This course explores how in his sacred cantatas - the major part of his musical output - Bach used a wide range of stylistic resources to bring the message of his texts to life. Despair, struggle, doubt, protest, triumph and consolation feature in the emotional trajectory of these small-scale, psychologically intense dramas, typically with a battle for self-mastery at their core. Using numerous illustrations, the course will invite participants to make their own judgements as to how successfully Bach's inventive imagination directs the listener's response to the words. To what extent (if any) can the music persuade a modern audience that the preoccupations of the cantatas have relevance beyond their Lutheran historical context? The aim is to widen understanding of these fascinating works and hence to increase enjoyment in listening.