Ich elender Mensch (BWV 48)

A Moment of Bach

Sometimes things are hidden in plain sight. In today's cantata, if you look past the "main" music happening in the voices and string instruments, a hidden gem can be found in the form of a simple melody played on the trumpets and oboes. This tune, though unassuming, actually answers the central question that is at the heart of the cantata text. Bach wrote over 200 cantatas; each one contains hidden treasures like this one. We explore how Bach uses his modern harmony as a tool to express divine beauty, and Alex shares a “wow” moment from a chorale movement within the cantata — one that stretches the limits of dissonance in order to express the text, which speaks of the sadness and pain of a life without Christ's love. Netherlands Bach Society performance of BWV 48 "Ich elender Mensch", directed by Shunske Sato Or, go straight to the chorale moment, here.