Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4

Christ lag in Todesbanden
BWV 4
Chorale cantata by J. S. Bach
Resurrection of Jesus on the title page of a Luther Bible, 1769
Key	E minor
Occasion	First Day of Easter
Composed	1707
Performed	24 April 1707[1]
Published	1851
Movements	8
Chorale	"Christ lag in Todes Banden"  by Martin Luther
Duration	about 20 minutes
Vocal	SATB
Instrumental	cornetto 3 trombones 2 violins 2 violas continuo

Christ lag in Todesbanden or Christ lag in Todes Banden (Christ lay in the snares of death), BWV 4, is a church cantata for Easter by Johann Sebastian Bach. Probably written as an audition piece when applying for a post at a Lutheran church at Mühlhausen in 1707, it is one of his earliest cantatas. Later Bach would produce complete cantata cycles, covering all occasions of the liturgical year, and this cantata was added to the chorale cantata cycle. John Eliot Gardiner describes it as Bach's "first-known attempt at painting narrative in music".^[2]

Christ lag in Todes Banden is a chorale cantata, a style in which both text and music are based on a hymn. In this instance, the source was Martin Luther's hymn of the same name, the main hymn for Easter in the Lutheran church. The composition is based on the seven stanzas of the hymn and its tune, which was derived from Medieval models. Bach used the unchanged words of a stanza of the chorale in each of the seven vocal movements, in the format of chorale variations per omnes versus (for all stanzas), and he used its tune as a cantus firmus. After an opening sinfonia, the variations are arranged symmetrically: chorus–duet–solo–chorus–solo–duet–chorus, with the focus on the central fourth stanza about the battle between Life and Death. All movements are in E minor, and Bach achieves variety and intensifies the meaning of the text through many musical forms and techniques.

Christ lag in Todes Banden is Bach's first cantata for Easter and his earliest surviving chorale cantata. He later repeatedly performed it as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, beginning in 1724 when he first celebrated Easter there. Only this second version survives. It is scored for four vocal parts with a choir of one cornetto and three trombones doubling the choral voices, plus a string section of two violins, two violas, and continuo. This exemplifies a 17th-century "Choralkonzert" (chorale concerto) style; the lost scoring of the earlier performances was perhaps similar.

Gardiner calls Bach's setting of Luther's hymn "a bold, innovative piece of musical drama", and observes "his total identification with the spirit and letter of Luther's fiery, dramatic hymn".^[2]

Composition history

Christ lag in Todes Banden survives in a version from the 1720s when Bach held the position of Thomaskantor (director of church music) in Leipzig.^[3] It was completed seven years before his sequence of Weimar cantatas, begun in 1714 with Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182,^[4] and 17 years before he started a complete annual cycle of chorale cantatas in Leipzig in the middle of 1724 with O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20.^[5]

The texts of Bach's early cantatas were drawn mostly from biblical passages and hymns.^[6] Features characteristic of his later cantatas, such as recitatives and arias on contemporary poetry, were not yet present,^[7] although Bach may have heard them in oratorios by Buxtehude, or even earlier.^[6] Instead, these early cantatas include 17th-century elements such as motets and chorale concertos.^[8][9] They often begin with an instrumental sinfonia or sonata (sonatina).^[6]

Arnstadt and Mühlhausen

The restored Wender organ which Bach played in Arnstadt at the New Church, now the Bach Church

Bach is believed to have written Christ lag in Todes Banden in 1707. He was a professional organist aged 22, employed from 1703 in Arnstadt as the organist of the New Church (today known as the Bach Church).^[10] Bach's duties as a church musician involved some responsibility for choral music, but the exact year he began composing cantatas is unknown. Christ lag in Todes Banden is one of a small group of cantatas that survive from his early years.^[11]

In Arnstadt, the Kantor (church musician) Heindorff was responsible for church music in the Upper Church (Liebfrauenkirche), and the New Church where Bach was the organist. He typically conducted music in the Upper Church and would appoint a choir prefect for vocal music in the New Church. Wolff notes that "subjecting his works to the questionable leadership of a prefect"^[11] was not what Bach would have done. Therefore, most cantatas of the period are not for Sunday occasions, but restricted to special occasions such as weddings and funerals. Christ lag in Todes Banden is the only exception, but was most likely composed not for Arnstadt but for an application to a more important post at the Divi Blasii church in Mühlhausen.^[11]

