Today, Beethoven’s cantatas assuredly number among his lesser known compositions, but in their day were not insignificant for the composer as typical incidental works for social and political occasions. Though written in 1790 while Beethoven was still in Bonn, the two Kaiser cantatas, WoO 87 and 88, nevertheless remained unperformed during the composer’s lifetime ╩ not until a century later did Beethoven scholars rediscover them and marvel at their depth of feeling. In contrast, the cantata ''Th