Text and translations The first and last verses of Neumann's hymn correspond to the first and final movements of the cantata, both of them choral movements. The middle four movements were written by an anonymous librettist, but conformed fairly closely to the spirit of Neumann's other three verses.
Novello published
John Troutbeck's translation in the 1870s. A translation by
J. Michael Diack was published by
Breitkopf & Härtel in 1931. Jean Lunn's translation was published in 1981. In 2020, Z. Philip Ambrose published a revised edition of his 1980s translation of the cantata's text. Melvin P. Unger published an interlinear translation of the cantata in 1996.
Richard D. P. Jones's 2005 translation of
Alfred Dürr's 1992 book on Bach's cantatas contains a translation of the cantata's libretto.
Pamela Dellal's translation of the libretto can be found on the
Emmanuel Music website.
Scoring BWV 8.1 is scored for: • SATB soloists and choir •
horn • flute (fl): originally
flauto piccolo, a high pitched
recorder, later replaced by a
transverse flute • two
oboes d'amore (oba) • strings (str): two
violin parts and one
viola part •
basso continuo (bc) For BWV 8.2: • same vocal forces as BWV 8.1 •
taille • traverso (fl) • 2 oba • str as in BWV 8.1, with additionally two solo violins (vl) • bc
Movements The cantata is in six movements:
1 The opening
chorale fantasia sets the first stanza of Neumann's hymn. The opening chorus is a gapped chorale setting of Vetter's melody. The
alto,
tenor, and
bass voices sing free
counterpoint, while the
sopranos sing the chorale unadorned. Spitta described the sound of this movement as a "church-yard full of flowers in the springtime". As Dürr comments, the chorus, with instrumental ensemble of high obbligato flute, two oboes d'amore and downward plucked
arpeggios, presents "a sublime vision of the hour of death". deems the opening movement of BWV 8 to be "one of the most arresting tone-pictures ever penned by Bach." Although in principle it could be described as a "choral movement", the two or two and a half bar choral passages are so brief and separated by themselves from the extensive instrumental music of the
ritornellos, that "they recede as it were into the shadows". The primarily orchestral movement conjures up a poetic image of death, with a mood of prayerful contemplation by the Christian soul. This human spirit is captured without words by the two expressive oboes d'amore. As Schering writes: "Their constant sweet-sounding strains overflow in tenderly articulate, or light and gracefully swelling, figures, which, treated in dialogue form, constitute a stream of almost ceaseless melody". The mournful mood is reflected by the choice of E major as key signature. Schering then explains further poetic ideas involving the movement: metaphysical questions concerning fate, mortality and the hereafter. He describes the old church in Leipzig, with its five bells, the highest and most piercing of which was the death-knell. The staccato repetitive semiquavers of the transverse flute, played at the top of its register, portray pealing bells in Bach's musical iconography—unexpected and unsettling sounds for the listeners. The musical imagery for death is completed by hushed
pizzicato triplet quavers in the strings accompanied by solemn beats in the basso continuo. Schering explains how Bach uses all possible musical resources in depicting the troubled soul: "interrupted cadences, chromaticism and diminished sevenths." With a careful balance between choir and delicately scored orchestra, "the whole movement will produce an extraordinarily powerful effect." compares BWV 8 with the cantata
O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20, a chorale cantata Bach had composed slightly earlier, in June 1724. He notes that, although both cantatas have a similar funereal theme, the two have a quite different spirit. BWV 20 has biblical references to the
Raising of Lazarus, and its tortured mood resonates with boiling cauldrons, devils and hell-fire as depicted in
Early Netherlandish morality paintings by
Hieronymous Bosch and his contemporaries. In contrast, the biblical references for BWV 8 are to the