Organ of the Divi Blasii church in Mühlhausen, where the cantata was possibly first performed

There is documentary evidence suggesting that this Easter Sunday cantata was premiered in 1707. It is known that Bach performed a cantata of his own composition at Easter in 1707 as a part of his application for the post of organist of Divi Blasii church in Mühlhausen, and this may have been Christ lag in Todes Banden.^[1][6] At this time, Bach was already demonstrating ingenuity in keyboard music, but Christ lag in Todes Banden is a significant milestone in his vocal music.

Bach would have been attracted to Mühlhausen for its status as a free imperial city and its several churches and tradition of vocal music. Wolff notes that Bach possibly sent two other cantata scores with his application, and once he knew the date of the audition may have composed Christ lag in Todes Banden in addition. A month after Easter, on 24 May 1707, an agreement was reached to hire Bach, who seems to have been the only candidate considered seriously.^[12]

Liturgical context

Portrait of Martin Luther, c. 1529. Luther wrote the text of the hymn and derived the melody from a traditional older tune.

The prescribed readings for Easter Sunday were from the First letter to the Corinthians ("Christ is our Easter lamb" – 1 Corinthians 5:6–8) and from the Gospel of Mark (the Resurrection of Jesus – Mark 16:1–8).^[13]

The reformer Martin Luther wrote several hymns in German to be used in church services. His hymn "Christ lag in Todes Banden"^[14] was based on the Latin hymn "Victimae Paschali Laudes", and first published in 1524.^[15] It became the main Easter hymn in German Lutheranism. The hymn stresses the struggle between Life and Death. The third stanza refers to the "sting of death", as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15. The fifth stanza relates to the "Osterlamm", the Paschal Lamb. The sacrificial "blood" ("Its blood marks our doors")^[16] refers to the marking of the doors before the exodus from Egypt. The final stanza recalls the tradition of baking and eating Easter Bread, with the "old leaven" alluding again to the exodus, in contrast to the "Word of Grace",^[17] concluding "Christ would ... alone nourish the soul."^[17]

Chorale cantata format

In contrast to most chorale cantatas that Bach composed later in Leipzig, the text of the chorale is retained unchanged (per omnes versus), which he did again only in late chorale cantatas.^[18]

Scoring and style

Portrait of the young Bach (disputed)^[19]

Bach's early cantatas are "Choralkonzerte" (chorale concertos) in the style of the 17th century, different from the recitative and aria cantata format associated with Neumeister that Bach started to use for church cantatas in 1714.^[16] Wolff points out the relation of Bach's early cantatas to works by Dieterich Buxtehude, with whom Bach had studied in Lübeck.^[11]

Christ lag in Todes Banden shows similarities to a composition of Johann Pachelbel based on the same Easter chorale.^[16] Bach grew up in Thuringia while Pachelbel was based in the same region, and Bach's elder brother and teacher Johann Christoph Bach studied with Pachelbel in Erfurt.^[20] Another of Pachelbel's works appears to be referenced in the early Bach cantata, Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150, and there has been recent speculation that Bach wanted to pay tribute to Pachelbel after his death in 1706.^[21][3]

Bach uses the limited types of instruments at his disposal for unusual combinations, such as two recorders and two viole da gamba in the funeral cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, also known as Actus Tragicus. He uses instruments of the continuo group as independent parts, such as a cello in Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich and a bassoon in Der Herr denket an uns.^[6]

The scoring of the Christ lag in Todes Banden cantata has been described as "archaic"^[22] and its style "medieval":^[13]

