Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4

Widely regarded as Bach’s earliest known cantata, BWV 4 was composed for Easter Sunday 1707 shortly after his 22nd birthday. Even at this formative age, it incorporates stylistic elements that would endure for Bach’s entire compositional career.

After a sinfonia, the work is laid out as a palindrome‚ a theme present in his final choral work, the B Minor Mass. The text is an exploration of the relationship between life and death, and Christ’s sacrifice and the Paschal feast. Each movement ends with an exuberant “Hallelujah!”, emphasizing the timeless continuity and unity of Old and New Testament symbolism in the narrative.

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