Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a … Read Full Bio ↴Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He is known for instrumental compositions such as the Brandenburg Concertos and the Goldberg Variations, and vocal music such as the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. Since the 19th-century Bach Revival he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

The Bach family already counted several composers when Johann Sebastian was born as the last child of a city musician in Eisenach. Having become an orphan at age 10, he lived for five years with his eldest brother, after which he continued his musical formation in Lüneburg. From 1703 he was back in Thuringia, working as a musician for Protestant churches in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen and, for longer stretches of time, at courts in Weimar—where he expanded his repertoire for the organ—and Köthen—where he was mostly engaged with chamber music. From 1723 he was employed as Thomaskantor (cantor at St. Thomas) in Leipzig. He composed music for the principal Lutheran churches of the city, and for its university's student ensemble Collegium Musicum. From 1726 he published some of his keyboard and organ music. In Leipzig, as had happened in some of his earlier positions, he had a difficult relation with his employer, a situation that was little remedied when he was granted the title of court composer by the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland in 1736. In the last decades of his life he reworked and extended many of his earlier compositions. He died of complications after eye surgery in 1750.

Bach enriched established German styles through his mastery of counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and his adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach's compositions include hundreds of cantatas, both sacred and secular. He composed Latin church music, Passions, oratorios and motets. He often adopted Lutheran hymns, not only in his larger vocal works, but for instance also in his four-part chorales and his sacred songs. He wrote extensively for organ and for other keyboard instruments. He composed concertos, for instance for violin and for harpsichord, and suites, as chamber music as well as for orchestra. Many of his works employ the genres of canon and fugue.

Throughout the 18th century Bach was primarily valued as an organist, while his keyboard music, such as The Well-Tempered Clavier, was appreciated for its didactic qualities. The 19th century saw the publication of some major Bach biographies, and by the end of that century all of his known music had been printed. Dissemination of scholarship on the composer continued through periodicals and websites exclusively devoted to him, and other publications such as the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (BWV, a numbered catalogue of his works) and new critical editions of his compositions. His music was further popularised through a multitude of arrangements, including for instance the Air on the G String, and of recordings, for instance three different box sets with complete performances of the composer's oeuvre marking the 250th anniversary of his death.

Choral: Herzliebster Jesu was hast du verbrochen
Johann Sebastian Bach Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I and II
Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen,
Daß man ein solch scharf Urteil hat gesprochen?
Was ist die Schuld, in was für Missetaten
Bist du geraten?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Johann Sebastian Bach's song “Choral: Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen” (Beloved Jesus, what have you done wrong) express the deep lament of a believer over the wrongful condemnation and death of Jesus Christ. The first line of the song expresses the surprise and outrage of the believer, who questions why such a harsh judgment was passed on Jesus, who was pure and sinless. The second line of the song asks to know what crime Jesus committed to justify such a condemnation. The believer cannot fathom why Jesus, who was innocent, was punished so severely.

The following lines of the song continue to express the sorrow and suffering of the believer, who grieves the injustice done to Jesus. The climax of the song arrives when the believer realizes that the death of Jesus was not a random act of violence, but was something that he willingly underwent in order to atone for the sins of humanity. The believer then asks Jesus to accept the pain and suffering he endured as an offering, and to save him from eternal death.

Overall, Bach's "Choral: Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen" is a moving tribute to Jesus' sacrifice for humanity. It reminds the listener of the depth of Jesus' love for his followers, and the pain he endured in order to save them from their sins. Its powerful words and Bach's skilled composition have made it a beloved piece of music for centuries.

Line by Line Meaning

Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen
Beloved Jesus, what have you committed that such a harsh judgement has been pronounced?

Daß man ein solch scharf Urteil hat gesprochen?
Why is such a sharp judgement being passed on you?

Was ist die Schuld, in was für Missetaten
What is the guilt, what wrongdoings have you committed

Bist du geraten?
That has caused you to fall into this situation?

Writer(s): Johann Sebastian Bach, Picander

Contributed by Amelia T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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