• String section: for the cantata Bach uses a string section consisting of two violin parts (Vl), two viola (Va) parts and continuo: this indicates an older practice as for instance found in 17th-century church cantatas by Bach's ancestors (see Altbachisches Archiv), and in Jesus Christus ist um unsrer Missetat willen verwundet, a Passion setting from the early 18th century (or older) which Bach had performed a few years after composing the Christ lag in Todesbanden cantata. In the first half of the 18th century the standard for a string section soon evolved to two violin parts, one viola part and continuo.
• The cornett used in the cantata was an instrument that belonged to an earlier age: by the second quarter of the 18th century it had almost entirely disappeared from Bach's compositions.
• SATB choral singing is still less distinguished from sections of the cantata where vocal soloists sing in ensemble:^[13] this also is an older practice: in Bach's later cantatas there would be a clearer demarcation between choral movements and movements for vocal soloists (such as recitatives, arias, duets, ...).
• Modal approach instead of the modern tonal system.^[13]

Bach's 1730 description of what he expects from vocal and instrumental forces illustrates the later scoring standards: in this document a clear distinction is made between concertists and ripienists for the singers, no cornetts and trombones (presumably a 1724 or 1725 addition to the score of BWV 4)^[23][24] are mentioned, and although Bach initially suggests two first viola players and two second viola players against four to six violin players in two groups, he ultimately asks only two viola players in total, without diminishing his requests for the violin players in two groups.^[25]

Wolff notes:^[6]

The overall degree of mastery by which these early pieces compare favourably with the best church compositions from the first decade of the eighteenth century ... proves that the young Bach did not confine himself to playing organ and clavier, but, animated by his Buxtehude visit, devoted considerable time and effort to vocal composition. The very few such early works that exist, each a masterpiece in its own right, must constitute a remnant only ... of a larger body of similar compositions.

The Bach scholar Richard D. P. Jones notes in The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach:^[26]

"His remarkable flair for test illustration is evident even in the early cantatas, particularly the two finest of them, the Actus tragicus, BWV 106, and Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4. We already sense a powerful mind behind the notes in the motivic unity of the early cantatas, in the use of reprise to bind their mosaic forms together..."

Leipzig 1724–25

Bach performed the cantata again while Thomaskantor in Leipzig, notably at his first Easter there on 9 April 1724.^[24] He also performed it the following year on 1 April 1725,^[24] in his second cycle of Leipzig cantatas, following the 40 chorale cantatas he had written for that cycle.^[3] This early work fits the cycle in the sense that it is based on a chorale, but its style is different from the others.^[16]

Music

Scoring and structure

Bach structured the cantata in eight movements: an instrumental sinfonia and seven vocal movements corresponding to the stanzas of the hymn. The duration is given as 22 minutes.^[27]

The title of the original parts of the first Leipzig performance is (in Johann Christoph Altnickol's handwrting): "Feria Paschatos / Christ lag in Todes Banden / a.4. Voc: / Cornetto / 3 Trombon. / 2 Violini / 2 Viole / con / Continuo / Di Sign. Joh. Seb. Bach" (Feast of Easter | Christ lag in Todes Banden | for 4 voices | cornetto | 3 trombones | 2 violins | 2 violas | with | continuo | by Mr. Joh. Seb. Bach).^[28] In this late version, Bach scored the work for four vocal parts (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T), and bass (B)), and a Baroque instrumental ensemble consisting of strings and brass:

• a choir of cornetto (Ct) and three trombones (Tb) playing colla parte to reinforce the voices at times,
• two violins (Vl),
• two violas (Va)
• basso continuo.^[24][29]

The vocal parts can be sung by soloists or a choir; for example, Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm, described as a bass aria, is sometimes performed by the basses of the choir rather than a soloist. The exact scoring of the first version is unknown, but it may have been similar to the surviving version.^[1][16] The string accompaniment is consistent with the limited instrumental forces which Bach had at his disposal early in his career. No woodwinds are featured, unlike some of Bach's other early cantatas (for example, Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131). The brass parts, a choir of cornetto and three trombones reinforcing the voices, may have been added in the 1720s. They may also possibly represent the original scoring, in the style of the 17th-century polychoral tradition.^[16] One of Bach's other early cantatas, Gott ist mein König, BWV 71, is also richly scored, evoking the type of choral writing which Heinrich Schütz developed from the Venetian polychoral style.^[30][31]

In the following table of the movements, the scoring and keys follow the Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The keys and time signatures are taken from the book on all cantatas by the Bach scholar Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4) and alla breve (2/2).^[27] The continuo, played throughout, is not shown.

