A week before, Bach had included three stanzas from a chorale in . In this cantata he includes four stanzas from four different funeral hymns. The first three movements combine three of them, first stanzas throughout. The first chorale on a melody by
Melchior Vulpius is embedded in a concerto of oboes and strings in
syncopated motifs in parallels of thirds and sixths. The melody in the soprano is reinforced by the horn. The line "" (Death is my reward) is slower than the others, in a tradition observed already by
Johann Hermann Schein. The
recitative alternates between secco and accompagnato, with the same accompanying motifs as in the chorale. The second chorale on Luther's melody is graced by an independent violin part, and every line is preceded by an entry of the horn. A secco recitative leads to the third chorale, which is sung by the soprano alone like an
aria, accompanied for the first line only by the continuo, but for the rest of the text by the oboes, playing an
obbligato melody in
unison. The only aria of the cantata is dominated by the oboes and accompanied by
pizzicato in the strings which symbolizes funerary bells, according to
John Eliot Gardiner. The closing chorale is again enriched by a soaring additional violin part. == Recordings ==