A Bach Listening Journal (2/N): BWV 8-70

(Translated from the Chinese version with the help of ChatGPT.)

Following up on the previous post, this time we begin with the first category of Bach’s works: sacred cantatas (YouTube Music playlist).

I will go through Bach’s masterpieces roughly in BWV order. A disclaimer first: this is simply a hobbyist’s personal sharing, written in the spirit of “sharing joy makes it greater.” There are certainly subjective opinions and places where my understanding may not be academically rigorous.

My starting point is actually quite simple: the music has to be beautiful. After all, only when a piece captures your ears and heart do you become interested in learning about its historical background, theological meanings, and other layers of interpretation.

I will try to include comments on every piece, and for the ones that particularly stand out, I will embed a player directly in the post. The playlist may continue to evolve, so there may be minor differences between the playlist and this article.

BWV 8 Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?

(Dearest God, when will I die?)

An ancient Chinese saying goes: “Life and death are matters of the greatest importance.” Let us see how Bach approaches this eternal question.

First Movement: Chorus

The orchestration is incredibly distinctive: the recorder keeps repeating its high notes, while the strings continue their pizzicato, almost as if time itself is constantly moving forward.

The oboe melody feels restless and troubled, while the chorus anxiously asks: “When will I die?”

The certainty of death and the uncertainty of when it will come are intertwined throughout the movement.

Fourth Movement: Bass Aria

The darkness suddenly lifts. It is hard to imagine how a piece about death can become so joyful!

The virtuosic flute writing leaves a deep impression, while the text says: “Foolish worries, depart!”

By this point, faith in Jesus has overcome the fear of death.

Sixth Movement: Chorale

The final chorale uses a Lutheran hymn melody that would have been familiar to worshippers at the time.

The text is a prayer asking God to govern life and death and lead the believer into eternity.

And so the piece comes to an end.

But wait! The GOAT Bach left us a hidden Easter egg: the final chorale melody is also hidden inside the first movement!

Listen carefully to the soprano line in the opening chorus. Try to block out the other voices and the accompaniment, and suddenly you realize: it has been there all along!

It is astonishing how Bach could take such a simple melody, add other voices, accompaniment, rhythmic transformations, and countless layers of complexity, until it becomes almost impossible to recognize — yet still remains completely beautiful.

BWV 10/2

This cantata tells the story of the Virgin Mary, after conceiving Jesus, visiting her relative Elizabeth (who was pregnant with John the Baptist).

The second movement, a soprano aria, is joyful and full of lively movement.

I have also included a synthesizer version created by OrzoMondo in the playlist.

This creator is truly amazing. He has produced countless Bach arrangements using synthesizers, often combined with visualizations (though this particular one does not have one). His work completely opened my eyes to another way of experiencing Bach.

I will definitely return to his interpretations several more times in the future.

BWV 11/1

The Ascension Oratorio, one of Bach’s three major oratorios (the other two being BWV 248, the Christmas Oratorio, and BWV 249, the Easter Oratorio).

The opening chorus immediately brings out the atmosphere of a grand festival celebration, with trumpets and timpani joining the orchestra.

The fourth movement was later adapted by Bach in his later years for the Mass in B Minor.

BWV 18/1

The first movement is highly distinctive. Instead of dramatic explosions of emotion, the music flows slowly and steadily.

Many listeners believe that the continuous descending figures depict falling rain or drifting snow, matching the day’s sermon theme from Isaiah 55:10–11:

“Rain and snow come down from heaven… so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty.”

BWV 30/5

A long instrumental introduction leads into a beautiful alto aria.

BWV 54/1

This cantata focuses on resisting sin (Widerstehe doch der Sünde).

The opening dissonant harmonies are quite surprising. Under this video, one of the top comments humorously says:

After listening to this piece I feel like I have no choice but to try hard to wiederstehen meiner Sünde.

Actually, the first version of this piece I encountered was the piano arrangement performed by pianist Víkingur Ólafsson.

The piano version has a very unique charm. I often wonder: if Bach could hear the modern piano, what would he think? What kind of piano music might he have written?

BWV 66 Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen

(Rejoice, You Hearts)

This cantata was composed for Easter Monday.

First Movement: Chorus

The first movement follows an A-B-A structure. The middle section becomes darker and more sorrowful, while the opening and closing sections are magnificent and celebratory.

The orchestra and chorus take turns entering, with each section building upon the previous one. The festive atmosphere is overwhelming.

Fifth Movement: Tenor–Alto Duet

The violin melody is simply breathtaking.

The duet represents hope overcoming the fear of death.

BWV 70/1

The opening chorus begins with a sense of urgency. The trumpets here are not celebrating a festival — instead, they create tension and a feeling of warning.

The entire movement builds a dramatic atmosphere, calling upon believers:

Wachet! Betet!
(Stay awake! Pray!)