Movements of Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4

No.	Title	Type	Vocal	Brass	Strings	Key	Time.
1	Sinfonia				2Vl 2Va	E minor
Versus 1	Christ lag in Todes Banden Halleluja	Chorus	SATB	Ct 3Tb	2Vl 2Va	E minor
Versus 2	Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt	Aria Duetto	S A	Ct Tb		E minor
Versus 3	Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn	Aria	T		2Vl	E minor
Versus 4	Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg	Chorus	SATB			E minor
Versus 5	Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm	Aria	B		2Vl 2Va	E minor	3/4
Versus 6	So feiern wir das hohe Fest	Aria Duetto	S T			E minor
Versus 7	Wir essen und leben wohl	Choral	SATB	Ct 3Tb	2Vl 2Va	E minor

Tune

Luther's hymn is based on the 12th-century Easter hymn "Christ ist erstanden" (Christ is risen), which relies both in text and melody on the sequence for Easter, "Victimae paschali laudes".^[15][32] A new version was published by Luther in 1524 and adapted by Johann Walter in his Wittenberg hymnal for choir, Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn (1524). A slightly modified version appeared in 1533 in a hymnal by Kluge.^[15] This chorale tune would have been familiar to Bach's congregations. Bach composed other arrangements during his career, including the two chorale preludes BWV 625 and BWV 718, and the "Fantasia super Christ lag in Todes Banden", BWV 695. Bach's organ works and the version in the cantata use the passing notes and regular rhythmic patterns of the 1533 version.^[15]

Movements

Unlike in Bach's later cantatas, all movements are in the same key. The cantata begins with an instrumental sinfonia. The seven stanzas are treated in seven movements as chorale variations "per omnes versus" (for all stanzas), with the melody always present as a cantus firmus.^[32] All stanzas end on the word Halleluja.^[33]

The symmetrical sequence of the seven stanzas is a feature more often found in Bach's mature compositions: chorus – duet – solo – chorus – solo – duet – chorus.^[8] The musicologist Carol Traupman-Carr notes the variety of treatment of the seven stanzas, while retaining the same key and melody:^[32]

1. Polyphonic chorale fantasia
2. Duet, with "walking bass" in continuo
3. Trio sonata
4. Polyphonic and imitative, woven around chorale melody
5. Homophonic with elaborate continuo line
6. Duet, using trio sonata texture with extensive imitation
7. Four-part chorale setting (Leipzig version)

John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, in 2007

John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000, calls Bach's setting of Luther's hymn "a bold, innovative piece of musical drama", observing that Bach was "drawing on medieval musical roots (the hymn tune derives from the eleventh-century plainsong 'Victimae paschali laudes')", and noting Bach's "total identification with the spirit and letter of Luther's fiery, dramatic hymn".^[2] Bach could follow "Luther’s ideal in which music brings the text to life".

Sinfonia

The cantata begins with an instrumental sinfonia a work in the style of an overture to a contemporary Venetian opera, with chordal passages and occasional polyphony.^[16] It introduces the first line of the melody,^[34] The mood is sombre, recalling the "Death's bonds" of the first line of the hymn: Christ's death on the cross and burial.^[32]

Versus 1

The opening stanza, "Christ lag in Todes Banden" ("Christ lay in death's bonds"^[35] or "Christ lay in the snares of death"^[27]), is treated as a chorale fantasia. Without instrumental opening, the movement starts with the chorale tune sung by the soprano in very long notes, with all other parts entering soon after the soprano begins each choral statement.^[32] The alto line is derived from the chorale tune, while the viola parts principally reinforce the alto and tenor voices. The violin parts are independent and, as Traupman-Carr notes "further activate the texture with a virtually continuous exchange of sixteenth-note snippets".^[32] The figure in the violins known as suspiratio (sigh) reflects "Christ’s suffering in the grip of death".^[36]

The final Halleluja is faster, giving up the fantasia format for a four-part fugue and in motet style, with all instruments doubling the voices.^[32][37] The style of the movement recalls the 16th-century stile antico, although the style is still unmistakably Bach's.^[22]