Raising of the son of the widow of Nain; instead of instilling fear, it presents a vision where a penitential sinner, despite their unworthiness, can be saved by God's mercy and be rewarded in heaven. Whittaker finds it unusual that Bach has produced two such differing approaches to death, as disparate as those of Berlioz and Franck. Having taken note of underlying biblical references, Whittaker explains the highly original musical conception for the first movement: "It is virtually a duet for two oboes d'amore, tender and mournful, an example of 'endless melody' long before Wagner coined the term." With about 70 bars in the movement, the mournful elegy seems "oblivious of space and time." The upper strings are accompanied by arpeggio triplet quaver motifs, only interrupted four times. The continuo only plays on the first and third of each beat throughout the movement, creating an unearthly quality. The obbligato transverse flute solo, playing at its highest register, is unique: the semiquavers repeated 24 times represent the quavering soul; while the arpeggiated semiquavers depict pealing bells. According to Whittaker, because the original chorale was not developed in any way, the movement should strictly be regarded as an extended chorale instead of a chorale fantasia. The
cantus firmus of the chorale is quite different from those Bach normally used, more florid with more changes of note-lengths. It is not suitable for use as
augmentation, Bach's habitual way of employing way the melody. It is sung one beat per note accompanied by the horn, sometimes with ornamentation; only once does the
cantus firmus play for more than 3 bars; and except for once, when it is joined by the tenor, it starts alone on the upbeat. Although Whittaker comments on the changes to scoring for the different versions (with solo violins replacing the oboes d'amore, possibly because of technical breathing difficulties), he concludes: "it is wholly unlike any other expansion of a chorale. One may think of it as a solemn funeral which is watched by someone who is himself about to depart, and who, from time to time, breathes to himself this hymn." After outlining the technical difficulties involving performances of BWV 8 for the virtuosic obbligato flute solo passages in the opening movement, finds that the later version in D major might be easier to execute but loses the "iridescent tonal palette" of E major, the original key. Anderson writes of the first movement of the cantata: "The transcendentally beautiful opening chorus of
Liebster Gott must rank among Bach's most poetic and alluring fantasias." Although Bach composed profoundly moving cantatas evoking the death-knell before hand (
BWV 161,
BWV 73,
BWV 95) and afterwards (
BWV 127,
BWV 198), the first movement of BWV 8 is unique in the imaginative and tender way it summons up the haunting atmosphere of chiming death-knells. Two melodious oboes d'amore, the high-pitched transverse flute and pizzicato strings provide the extensive orchestral passages which are interspersed with each short vocal line of Vetter's chorale. The soprano
cantus firmus is sung
colla parte with the horn. When all these components are combined, Bach's music evokes a "melancholy but affirmative, and in no sense desolate, picture."
2 The second movement in C sharp minor is a tenor
aria, characterized by continued tones of the death knell in the
pizzicato accompaniment of the continuo. The instrumental and vocal lines, with its detached quavers, ornamentation and imitative entries, are an eloquent duet between the oboe d'amore and the tenor. For , the aria is a model of Bach's high regard for the text. Dealing again with Christian faith and human fear of death, the theme is now of terror: the musical motifs are angular and the mood anguished. gives a detailed description of the musical structure of the tenor aria (not a
da capo aria). In contrast to the first movement, where the chorus comment watchfully, the text and mood are more empassioned. The aria begins with a ritornello—an expressive oboe d'amore solo accompanied by detached
pizzicato quavers for the continuo, representing the solemn funeral bells. The 1727 aria
Erbarme dich, mein Gott ("Have mercy my God") for alto and violin from the
St Matthew Passion is identical melodically, although the phrasing is slightly different. This musical motif is one that Bach often associates with "pity". The ritornello continues with a lengthy passage for semiquavers, where musical iconography again comes into play. As the tenor takes over the instrumental material, the oboe d'amore accompanies imitatively. The tenor is later heard with emphatic detached
staccato crotchets as he sings
schlägt ("strikes"), for the clock striking on the hour; and later still the oboe d'amore semiquavers are heard in parallel thirds with the tenor's soaring
tausend ("thousand"). The extended second section begins with the words
Mein Leib ("my body"): here the inversion of melody is heard twice with further parallel renditions of "thousand"; and long sustained notes for
Ruh ("rest") accompany a restatement of the oboe d'amore melody. The second section concludes with the instrumental ritornello.
