Second Sunday of Easter (Quasimodo Geniti)
BWV 67 and BWV 42
Bach’s two cantatas written for this Sunday are based on our readings for the week:
1 John 5:4-10
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.
John 20:19-31
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
BWV 67 - Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ (Keep Jesus Christ in mind)
Our first cantata this week was first performed on April 16, 1724 in Leipzig. Bach used text from an unknown librettist, and the cantata is built around Nikolaus Herman’s Easter hymn Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag. The work contains seven movements, the center (4th) being Herman’s hymn set as a chorale. Timewise, it is a relatively short cantata.
Movement 1
Keep in memory Jesus Christ, who has risen from the dead.
The first words sung by the choir come directly from Holy Scripture, though not from our appointed readings. This is 2 Timothy 2:8. The chorus is relatively short, for an opening movement.
Movement 2
My Jesus has arisen,
so what still frightens me?
My faith knows that my Savior is victorious,
yet still my heart feels strife and battle.
My salvation, appear then!
A nice little movement with classic Bach writing and things for us to discover. Melvin Unger notes that the phrases that include “what still frightens me?” are awkward, broken with rests to depict apprehension and uncertainty.
Bach writes ascending lines for Christ’s rising:
Note how the text of the movement contains a prayer for Jesus to appear. This can be taken two ways. The first one relates to John’s Gospel and Thomas’ unwillingness to believe until he sees Jesus. The second one is for us as we await Jesus’ return.
Movement 3
My Jesus, you are called death's poison and a plague for hell: Alas, that I should still meet with danger and fear! You yourself put on our tongues a song of praise, which we sang:
Movements 3-5 join together and also form the center of the cantata, keeping with Luther’s chiastic approach. Movement 3, sung by the voice of the believer (the alto), largely serves to introduce the fourth movement, the chorale:
Movement 4
The glorious day has appeared when nobody can rejoice sufficiently: Christ, our Lord, today is triumphant, all his enemies he leads captive. Alleluia!
This would have been a familiar hymn to the German congregation in Bach’s day. Several Easter hymns were written using its melody, and here it forms the center of Bach’s cantata. It is a lovely setting of the hymn, complete with a Picardy Third cadence.
Movement 5
Yet it almost seems
that the enemies who remain,
whom I find too powerful and only too frightening,
do not let me stay in peace.
But since you have won a victory for me then fight yourself by my side, by me your child. Yes indeed, already we feel in faith that you, O Prince of peace will fulfill in us your word and work.
The alto bookends the hymn with this poetry. The closing line echoes Philippians 1:6:
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Movement 6
Bass:
Peace be with you!
Soprano, Alto, Tenor:
How fortunate we are! Jesus helps us to fightand to subdue the rage of the enemy, Hell, Satan, give in!
Bass:
Peace be with you!
Soprano, Alto, Tenor: Jesus calls us to peace and in our weariness revives spirit and body together.
Bass:
Peace be with you!
Soprano, Alto, Tenor: Oh Lord, help us and let us succeed in pressing on through death into your glorious kingdom.
Bass: Peace be with you!
A dramatic and unique movement. It begins with dynamic lines in the orchestra, which breaks only at the entrance of the Vox Christi - the bass soloist serving in this moment as the Voice of Christ. He declares “Peace”, and the music changes completely into a pastoral mood. The word also extends for several measures, highlighting its imporance. The other three soloists respond. Remember that Jesus here is singing the words as they are found for us in John’s Gospel. Jesus also gets the last word.
You’ll note that Jesus sings “Peace be with you!” four times in this movement, where it is found only three times in John Chapter 20. There is a fourth instance found in Scritpture where Jesus renders this blessing to the disciples. It is in another Gospel account of Jesus after his resurrection: Luke 24:36.
Movement 7
You prince of peace, Lord Jesus Christ,
true man and true God,
you are a strong helper in distress,
in life and in death.
Therefore we only cry in your name to your Father.
The closing chorale is straightforward, with the trumpet joining on the unadorned melody.
BWV 42 - Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats (On the evening, however, of the same Sabbath)
Just as in BWV 67, from a year prior, an unknown librettist supplies the text and it is structured into seven movements.
Curiously, both cantatas for this Sunday use only sharp keys. We will see how far this trend continues through Eastertide.
Movement 1
An extended sinfonia to open the cantata is somewhat surprising for Bach. It lasts for over 6 minutes and is the only cantata of Bach’s second cycle to contain an opening sinfonia.
Movement 2
On the evening of the same Sabbath
as the disciples were gathered together
and the doors were locked
for fear of the Jews
Jesus came and stood in the midst of them.
This is John 20:19. The tenor delivers this line in the same style as the Evangelist does in both the Saint Matthew and Saint John Passion oratorios. Bach cleverly writes the “chord of dread”, a diminished 7th chord, over the word “fear.”
Movement 3
Where two or three are gathered together in Jesus' beloved name, then Jesus appears in the midst of them and says to them Amen. For what happens from law and necessity does not break the arrangements of the most high God.
At nearly 10 minutes in length, this is one of Bach’s very longest arias. Unger notes, and I think deservingly so, that the librettist chooses not to use “Peace be with you” as we saw in the previous cantata. Instead, he reminds us of Jesus’ promise in Matthew 18:20.
Movement 4
Do not lose heart, oh my dear little flock,
even if your enemies intend to destroy you completely and seek your downfall, so that you're really distressed and fearful: this will not last long.
Just as with BWV 67, this is the central movement of the cantata’s chiastic form.
Movement 5
An excellent example of this can be seen in what happened in Jerusalem; for when the disciples had gathered together in dark shadows for fear of those Jews, then my savior came into the midst of them, As witness that he will be the protection of his church. Therefore let the enemies rage.
The bass soloist’s short recitative is a commentary on John 20 as it prepares his aria in Movement 6.
Movement 6
Jesus is a shield for his people when persecution strikes them. For them the sun must shine with the words written in gold: Jesus is a shield for his people when persecution strikes them.
Psalm 3 and Psalm 28 describe the Lord as a shield. Although the active violin orchestration is a suggestion of the battles described throughout the cantata, it is set in a major key and with less angst than you might expect for themes of persecution. The joy and celebration of Jesus’ victory are still present.
Movement 7
Graciously grant us peace Lord God, in our time; there is no one else who could fight for us except you, our God, alone.
Grant to our princes and those in authority
peace and good government so that we under them may lead a calm and peaceful life in all godliness and respectability.
These are the final two stanzas to Luther’s hymn Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort. We are familiar with this tune as “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word.” Indeed, you can hear this in the opening lines of the chorale. Notably, these stanzas don’t sound like part of that hymn; we know them as part of something else.
As it turns out, these two stanzas, themselves part of Luther’s Da pacem Domine (Give Peace, Lord), were placed into hymnals alongside Erhalt uns, Herr during Bach’s lifetime. The sixth stanza (first here) is familiar from Mendelssohn’s “Grant Peace, We Pray” and the seventh stanza is paraphrased after 1 Timothy 2:2.
In both cantatas, the text continually calls for Jesus to be present, and in doing so, give us his peace. These stanzas from Luther wonderfully encapsulate that theme.