Versus 2

The second stanza, Aria Duetto, is a duet of soprano and alto, "Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt" (No one could defeat death),^[35] over an ostinato continuo.^[37] It deals with "humanity helpless and paralysed as it awaits God’s judgement against sin". Bach has the music almost freeze on the first words "den Tod" (death), and the word "gefangen" (imprisoned) is marked by a sharp dissonance of the soprano and alto.^[38] In the Halleluja, the voices imitate each other on long notes in fast succession, creating a sequence of suspensions.^[32]

Versus 3

The third stanza, "Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn" (Jesus Christ, God's Son),^[35] is a trio of the tenor, two obbligato violins and continuo. The tenor sings the chorale melody almost unchanged.^[37] The violins illustrate first how Christ slashes at the enemy. The music stops completely on the word "nichts" (nothing). The violins then present in four notes the outline of the cross, and finally the tenor sings a joyful "Halleluja" to a virtuoso violin accompaniment.^[38]

Versus 4

"Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg, da Tod und Leben rungen" (It was a strange battle, that death and life waged),^[35] is the center of the symmetrical structure. It is sung by the four voices, accompanied only by the continuo. The alto sings the cantus firmus, transposed by a fifth to B-Dorian,^[37] while the other voices follow each other in a fugal stretto with entries just a beat apart until they fall away one by one. In the final Halleluja in all four voices, the bass descends nearly two octaves.^[39]

Versus 5

Stanza five, "Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm" (Here is the true Easter-lamb),^[35] is sung by the bass alone, accompanied at first by a descending chromatic line in the continuo which has been compared to the Crucifixus of the Mass in B minor, but changing to "a dance-like passage of continuous eighth notes" when the voice enters.^[32] For every line of the stanza, the bass sings a chorale tune, then repeats the words in counterpoint to the part of the tune repeated in the strings, sometimes transposed.^[37] Taruskin describes this: "With its antiphonal exchanges between the singer and the massed strings ... this setting sounds like a parody of a passacaglia-style Venetian opera aria, vintage 1640".^[22] The bass sings the final victorious Hallelujas, spanning two octaves.^[39]

Versus 6

"So feiern wir das hohe Fest" (So we celebrate the high festival),^[35] is a duet for soprano and tenor accompanied only by the ostinato continuo.^[37] The chorale is shared by the voices, with the soprano singing it in E minor, the tenor in B minor.^[32] The movement is a dance of joy: the word "Wonne" (joy) is rendered in figuration that Gardiner finds reminiscent of Purcell.^[39] Bach incorporates the solemn rhythms of the French overture into this verse, reflecting the presence of the word feiern (celebrate) in the text. It may be the first time that Bach used these rhythms.^[22]

Versus 7

Tune of stanza 7

Bach's original setting of the final stanza, "Wir essen und leben wohl" (We eat and live well),^[35] is lost; it may have been a repeat of the opening chorus.^[1][22][37] In Leipzig, he supplied a simple four-part setting.^[39]

Publication

The original autograph parts are kept in the Bach-Archiv Leipzig. They were copied from the lost autograph score by six scribes, four of them known by name, including the composer.^[28]

A manuscript score by Franz Hauser, dating from c. 1820–1839, is held by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz. It bears a comment on page 178: "Nach den auf der Thomasschule befindlichen / Original / : Autograph: / Stimmen in Partitur gebracht. / Lp. d 16. Oct. 33. / fHauser" (After the original autograph parts in the Thomasschule, rendered in a score, Leipzig, 16 October 1833).^[40]

The cantata was published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1851 under the auspices of the Bach-Gesellschaft, which was responsible for the first edition of Bach's complete works. The cantata was edited by Moritz Hauptmann, one of the founders of the Gesellschaft, and was included in volume I of the complete works.^[41]

In the 1980s the cantata was published in the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second complete edition of Bach's works. In this historical-critical edition, Dürr presented the cantata in both the early version^[1] and the Leipzig version, both published in 1985, with a critical report following in 1986.^[24]

Orchestral transcription

There is a 1930s arrangement for orchestra by Leopold Stokowski of Movement 4 of the cantata, "Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn". This version is one of several Bach works that Stokowski transcribed for symphony orchestra. His orchestrations are notable for their bold use of instrumental colour and his version of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, used in the film Fantasia is particularly well known. He appears to have made a second Christ lag in Todesbanden arrangement from one of the chorale preludes.^[42] Stokowski's own recording of the cantata excerpt has been followed by recordings from José Serebrier and Matthias Bamert, both of whom studied with him.