3 The third movement is an alto recitative, where the soloist sings of their fear of death. With a string accompaniment, they sing of their questions of anxiety.
Phrygian cadences, with the voice rising, are heard twice: this musical technique was how Bach liked to introduce a questioning tone. writes: "What mastery in the last four bars alone, forming a questioning close in the Phrygian mode!" As described by , the soloist complains of "wordly suffering and loss." This beautiful setting is filled with emotion: the first violin "moves uneasily, as if the soul were trying to raise its load."
4 Contrasting with the preceding recitative, the fourth movement is a joyous bass
da capo aria in "jig tempo". There is a complete change of mood: "It is a delightful gigue, a piece of unabashed dance music made to serve the purpose of the church." With all despondency quelled, the obbligato transverse flute starts its rhythmic solo in A major and times. In Bach's sacred works, the flute was most often associated with death and mourning; but here it evokes joyous laughter; this kind of virtuosic writing, with brilliant rapid semiquaver passage work and extraordinary leaps, is reminiscent of the Brandenburg Concertos or Orchestral Suites (for example the last movements of the Third, Fifth or Sixth Brandenburg Concerto or the
Badinerie from Suite No 2). discuss Bach's gigue from the perspect of baroque dance music. A special kind of gigue used by Bach was singled out, the
Giga II, his "most complex, exploratory and challenging." They are characterised by their subdivided beats (e.g. triplets), normally with an upbeat; a joyous and intense mood; jigging rhythms; long phrases without break; and a dance-like lilt. Little and Jenne write that these were "the farthest from actual dancing or any choreographic associations at all ... more of an instrumental excursion than any other Baroque dance type except the allemande. It is easy to see why Bach was attracted to it, even though his German contemporaries were not." The bass aria falls into this category. The 16 bar ritornello for solo flute and strings has several striking characteristics: the "rollicking tune" in the first two bars; the "quirky responses" in quavers and semiquavers in bars three and four; the "leaping passages" which dart up and below in bar five and even more so in bar six; the "sustained note", a 'halo' announced by an ornamental triplet in the flute, while the first violins take up the boisterous tune in bars eight and nine; the "quaver triplet scales" in bar eleven; the "triplet arpeggios" cavorting upwards in bars twelve and thirteen; and three "repeating semiquaver motifs" in bar fifteen that prepare for the final cadence. The other parts of the ritornello involve rapid semiquaver passage work for the flute, often in sequences, as the strings gently accompany either with detached crotchets or long sustained notes. After the ritornello, the singing of the bass soloist begins with a section of 22 bars. There is an expository section for bass, flute and strings. The bass starts with its romping melody for two bars, accompanied by the 'halo' motif on the flute and a new sighing response in the strings: the flute responds with the last two bars of the ritornello; the bass then sings another two bars of the tune, with the flute and strings swapping their roles. After that bass and flute perform a duet, with the strings playing the samme accompanying role as in the ritornello (detached crotchets or long sustained notes). The new music for the bass singer combines rapid semiquaver runs and turns, detached quavers and long sustained notes; this material is matched to the earlier flute motifs. The flow is broken as the bass asks in detached phrases, accompanied on the flute by triplet scales and three bars of high-pitched arpeggios. Accompanied only by the continuo, the bass then sings the same question to the tune of the triplet scale and arpeggio figures; without pause the flute and strings play a two and a half bar coda similar to the end of the ritornello. The music of the next 15 bars is sung to the second part of the text and corresponds to the middle
da capo section. The bass here plays a more dominant role, starting off in a dance-like rhythm with several octave leaps. There are initially gently responses from flute and strings. Then, as the bass solo starts to sing the staccato crotchets , the flute commences a
motto perpetuo accompaniment with the 'repeating semiquaver motifs' in sequence and sustained strings. With strings playing only detached crotchets, the bass solo begins a new long sequences of semiquaver figures on in parallel with the flute. With an octave leap, the bass sings a sustained
Jesus. As the flute in a flourish takes up its original jig tune in the relative minor accompanied by short sighs in the strings, the bass sings with an octave leap and a one and a half bar note for the second syllable. With just the continuo, the bass finishes his phrase with
herrlich vor Jesu zu stehn. The
da capo section starts off with the 16 bar ritornello for flute and strings repeated without change. The final section lasts 24 bars, thus 22 bars for bass, flute and strings plus a two and a half bar coda for orchestra alone. The first six bars are identical to the corresponding solo bass section. At that point a half bar of two semiquaver scales is introduced in the orchestra, while the key modulates through D major to E major. Otherwise, with some adaptations, flute and strings play as before, but now off beat. For the bass solo almost all of the musical material is unaltered (a few semiquaver motifs become closer to those of the flute). The final solo bass phrase with continuo acquires an additional half bar for the last words The movement concludes with a two and a half bar coda for flute and strings ending on an A major cadence.
