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Herzliebster Jesu by J.S. Bach
You'd think that after a year of Wednesday Chorales, I'd be running out of good ones.

NOPE!

Here's one data point: The magisterial chorale compendium we call 'Zahn' (after its late 19th century compiler and editor, Johannes Zahn) contains 8801 chorale tunes. 

Here's another: The 'Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch' of 1682, one of the hymnbooks which Bach knew well, contains four-and five-part settings of over 400 chorale tunes.

And this: As best I can determine, Bach used some 288 different chorale tunes in his works.

So we're definitely not about to run out of chorales. Nor are we anywhere close to running out of truly great tunes which have been incorporated into great settings by Bach and so many other composers. 

Today's chorale is a prime example. It's called 'Herzliebster Jesu', and it has important roles in both of Bach's extant passions. The text, written by Johann Heerman, was first published in 1630. The melody, by Johann Crüger, was published ten years later. The poem is a 15-verse meditation on the events of the passion story, and upon their meaning for the Christian believer.

Bach used the chorale twice in the St. John Passion: Once after Jesus' arrest in the garden of Gethsemane (verse 7); and again after Jesus responds to Pilate: 'My kingdom is not of this world' (verses 8 and 9). 

In the St. Matthew Passion, our chorale appears three times: In the first instance, Jesus has just told his disciples that he will be tried and crucified (verse 1); in its second appearance, after a weary Jesus asks three of his disciples to stay awake with him, a guilt-struck tenor sings an anxious recitative while the choir comments with a hushed four-part setting of verse 3; and finally, after the crowd calls for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be crucified, the choir responds with verse 4.

Attached you will find a special score which contains just these five settings, including the dramatic context and English translations; as well as a corresponding compilation recording. I suggest that you first learn the melody well; then spend some time with each setting, listening and singing the melody and (optionally) your part. Notice the differences between the settings--some are straightforward, others are full of chromaticism. 

For each chorale verse, try to answer for yourself the question: How has Bach made this setting perfectly reflect its text and its dramatic context? I think you'll be amazed at Bach's ingenuity and artistry as he adapts the simple but powerful tune to these many emotion-filled moments.
Click here to download score
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