Recordings

Christ lag in Todes Banden was recorded early, and has been recorded often; as of 2016, the Bach-Cantatas website lists 77 different complete recordings, the earliest dating from 1931.^[43] Before the Second World War, when there were few Bach cantatas on disc, it was recorded twice under the direction of Nadia Boulanger, a 1937 version recorded in Paris and a 1938 version recorded in Boston.^[43]

There are several recordings from the decades immediately after the war. Robert Shaw recorded the cantata in 1946 and again in 1959. Günther Ramin conducted the Thomanerchor in 1950, the anniversary of Bach's death. The same year, Fritz Lehmann conducted the choir of the Musikhochschule Frankfurt with soloists Helmut Krebs and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Karl Richter and his Münchener Bach-Chor first recorded it in 1958.^[43]

Nikolaus Harnoncourt recorded Christ lag in Todes Banden in 1971 in a historically informed performance with original instruments and male singers (the upper two parts are sung by boys and the countertenor Paul Esswood). This was at the start of the first project to record all Bach's sacred cantatas, "J. S. Bach – Das Kantatenwerk" on Teldec.^[43] Christ lag in Todes Banden has since been included in the other "complete sets", conducted by Rilling, Gardiner, Koopman, Leusink, and Suzuki (details of these recordings are given in the table below).^[43]

The entries in the following sortable table are taken from the listings by Aryeh Oron on the Bach-Cantatas website.^[43] Some recordings rely on choir without (or with few) solo voices. Choirs are roughly marked as large by red background to one voice per part (OVPP) by green background, orchestras from large (red) to period instruments in historically informed performances (green).^[43]

Recordings of Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4

Title	Conductor / Choir / Orchestra	Soloists	Label	Year	Choir type	Orch. type
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 1	Thomas, KurtKurt Thomas Thomanerchor Gewandhausorchester	Agnes Giebel Marga Höffgen Hans-Joachim Rotzsch Theo Adam	Teldec	1959	Boys
Les Grandes Cantates de J. S. Bach Vol. 8	Werner, FritzFritz Werner Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra	Claudia Hellmann Helmut Krebs Jakob Stämpfli	Erato Records	1961		Chamber
Bach Cantatas Vol. 2 – Easter	Richter, KarlKarl Richter Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Bach-Orchester	Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau	Archiv Produktion	1968	Bach	Bach
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 1	Harnoncourt, NikolausNikolaus Harnoncourt Wiener Sängerknaben Chorus Viennensis Concentus Musicus Wien	Soloist of the Wiener Sängerknaben Paul Esswood Kurt Equiluz Max van Egmond	Teldec	1971	Boys	Period
J. S. Bach: Cantatas	Gardiner, John EliotJohn Eliot Gardiner Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists	Stephen Varcoe	Erato	1980		Period
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 13	Rilling, HelmuthHelmuth Rilling Gächinger Kantorei Bach-Collegium Stuttgart	Edith Wiens Carolyn Watkinson Peter Schreier Wolfgang Schöne	Hänssler	1980		Bach
J. S. Bach: Oster-Oratorium	Parrott, AndrewAndrew Parrott Taverner Consort Taverner Players	Emily Van Evera Caroline Trevor Charles Daniels David Thomas	Virgin Classics	1993	OVPP-RP	Period
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 1	Koopman, TonTon Koopman Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir	Barbara Schlick Kai Wessel Guy de Mey Klaus Mertens	Antoine Marchand	1994		Period
J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 1	Suzuki, MasaakiMasaaki Suzuki Bach Collegium Japan	Yumiko Kurisu Akira Tachikawa Koki Katano Peter Kooy	BIS	1995		Period
J. S. Bach: Christ lag in Todesbanden; Lobet den Herrn; Himmelskönig sei willkommen	Pierlot, Philippe Philippe Pierlot Choeur de Chambre de Namur Ricercar Consort	Greta De Reyghere Steve Dugardin Ian Honeyman Max van Egmond	Ricercar	1995	Chamber	Period
Bach Edition Vol. 20 – Cantatas Vol. 11	Leusink, Pieter JanPieter Jan Leusink Holland Boys Choir Netherlands Bach Collegium	Ruth Holton Sytse Buwalda Nico van der Meel Bas Ramselaar	Brilliant Classics	2000	Boys	Period
J. S. Bach: Actus Tragicus – Cantatas BWV 4, 12, 106 & 196	Junghänel, KonradKonrad Junghänel Cantus Cölln	Johanna Koslowsky Elisabeth Popien Gerd Türk Wilfried Jochens Stephan Schreckenberger	Harmonia Mundi France	2000	OVPP	Period
Bach/Webern: Ricercar	Poppen, ChristophChristoph Poppen Hilliard Ensemble Münchener Kammerorchester	Monika Mauch David James Rogers Covey-Crump Gordon Jones	ECM	2001	OVPP	Chamber
Aus der Notenbibliothek von Johann Sebastian Bach, Vol. II	Hengelbrock, Thomas Thomas Hengelbrock Balthasar-Neumann-Chor Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble	Dorothee Mields Hans Jörg Mammel Wolf Matthias Friedrich	Hänssler	2001		Period
J. S. Bach Early Cantatas Volume I	Purcell Quartet	Emma Kirkby Michael Chance Charles Daniels Peter Harvey	Chandos	2004	OVPP	Period
Bach J. S: Cantatas Vol 22	Gardiner, John EliotJohn Eliot Gardiner Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists		Soli Deo Gloria	2000		Period

