1BWV95­Christus,deristmeinLeben(CantatafortheSixteenthSundayafterTrinity)1.ChorSATBundRezitativTChristus,deristmeinLeben,SterbenistmeinGewinn;Demtuichmichergeben,MitFreudfahrichdahin.MitFreuden,JamitHerzenslustWillichvonhinnenscheiden.Undhießesheutenoch:Dumußt!Sobinichwilligundbereit,DenarmenLeib,dieabgezehrtenGlieder,DasKleidderSterblichkeitDerErdewiederInihrenSchoßzubringen.MeinSterbeliedistschongemacht;Ach,dürfteichsheutesingen!

MitFriedundFreudichfahrdahin,NachGottesWillen,GetrostistmirmeinHerzundSinn,Sanftundstille.WieGottmirverheißenhat:DerTodistmeinSchlafgeworden.

1.ChorusSATBandRecitativeTChristisallmybeing,deathismyreward;tothisIabandonmyself,WithjoyIdeparthither.Withjoy,indeedwithheart‐feltdelightwillIdepartfromhere.Evenifcalledtoday:youmust!Still,Iamwillingandready—mypoorbody,mywastedlimbs,garmentofmortality—backintotheearth,tobringthemintoitsbosom.Myfuneralsongisalreadycomposed;ah,thatImightsingittoday!

WithpeaceandjoyIdepartthitheraccordingtoGod'swill,Myheartandmindarecomforted,calm,andquiet.AsGodhadpromisedme:deathhasbecomemysleep.

Christus,deristmeinLeben(1609),v1MitFriedundFreudichfahrdahin(1524),v1

2.RezitativSNun,falscheWelt!Nunhabeichweiternichtsmitdirzutun;MeinHausistschonbestellt,Ichkannweitsanfterruhn,Alsdaichsonstbeidir,AndeinesBabelsFlüssen,DasWollustsalzverschluckenmüssen,WennichandeinemLustrevierNurSodomsäpfelkonntebrechen.Nein,nein!nunkannichmitgelassnermMutesprechen:

2.RecitativeSNow,falseworld!NowhaveInothingmoretodowithyou;myhouseisalreadyprepared,IcanrestmuchmorepeacefullythaneverIoncedidwithyou,byyourwatersofBabylon,whereIhadtoswallowthesaltoflust;wheninyourpleasurequartersIcouldpluckonlytheapplesofSodom.No,no!now,withcomposedcourage,Icansay:

3.ChoralSValetwillichdirgeben,Duarge,falscheWelt,DeinstündlichbösesLebenDurchausmirnichtgefällt.ImHimmelistgutwohnen,HinaufstehtmeinBegier.DawirdGottewiglohnenDem,derihmdientallhier.

3.ChoraleSFarewellwouldIsaytoyou,youwicked,falseworld,yoursinful,evillifethoroughlydispleasesme.Inheaventhereisagoodlife,UpwardsIdirectmylonging.TherewillGodeternallyrewardTheonewhoserveshimhere.

Valetwillichdirgeben(1613),v1

24.RezitativTAchkönntemirdochbaldsowohlgeschehn,DaßichdenTod,DasEndeallerNot,InmeinenGliedernkönntesehn;IchwollteihnzumeinemLeibgedingewählenUndalleStundennachihmzählen.

4.RecitativeTAh,thatImightindeedbesoblessedthatIcouldseedeath,theendofallsuffering,inmylimbs;Iwouldchooseitformydowryandnumberallthehoursbyit.

5.ArieTAch,schlagedochbald,selgeStunde,DenallerletztenGlockenschlag!Komm,komm,ichreichedirdieHände,Komm,machemeinerNoteinEnde,DulängsterseufzterSterbenstag!

5.AriaTAh,strikesoon,blessedhour,theverylastbell‐stroke!Come,come,Ireachoutmyhandtoyou,come,makeanendofmysuffering,youlongsighed‐fordayofmydeath!

6.RezitativBDennichweißdiesUndglaubesganzgewiß,DaßichausmeinemGrabeGanzeinensichernZugangzudemVaterhabe.MeinTodistnureinSchlaf.DadurchderLeib,derhiervonSorgenabgenommen,ZurRuhekommen.SuchtnuneinHirteseinverlornesSchaf,WiesollteJesusmichnichtwiederfinden,DaermeinHauptundichseinGliedmaßbin!SokannichnunmitfrohenSinnenMeinseligAuferstehnaufmeinenHeilandgründen.

