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  • Bach's World
    • 2022-2023 Concerts >
      • Travels with Sebastian
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      • Christmas with Bach
      • The Little Organ Book
      • Bachapella
      • Arnstadt & Mülhausen
      • Bach Through the Years
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      • High School Art Contest
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      • Saturday Sings!
    • 2022-23 Virtual Offerings >
      • The Choir Loft >
        • In the Marvelous Month of May - Steve Osborn
      • Repertoire Exploration Projects
    • Tickets
    • Donate today!
  • Who we are and What we do
    • Mission Statement
  • Our Ensembles
    • Sonoma Bach Choir
    • Circa 1600
    • Green Mountain Consort
    • Live Oak Baroque Orchestra
  • Support
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  • Resources
    • Virtual Offerings - Archive >
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      • Virtual Recording Projects
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        • Music for these Distracted Times - Barefoot All-Stars
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Christ lag in Todesbanden by J.S. Bach
Christ ist erstanden bettered...or such is the rubric, at any rate, in the earliest publications of Martin Luther's 'Christ lag in Todesbanden'. I was amazed to discover this morning that I hadn't yet sent out 'Christ lag'; but I did send out its forebear, 'Christ ist erstanden' several weeks ago. This project will make a good bookend for that one.

Our focus is on the famous eponymous Easter cantata (BWV 4) by ol' JS himself. Many of you have sung the piece before (some multiple times), but it's always worth a re-visit.

The cantata is one of Bach's earliest essays in the form, probably dating from his Mühlhausen period or even during his time in Arnstadt. The young composer produced a sterling example of a strict 'chorale cantata', in which each verse of the source chorale receives its own movement. An instrumental sinfonia sets the mood and tone at the beginning.

The seven variations on the chorale form a dazzling array of approaches to setting a chorale, from full-blown chorale fantasia to spare duet to warlike fugue to dramatic bass solo to (of course) a four-part harmonization. The piece is justly famous, certainly among the best-known of Bach's cantatas. It was the first Bach cantata which I got to know, singing it as a student with the SSU Chorus in ca. 1977 under E. Gardner Rust. (The E. stands for Ezra.) I even auditioned for the bass solo! (It was not meant to be.)

The usual materials are herewith attached, plus an early print of the chorale tune (Babst Geistliche Lieder, 1545) and the tune as published by the Luther Gesellschaft; but I have also included a score of the entire cantata, and here's a link to a fine live performance by Ensemble Orlando Fribourg on YouTube if you care to explore further. You also might enjoy this Corona-era video of John Eliot Gardiner speaking about the cantata.
Click here to download learning materials
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