Come on, sweet death (Bach)
Come on, sweet death is a sacred song for solo voice and figured bass by Johann Sebastian Bach . The underlying five-stanza text was composed by an unknown author around 1724. Bach composed the song ( BWV 478) for Georg Christian Schemelli's musical chant book , published in Leipzig in 1736 . There it is number 868, in the New Bach Edition (NBA) number 59.
Character and reception
The longing for death and heaven formulated in the text gives Bach's melism-rich melody gestural - a double descending melody beginning; Sext jump to "lead me" - and harmoniously intense expression. Due to this expressiveness and the simplicity of the musical means, the song has long been one of Bach's best-known works and was also included in popular house music collections.
Bach's melody inspired other composers to adapt it, such as Max Reger on a chorale prelude for organ. Leopold Stokowski created an arrangement for large orchestra, Virgil Fox one for romantic organ ; The arrangement for cello and piano by Alexander Ilyich Siloti has also become known through the interpretation of Pablo Casals . Knut Nystedt dumps his editing Immortal Bach (Immortal Bach) from 1988, the two opening lines first four-part a cappella contend, then sing five four-part choirs these lines simultaneously in different stretched pace.
text
1.
Come, sweet death, come, blissful rest!
Come, guide me in peace,
because I'm tired of the world,
oh come, I'm waiting for you,
come soon and guide me,
close my eyes.
Come on, blissful rest!
2.
Come, sweet death, come, blissful rest!
It's better in heaven,
because everyone's desire is much greater,
so I'm always
ready for the valet,
I close my eyes.
Come on, blissful rest!
3.
Come, sweet death, come, blissful rest!
O world, you torture chamber,
ah! stay with your misery
in this world of mourning,
heaven please me,
death brings me up.
Come on, blissful rest!
4.
Come, sweet death, come, blissful rest!
Oh, that I would already be
there with the angel armies,
from this black world
into the blue stars,
towards the sky.
O blessed rest!
5.
Come, sweet death, come, blissful rest!
I now want to see Jesus
and stand with the angels.
It is now done,
so, world, good night,
my eyes are already closed.
Come on, blissful rest!
Today's sheet music editions and performances usually use stanzas 1, 2, and 5.
literature
- Johann Nikolaus Forkel : Johann Sebastian Bach. Verlag Lothar Borowsky, Munich, undated (text by CF Peters, Bureau de Musique, Leipzig, 1855)
- Bach / Schemelli: Sacred songs and arias. Edition Peters, Leipzig, undated , ISMN 979-0-014-03023-0 (search in DNB portal)
- JS Bach: The chants to Schemelli's musical hymn book BWV 439–507. Bärenreiter, Leipzig, ISMN 979-0-006-43470-1 (search in the DNB portal)
- Johann Sebastian Bach - Come sweet death - BWV 478. Score, Annie Bank BV
Discography
- cpo: Schemelli-Gesangbuch - 57 Sacred Songs, BWV 439-507 (double CD), November 9, 2006
Web links
- Digitized version of the first print of Come, sweet death
- Come on sweet death : sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
Individual evidence
- ^ Max Seiffert , foreword to the edition of the Bach songs in Schemelli's hymn book, Bärenreiter edition 888, 1968
- ^ Johann Nikolaus Forkel : Johann Sebastian Bach, 144
- ↑ z. B. Max Friedlaender (ed.): Deutscher Liederschatz , Leipzig (Peters), undated, p. 116
- ↑ 1893/94, without opus number, supplement to the Monthly Musical Record, Leipzig 1894, see Max Reger Institute, Karlsruhe: Max Reger Werke, Instrumentalmusik ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link became automatic used and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