Recent performances

In 2000 the cantata was performed at Eisenach, in the church where Bach was baptised, as part of the Monteverdi Choir's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage (the live recording was released in 2007). The Monteverdi Choir also performed the cantata in 2013 in the Royal Albert Hall. This performance, which had audience participation, was part of a nine-hour "Bach marathon".^[44]

The cantata was successfully staged by English Touring Opera in 2012.^[45] It was paired with the opera The Emperor of Atlantis and arranged by Iain Farrington for the same instrumental forces as the opera (chamber ensemble including instruments not available to Bach such as saxophone).^[46]

References

1. Bach digital 1707 2014.
2. Gardiner 2007, p. 4.
3. Isoyama 1995, p. 6.
4. Dürr 2006, p. 258.
5. Dürr 2006, p. 387.
6. Wolff 2002, p. 100.
7. Dürr 2006, p. 11.
8. Dürr 2006, p. 12.
9. Wolff 2002, p. 158.
10. Gardiner 131 2007, pp. 12–13.
11. Wolff 2002, p. 99.
12. Wolff 2002, pp. 102–103.
13. Zwang & Zwang 2005.
14. Browne 2005.
15. Braatz & Oron 2011.
16. Dürr 2006, p. 264.
17. Dürr 2006, p. 263.
18. Dürr 2006, p. 266.
19. Towe, Teri Noel. "The Portrait in Erfurt Alleged to Depict Bach, the Weimar Concertmeister". The Face Of Bach. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
20. Jones 2007, p. 5.
21. Geck 2006, .
22. Taruskin 2010, pp. 343–347.
23. Dürr 1985, pp. V–VI.
24. Bach digital 1724 2014.
25. Bach 1730, pp. 120–121.
26. Jones 2007, p. 131.
27. Dürr 2006, p. 262.
28. D-LEb Thomana 4 at Bach digital 2014.
29. Bischof 2015.
30. Bischof 2016.
31. Dürr 1971, p. 581.
32. Traupman-Carr 2002.
33. Dürr 1971, p. 232.
34. Dickey 2015.
35. Dellal 2012.
36. Gardiner 2007, p. 5.
37. Dürr 2006, p. 265.
38. Gardiner 2007, p. 6.
39. Gardiner 2007, p. 7.
40. D-B Mus. ms. Bach P 1159/XI, Fascicle 5 at Bach digital 2014.
41. Heidelberg 2014.
42. Transcriptions 2015.
43. Oron 2015.
44. Hewett 2013.
45. Church 2012.
46. ETO 2013.