6.RecitativeBForIknowthisandbelieveitmostcertainly,thatI,fromoutofmygrave,haveasurepathtotheFather.Mydeathisbutasleep,throughwhichmybody,wastedbyworryhere,shallcometorest.Ifthenashepherdseekshislostsheep,howshouldJesusnotfindmeagain,sinceheismyheadandIamalimbofhis!SonowIcan,withjoyfulmind,groundmyblessedresurrectioninmySavior.

7.ChoralWeilduvomToderstandenbist,WerdichimGrabnichtbleiben;DeinletztesWortmeinAuffahrtist,Todsfurchtkannstduvertreiben.Dennwodubist,dakommichhin,Daßichstetsbeidirlebundbin;DrumfahrichhinmitFreuden.

7.ChoraleSinceyouarerisenfromdeath,Iwillnotremaininthegrave;Yourfinalwordismyascension,Youcandriveawaythefearofdeath.Forwhereveryouare,thereshallIcome,sothatImayalwaysliveandbewithYou;thereforeIdepartwithjoy.

WennmeinStündleinvorhandenist(1560),v4

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Notesonthecantata©EllenFryeBWV95Christus,deristmeinLieben,writtenforthesixteenthSundayafterTrinity,wasfirstperformedonSeptember12,1723.ThegospelforthedayisLuke7:11–17,thestoryofthedeadsonofawidowwhocamebacktolifewhenJesustouchedthebier.LutherandoctrineequatesthisresurrectionwiththeresurrectionthatawaitstheFaithfulwhentheydie,andsoBWV95focusesondeathasaneventthatallmustlookforwardtowithjoy.Bachstructuredthecantataaroundfourchorales,eachafuneralhymnaffirmingtherewardthatcomeswithdeath.TheseexpressionsofchurchdoctrinearemeanttosurroundandsupporttheFaithfulastheypondertheirownreadinessfordeath.

Intheopeningchorus,twochoralesareseparatedbyatenorariosoandrecitative.Thetitlechorale,Christismylife/deathismyreward,isembeddedinadanceinwhichthesyncopationsofthestringsandoboessurroundthefoursquareharmonyofthesingers.Bachinterruptsthedanceattheword“death”withsustaineddissonancesthatpauseandthenresolve,lettingthedancecontinue.Anextendedtenorariosoandrecitativeleadstothesecondchorale,WithjoyIdepart,MartinLuther’sadaptationoftheLatinNuncdimitis.Whilethetextsofthetwochoralesareconnectedthroughtheline“withjoyIdepart”—thelastlineofthefirstchoraleandthefirstlineofthesecond—themusiccouldnotbemoredifferent.Amodalcanonbetweenhornandoboesleadsineachchoraleline,thecanonvoicestwo‐beatsapartandattonalintervalsthatcreatesurprisingdissonances.Thevocalpartsarepurehomophony,astheywereforthefirstchorale,andagainBachstopsthechoralefordeath(“calmandquiet”).Theoveralleffect,however,evokesamuchearliertimethanthegallantworldoftheopeningchorale,astileanticoforthevoiceswithinstrumentalechoesofBuxtehudeorPachelbel.

Thethirdchorale,FarewellIsaytoyou,falseworld,isintroducedbyasopranorecitative,apersonalexcoriationofthewickedworldwithits“saltoflust”and“applesofSodom.”Withoutapause,thevoiceseguesintothesweetnessofthechorale,eachlinesungwithoutembellishment.Overandunderthevocalline,thecontinuoandapairofoboesd’amourviewiththevoiceinquirkyfiguresthatthreatentothrowoffthesteadytempo—asiftheenticingdistractionsoftheworldweretryingtopulltheFaithfuloffcourse.

Thecantatacloseswithstraightforwardharmonyofthefinalchorale,thefourthverseofWhenmyhourhascome,theviolinsaddingasoaringdescant,leadingthesoultoheaven.Thefinalwordsofthetextechothekeyphraseoftheopeningmovement:“ThereforeIdepartwithjoy.”

