Jesu, nun sei gepreiset, BWV 41

Jesu, nun sei gepreiset (Jesus, now be praised), BWV 41, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for New Year's Day and first performed it on 1 January 1725. It is based on the hymn of the same name that Johannes Hermann wrote for the same occasion, published in 1591. The feast celebrated also the naming of Jesus, but hymn and cantata, while addressing Jesus by name immediately, focus on the turn of the year in thanks for received blessings and prayers for continued support.

The cantata is part of Bach's chorale cantata cycle, the second cycle during his tenure as Thomaskantor that began in 1723. In the style of the cycle, an unknown poet retained the outer stanzas for framing choral movements and paraphrased the middle stanza into four movements for soloists, alternating arias and recitatives. Bach scored the work for four soloists, a four-part choir and a festive Baroque instrumental ensemble of three trumpets and timpani, oboes, strings including a violoncello piccolo da spalla, and basso continuo. The chorale movements with the full orchestra contrast with the inner movements that have been described as chamber music. Bach illustrated the cycle of the years by using material from the first movement, trumpet fanfares, also in the last, ending the work similarly to its beginning.