Text
Church hymn by Johann Franck (1618–1677);
Romans 8

First performance
Funeral of Johanna Maria Kees,
on 18 July 1723

To this day, the exact occasion for the composition of Bach’s five-voice motet BWV 227 remains unknown. Nonetheless, a connection to the funeral in July 1723 of Johanna Maria Kees, a patrician citizen of Leipzig, has frequently been suggested; indeed, due to the nature of the text, in particular the verses of the chorale hymn “Jesu, meine Freude”, published by Johann Franck in 1653, it is undisputed that the occasion was a funeral. The composition alternates verses from the hymn with passages from the Epistle to the Romans, a traditional approach that is not atypical of the motets in the Altbachisches Archiv of Bach’s predecessors. The way in which the two narrative strands are integrated, however, should be seen as an innovation: rather than employing the hymn as a second melodic element to complement the Bible text or setting it as a closing movement, Bach instead continually alternates the prose passages with contrasting chorale verses, treating the hymn akin to a song partita with free insertions. This not only creates the framework for a large, highly engaging composition but also allows for the dialogue between musical sermon and interpretive reflection, which, at least from a distance, calls to mind the power of Bach’s Passion compositions.

The six chorale verse settings are highly varied in character. In the outer movements of the work – “Jesu, meine Freude” (Jesus, my true pleasure) and “Weicht, ihr Trauergeister” (Yield, ye mournful spirits) – the two soprano parts are written in unison; with their four-part writing and serene phrasing, they come across as familiar cantional settings with a binding character. By contrast, in movements three and seven – the chorale settings “Unter deinem Schirmen” (Under thy protection, in five parts) and “Weg mit allen Schätzen” (Off with other treasures, in four parts) – the accompanying voices are so accelerated and florid that a precise reading of the textual affect and the impact of words such as “kracht und blitzt” (cracks and flashes), “Hölle” (hell), and “leiden” (suffering) becomes possible.

The other two hymn verse settings “Trotz dem alten Drachen” (‘Spite the ancient serpent) and “Gute Nacht, o Wesen” (Now good night, O creature) are remarkable for their imagery. With dramatic pauses, strident unison passages and brooding coloraturas on the words “Tobe, Welt” (tremble, world), the former opens as combative music of defiance, then adopts a gesture of “sicherer Ruhe” (sure repose) in a singing confession of faith ere the final section (“Gottes Macht hält mich in Acht” – God’s great might holds me in awe) gives expression to a newly won sense of security. More reserved, by contrast, is the chorale arrangement of “Gute Nacht” (movement nine). Set for two soprano voices, alto and tenor, the music – with no bass – is freed of all earthbound life and combines an alto melody, tenor bassett, and soprano sighing figures to create an elegiac mood most fitting for a funeral.

In the five free settings of the Epistle to the Romans, the symmetric structure of the overall work is realised in a distinctive fashion. The two closely related movements of “Es ist nun nichts Verdammliches” (There is now nought of condemnation, movement two) and “So nun der Geist” (If now that spirit, movement ten) evokes a gestural-instructive spirit; through their alternating block chordal and imitative passages, the settings are akin to miniature motets complete within themselves. Two terzets, one for high voices (SSA, movement four) and one for low voices (ATB, movement eight) provide for moments of contemplative reflection; in the second, the pastoral 12 ⁄8 metre of “So aber Christus in euch ist” (If, though, now Christ doth dwell in you) gives way to joyous movement on the words “Der Geist aber ist das Leben” (the Spirit still yet is living). For the centrepiece of the motet, Bach composed an extended fugue that emphasises the spirituality of Christ’s faithful followers and, in the pressing adagio closing section, brusquely distinguishes the believer from the non-believer. As such, St Paul’s dual message of comfort and confession of faith is manifested both in the alternating narratives of the motet’s libretto and in the design of its key movement, thus transforming the hopes and promises of the unknown dedicatee during his or her lifetime into an open invitation for all choristers and listeners.