Theemotionalcenterofthecantataistheariafortenor,twooboesd’amour,strings,andcontinuo.ItisapersonalportrayalofoneoftheFaithfulwaitingfordeath.Bachscoresthestringsaspizzicatofuneralbellswhiletheoboesplaydolefulphrasesinparallelfourths.Thevocallineisrhythmicallychallenging;thekeyword“strike”(i.e.,letthedeathbellstrike)fallssometimesonthesecondbeat,sometimesthefirst.Theariaportraysboththepersonallongingfordeath(andresurrection)andtheuneasiness—evenfear—thatinevitablymustaccompanythefinalmoments.

TonalityEricChafe,inhisTonalAllegoryintheVocalMusicofJ.S.Bach,seestonalascentanddescentasmetaphorsforconceptsofascentanddescentin18thcenturyLutherantheology.Inthiscantata,hesuggeststhatBachincorporatesascentanddescent—sharp/flatkeysandmelodicrisingsandfallings—intohisharmonicschemeasameansofinterpretingthedualityoflifeanddeath. Bachsetsboththefirstmovement(twochoralesseparatedbytenorrecitative)andthesecond(sopranorecitativeandchorale)inmajorandminormodeswiththesamekeynote.Intheopeningmovement,thekeynoteisG,withthefirstchoraleinGmajor,thesecondinGminor(Dorianmode).Theconnectingtenorariosoandrecitativemodulatesthroughflatregions(BmajorandCminor)beforethecadenceontheDmajordominant.Bach’smajor/minorharmoniesemphasizebothaspectsofdeath:thepromiseofresurrectionandthedifficultlifethroughwhichtheFaithfulmustmovetoachievethereward.

4Inthesecondmovement*,theharmonicmovementisreversed,flowingfromtheDminorrecitativedirectlyintotheDmajorchorale.Heretheharmonicascentrepresentsafirmturningtowardthedeathasthegatewaytoheaven. Inthetenordacapoaria,thekeyofDkeepsthetonalityhigh,theFaithfulholdingtheirthoughtsonthepromiseofheaven.IntheBsection,Bachmovestheharmonysharperandsharper—A,E,B,F,C,G—beforebringingthesectiontoacloseonFmajor.IthinkthatBachusestonallytobringtheFaithfulcloserandclosertoheavensothatwhentheyreturntothestrikingbellsoftherepeatedAsection,theywillhavealreadyseenlifeafterdeath.HereisaclearinstanceoftheBaroqueconceptthatAsectionofadacapoariacanneverbethesameoncetheBsectionhasbeenheard. Thefinaltwomovements(bassrecitativeandclosingchorale)bringthecantatabacktoGmajortoexpresstheassuranceoftheFaithful,supportedbytheChurch,that“deathisbutasleep”leadingtoresurrection.HereBachdramatizesthedualnatureofdeathmelodically.Intheopeningoftherecitative,thebassesrisetoheaven;attheclose,thebassvoicedescendsatwelfth(frommiddleCdowntolowG)whilethecontinuorises.Intheopeningbarsofthechorale,hesendstheviolinssoaringtoaveryhighEandthenbalancestheascentintheclosingbarswiththebassandtenordescendingwhilethesopranosandviolinscalmlymovearoundthekeynoteG.

HarmonicstructureChorale—Recitative—Chorale Recitative—Chorale Recitative—Aria Recitative—Chorale

G—B‐c‐D—g d—D D G

Gospelfortheday:Luke7:11‐17(KJV)11Anditcametopassthedayafter,thathewentintoacitycalledNain;andmanyofhisdiscipleswentwithhim,andmuchpeople.12Nowwhenhecamenightothegateofthecity,behold,therewasadeadmancarriedout,theonlysonofhismother,andshewasawidow:andmuchpeopleofthecitywaswithher.13AndwhentheLordsawher,hehadcompassiononher,andsaiduntoher,Weepnot.14Andhecameandtouchedthebier:andtheythatbarehimstoodstill.Andhesaid,Youngman,Isayuntothee,Arise.15Andhethatwasdeadsatup,andbegantospeak.Andhedeliveredhimtohismother.16Andtherecameafearonall:andtheyglorifiedGod,saying,Thatagreatprophetisrisenupamongus;and,ThatGodhathvisitedhispeople.17AndthisrumourofhimwentforththroughoutallJudaea,andthroughoutalltheregionroundabout.

*IntheDrinkeredition,thesopranorecitativeandchoraleareasinglemovement;intheNBAandotherscores,therecitativeisthesecondmovementandthechoralethethird.