5 The fifth movement is a short
secco recitative for soprano and continuo. The confident mood of the bass aria is maintained in the soprano line. paraphrases the last sentence of the text
Und kann nicht sterben as 'and cannot die.' He notes that: "In spite of the happiness of the mood, Bach cannot resist falsifying the meaning of the sentence by painting 'die' with a melisma involving a diminished third."
6 The chorus and orchestra unite in the final chorale. Wolff notes that "the texturally transparent and rhythmically vibrant setting" of the closing chorale is informed by the treatment of the opening chorus.
Emil Platen and
Christoph Wolff have observed that when Bach adapted or borrowed chorales from more recent composers such as
Vopelius or Vetter, he composed in a more fashionable and melodic style. According to the concluding sentence of , there is a "brief
secco recitative, after which all participants unite in the concluding chorale—borrowed from Daniel Vetter, albeit with radical alterations." According to , Bach's musical treatment of the closing chorale, closely modelled on
Vetter's original from 1713, is "modernistic" and closer to songs from the
Schemellis Gesangbuch. Mostly the soprano voice leads with an upbeat, followed by the lower voices; and, for the concluding "Schanden" ("shame"), the harmony is forlorn. Whittaker writes: "the basses have a splendid phrase sinking from upper C to low E. The flute is instructed to double the melody
ottava."
Arnold Schering summarises the last movement as follows: "After the mood thus established has been re-asserted by the soprano in a Recitative, there follows the final
Chorale—this time arranged on a plan unusual with Bach. The crotchets of each line are separated into upbeat quavers, and in one or two voices are made to precede the others. Hence a certain liveliness is achieved, a happy counterpart to the spirit of joy attained in the bass aria." As comments, a single crotchet bass note and a key change from A major to E major signal the beginning of the final chorale: contrary to Bach's usual method of composition, he did not produce an original harmonisation but adopted Vetter's as "a gesture of appreciation towards a predecessor whom Bach must have respected." \header { tagline = " " } \layout { indent = 0 \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } } global = { \key e \major \numericTimeSignature \time 4/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \set Timing.beamExceptions = #'()} \score { \new ChoirStaff > \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" { > Hilf, dass ich ein ehr -- lich Grab ne -- ben from -- men Chris -- ten hab und auch end -- lich in der Er -- _ _ de nim -- mer -- mehr zu -- _ schan -- _ _ den _ wer -- _ _ de. } \new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "choir aahs" \consists Merge_rests_engraver } > >> \layout { } } \score { \unfoldRepeats { \new ChoirStaff > \new Lyrics \lyricsto "soprano" { > Hilf, dass ich ein ehr -- lich Grab ne -- ben from -- men Chris -- ten hab und auch end -- lich in der Er -- _ _ de nim -- mer -- mehr zu -- _ schan -- _ _ den _ wer -- _ _ de. } \new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "choir aahs" \consists Merge_rests_engraver } > >> } \midi { } } == Manuscripts and scores ==