Hoffmann, Melchior, approximately 1679-1715. Schlage doch, gewünschte Stunde

Schlage doch, gewünschte Stunde (Haste to strike, oh longed for hour), BWV 53, is an aria for alto, bells, strings and continuo. It was likely composed in the early 18th century, although its date of first performance is unknown. From the second half of the 18th century until the early 1950s the aria was attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1955, it was suggested by the Bach scholar Karl Anton that the aria's composer was more likely to be a member of Melchior Hoffmann's circle. The aria was likely part of an otherwise lost church cantata for a funeral. The aria was first published in 1863, by the Bach Gesellschaft. It is one of three works to have been attributed to Bach before being attributed to Hoffmann, the others being the German Magnificats BWV 189 and BWV Anh. 21. It is one of the oldest known western compositions in which tuned bells are used in concert with other musical instruments.