig, Bach used the secular cantata as the basis for a church cantata for the Third
Day of Easter 1724, Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß. In the initial version of the Easter
cantata, he made no changes to the 1719 music other than to omit two movements and replace
the text with words for the occasion, written by an unknown author. In an adaptation for
performances in the 1730s, he composed new recitatives for the Easter texts and made further
changes to the music.