Bibliography

General sources

• "Christ lag in Todes Banden (early version) BWV 4; BC A 54a / Chorale cantata (1st Easter Day)". Bach digital website, managed by Bach Archive, SLUB, SBB and Leipzig University. 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
• "Christ lag in Todes Banden (leipzig version) BWV 4; BC A 54a / Chorale cantata (1st Easter Day)". Bach digital website, managed by Bach Archive, SLUB, SBB and Leipzig University. 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
• "D-LEb Thomana 4". Bach digital website, managed by Bach Archive, SLUB, SBB and Leipzig University. 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
• "D-B Mus. ms. Bach P 1159/XI, Fascicle 5". Bach digital website, managed by Bach Archive, SLUB, SBB and Leipzig University. 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2016.

Books

• Bach, Johann Sebastian (23 August 1730). David, Hans T.; Mendel, Arthur; Wolff, Christoph, eds. Kurtzer; iedoch höchstnöthiger Entwurff einer wohlbestallten Kirchen Music; nebst einigem unvorgreiflichen Bedencken von dem Verfall derselben. The Bach Reader: A life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Documents) (in German) (1999 rev. ed.) (New York: W. W. Norton & Company). ISBN 9780393319569.
• Dürr, Alfred (1971). Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach (in German) 1 (4 ed.). Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag. ISBN 3-423-04080-7.
• Dürr, Alfred (1985). Introduction (PDF). Kantaten zum 1. Ostertag, NBA Series I Vol. 9 – Score (in German) (2013 second revised ed.) (Bärenreiter).
• Dürr, Alfred (2006). The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text. Translated by Richard D. P. Jones. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-929776-4.
• Geck, Martin (2006). Johann Sebastian Bach: Life and Work. Translated by John Hargraves. Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-100648-9.
• Jones, Richard D. P. (2007). The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach, Volume I: 1695–1717: Music to Delight the Spirit. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-816440-8.
• Taruskin, Richard (2010). Music in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Oxford History of Western Music 2. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-538482-6.
• Wolff, Christoph (2002). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-393-32256-9.
• Zwang, Philippe; Zwang, Gérard (2005). Guide pratique des cantates de Bach (Second revised and augmented edition.) (in French). L'Harmattan. pp. 43–44. ISBN 9782296426078.

Online sources

• Bischof, Walter F. (2015). "BWV 4 Christ lag in Todes Banden". University of Alberta. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
• Bischof, Walter F. (2016). "BWV 71 Gott ist mein König". University of Alberta. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
• Braatz, Thomas; Oron, Aryeh (2011). "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Christ ist erstanden". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
• Browne, Francis (2005). ""Christ lag in Todesbanden", Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
• Dellal, Pamela (2012). "BWV 4 – Christ lag in Todesbanden". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
• Dickey, Timothy (2015). "Cantata No. 4, "Christ lag in Todes Banden", BWV 4 (BCA 54)". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
• Gardiner, John Eliot (2007). "Cantatas for Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday / Georgenkirche, Eisenach" (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
• Gardiner, John Eliot (2007). "For the First Sunday after Easter" (PDF). Monteverdi Choir. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
• Isoyama, Tadashi (1995). "Christ lag in Todes Banden; Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich" (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
• Oron, Aryeh (2015). "Cantata BWV 4 Christ lag in Todes Banden". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
• Traupman-Carr, Carol (2002). "Cantata BWV 4, Christ lag in Todes Banden". The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
• "English Touring Opera to perform" (Press release). English Touring Opera. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
• "Joh. Seb. Bach's Kirchencantaten ; Bd. 1 / No. 1 - 10". Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
• "Leopold Stokowski Transcriptions, arrangements and original compositions by Leopold Mankowski". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 15 December 2015.

Newspapers

• Church, Michael (2012). "The Emperor of Atlantis/Christ lag in Todesbanden, English Touring Opera, Linbury Studio, London". The Independent. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
• Hewett, Ivan (2013). "Bach Marathon, Albert Hall, Review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 May 2015.

External links

• Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, 22 June 2014 on YouTube
• Grob, Jochen (2014). "BWV 4 / BC A 54a" (in German). Lexikon Geschichte Baden+Württemberg. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
• Mincham, Julian (2010). "Chapter 42 BWV 4 & BWV 42, each commencing with a sinfonia.". jsbachcantatas.com. Retrieved 16 April 2010.