not always performed. Reception Manuscripts and publication The oldest extant manuscript of is by Bach's student and son-in-law Johann Christoph Altnikol. The cantata was published in 1821, the first Bach cantata to be published after the composer's death. The Bach Gesellschaft edition of the cantata, published half a century later, was printed with Wilhelm Friedemann Bach's extended instrumentation. This version was edited by Wilhelm Rust and appeared in volume 18, published in 1870 by Breitkopf & Härtel. The New Bach Edition (Neue Bach-Ausgabe, NBA) published the score of the Leipzig version in 1987, edited by Frieder Rempp, with critical commentary following in 1988. Arrangements Theodore Thomas arranged the cantata for modern orchestra. This arrangement was performed in New York in the late 1800s, and was praised for "religiously preserving the spirit of the original". Evaluation Upon its initial publication in 1821, the cantata was positively received, as demonstrated by a laudatory 1822 article by critic Johann Friedrich Rochlitz, which praised its "profound, highly original and—one might say—unimaginable wealth of sound". Christoph Wolff suggests that this cantata "acquired not only the character of prototype for Bach's church cantatas but also that of paragon of Protestant chorale composition" as the "musical symbol of Lutheranism". Giacomo Meyerbeer cited this edition as exemplifying Lutheran music. The 1870 edition, in contrast, was incorporated into the growing German nationalist movement, to the point that it was a standard for German military broadcasts during the Second World War. Modern musicologists agree that the chorale fantasia is an outstanding composition. For example, Craig Smith suggested that "in a genre in which Bach was the absolute master, this is probably the greatest motet chorus". Wolff wrote: "An immense chorale motet of 228 measures, it is one of Bach's most elaborate choral compositions and of the most impressive high points in the history of the chorale cantata." Performances Details of early performances of the work's versions are unknown. The 1982 Zwang catalogue places the first performance of BWV 80's early chorale cantata version in 1724. The first and fifth movements with Wilhelm Friedemann's extended instrumentation were performed with a new Latin text in 1763 in celebration of the end of the Seven Years' War. The first American performance may have occurred as early as 1823 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; handmade copies of the parts dating to that time are held by the Moravian Archives. Other sources suggest an initial performance date