J S Bach Cantata BWV 4

Christ lag in Todes Banden (Cantata No. 4, BWV 4) is one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s earliest surviving sacred cantatas, probably composed around 1707–1708 for Easter Sunday. It is unlike many of his later cantatas because every movement is based on Martin Luther’s Easter hymn Christ lag in Todes Banden (“Christ Lay in Death’s Bonds”), itself derived from an older medieval chant. The work lasts about 20 minutes and unfolds as a profound meditation on Christ’s death and resurrection.

Description of the piece

Musically, this cantata is extraordinary because it traces a journey from darkness to radiant light.

• It opens with a solemn instrumental Sinfonia, full of sighing phrases and descending lines that evoke the stillness of Christ in the tomb.
• Each subsequent movement takes one verse of Luther’s hymn, exploring it in a different musical form—choruses, duets, and solo arias.
• The emotional centre is the fifth movement, “Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg” (“It was a wondrous battle”), where Bach vividly depicts the struggle between Life (Christ) and Death. The voices almost seem to wrestle with one another until Life triumphs.
• From that point the music gradually becomes brighter and more joyful, culminating in a simple but magnificent four-part chorale celebrating Easter victory.

What makes this cantata especially moving is the contrast between its austere, almost medieval musical language and the flashes of youthful brilliance that already reveal the mature Bach. It feels less like a sequence of separate pieces and more like a single unfolding meditation.

If you’re listening to this cantata, I’d especially encourage paying attention to the central chorus, “Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg.” Even without understanding German, you can hear Bach painting the cosmic battle between death and life in sound. By the final chorale, the tension has completely dissolved into serene confidence—a musical journey from Good Friday to Easter morning.

An English translation of the text

1. Opening Chorus

Christ lay in death’s bonds,
Given over for our sins.
He has risen again
And has brought us life.
Therefore let us rejoice,
Praise God and give Him thanks,
And sing: Alleluia!

2. Duet

No one among all humanity
Could conquer death.
Our sin caused it all;
No innocence could be found.
Therefore death came swiftly
And gained power over us,
Holding us captive in its kingdom.
Alleluia!

3. Tenor Aria

Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
Came in our place
And took away our sin.
Thus He robbed death
Of all its rights and power.
Only death’s outward form remains;
Its sting has been taken away.
Alleluia!

4. Chorus

It was a wondrous battle
When Death and Life contended.
Life won the victory
And swallowed up Death.
Scripture has proclaimed
How one death devoured the other,
And Death became a mockery.
Alleluia!

5. Bass Aria

Here is the true Paschal Lamb,
Which God has appointed.
Upon the cross
It was roasted in burning love.
Its blood marks our door,
Faith holds it before death.
The destroyer can no longer harm us.
Alleluia!

6. Duet

Therefore let us celebrate
This great Easter feast
With heartfelt joy.
The Lord Himself is our sun,
Who by the brightness of His grace
Has illumined our hearts.
The night of sin has vanished.
Alleluia!

7. Closing Chorale

We feast and live well
On Christ, the true Easter Bread.
The old leaven of sin
Shall no longer remain.
Christ alone nourishes the soul;
Faith lives on Him alone.
Alleluia!

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Edvard Grieg:  Holberg Suite, Op. 40

Grieg wrote the suite in 1884, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ludvig Holberg, a hugely important Danish-Norwegian writer and playwright.

Holberg was born in Bergen in 1684, the same city where Grieg was born. So there was a strong local and national connection for Grieg.

The interesting thing is that Grieg didn’t try to write music that Holberg himself might actually have heard. Instead, he imagined what a suite of dances from Holberg’s era might sound like, but filtered through the musical language of the nineteenth century.

He originally wrote it for piano, and then made the famous string orchestra version that is most frequently performed today.

The suite is deliberately modelled on the dance suites of the Baroque period, particularly the music of composers such as Bach and Handel.

But Grieg gives these old forms a Norwegian/Romantic personality. You therefore get an intriguing mixture. It’s almost as if Grieg is looking backwards through a nineteenth-century window at the eighteenth century.

The five movements

1. Praeludium – Allegro vivace

The opening is energetic and brilliant. It immediately announces that this is going to be a celebration rather than a solemn historical reconstruction. The rapid running figures give it a sense of perpetual movement. There is tremendous brightness and sparkle, and the music has a distinctly virtuosic quality. Listen for the way Grieg moves between vigorous passages and moments where the music suddenly becomes more lyrical.

2. Sarabande – Andante

Here the mood changes dramatically. The Sarabande was originally a dance, but by Bach’s time it had become slow, dignified and contemplative. Grieg strips the music back and creates something almost intimate. The long melodic lines and rich harmonies are particularly beautiful in the string version. This is one of the places where you can hear the difference between historical form and Romantic expression: the dance form is old, but the emotional language is very much Grieg.

3. Gavotte – Allegretto

This is the charming, courtly movement.A gavotte was a French dance, usually graceful and moderately lively. Grieg captures the elegant, slightly formal character beautifully.

But then comes the Musette, the quieter middle section, with its gently sustained accompaniment. The contrast makes the return of the Gavotte particularly enjoyable. It has an almost theatrical quality—as though you are suddenly watching an eighteenth-century ballroom.

4. Air – Andante religioso

This is perhaps the emotional heart of the suite. Instead of another lively dance, Grieg gives us a slow Air, with an extraordinarily expressive melody. The word religioso is important: there is something almost prayerful about it. The music seems to suspend time. The melody unfolds slowly over a gently moving accompaniment, and the harmonic richness is unmistakably Romantic. This is the movement where Grieg’s personality comes most strongly through the old Baroque framework.

5. Rigaudon – Allegro con brio

The Rigaudon was a lively French dance, and Grieg turns it into a wonderfully exuberant finale. There is a terrific contrast between the robust opening material and the more lyrical solo violin and viola passages in the middle. The solo violin in particular has an almost folk-like, dancing quality. It is tempting to hear Norwegian character here, even though Grieg is ostensibly writing an eighteenth-century French dance. The movement builds to a brilliant conclusion.

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Vivaldi Gloria RV 589

The Gloria is a well-known song that has long been integrated into the Mass of the Catholic Church. Many other Christian churches have adopted versions of it as well and it is a popular song for Christmas, Easter, and other special church services throughout the world.

The Gloria is a beautiful hymn with a long and rich history. Written in Latin, many people are familiar with the opening line, “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” but there is much more to it than that.

The Gloria dates back to a 2nd-century Greek text. It also appeared in the Apostolic Constitution as a “morning prayer” circa 380 AD. A Latin version appeared in the “Bangor Antiphonary” that was thought to have been written in Northern Ireland around 690. It is still significantly different than the text we use today. The text we commonly use now dates back to a Frankish source in the 9th century.

In services, the Gloria may be recited though it is most often set to a melody. It may be a capella, accompanied by an organ, or sung by a full choir. Over the centuries, the melodies have varied just as much as the words themselves. During medieval times, it is believed that over 200 variations existed.

In church liturgy today, the Gloria is sung in a variety of ways and incorporated into a number of congregational masses, including The Galloway Mass. Some churches prefer a style that it is more of a chant which may be sung in response between a leader and the choir or congregation. It is also common for the congregation to repeat only the opening line while the choir sings other portions of the hymn.

The Gloria has been so integrated into religious services that it has inspired and been incorporated into a number of famous composer’s works. One of the best-known is the “Mass in B Minor,” written in 1724 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). This orchestral work is considered one of the greatest songs and is the subject of many studies in musical history.

Another famous work was written by Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741). Quite simply known as “The Vivaldi Gloria,” the best known of the composer’s renditions is “The Gloria RV 589 in D Major,” which was written sometime around 1715.

 

 

Latin	English
Gloria in Excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax	Glory in the highest to God. And on earth peace
hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te. Benedicimus te.	to men of good will. We praise thee. We bless thee.
Adoramus te. Glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi	We worship thee. We glorify Thee. Thanks we give to thee
propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis,	because of great glory thy. Lord God, King of heaven,
Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.	God Father Almighty. Lord Son only begotten, Jesus Christ.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.	Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of Father.
Qui tollis peccata Mundi, miserere nobis.	Who take away sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Qui tollis peccata Mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.	Who take away sins of the world, receive supplication our.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.	Who sits at the right hand of Father, have mercy on us.
Quoniam tu solus sanctus. Tu solus Dominus.	For thou alone holy. Thou alone Lord.
Tu solus altisimus, Jesu Christe.	Thou alone most high, Jesus Christ.
Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.	With Holy Spirit in the glory of God Father. Amen.