Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben
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.
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.
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben
Johann Sebastian Bach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben
Muss von Christo Zeugnis geben
Ohne Furcht und Heuchelei,
Dass er Gott und Heiland sei.
Muss von Christo Zeugnis geben
Ohne Furcht und Heuchelei,
Dass er Gott und Heiland sei.
The lyrics in Johann Sebastian Bach's song Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben speak to the idea of living a life that bears witness to Christ. The heart, mouth, actions, and existence (or life) of a person must all testify to the belief that he is God and Savior. The lyrics suggest that this witness must be given without fear and without hypocrisy, implying that true belief in Christ should be accompanied by a life that reflects that belief. In this way, the song encourages listeners to not only profess their faith in Christ, but to also live a life that is consistent with that faith.
Line by Line Meaning
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben
My heart, my voice, my actions, and my existence
Muss von Christo Zeugnis geben
must bear witness to Christ's teachings and principles
Ohne Furcht und Heuchelei
Without fear or deceit
Dass er Gott und Heiland sei
That He is the Almighty and the Savior
Contributed by Jonathan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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@bach
0:08 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Chor)
4:16 Gebenedeiter Mund! (Rezitativ)
6:12 Schäme dich, o Seele, nicht (Arie)
9:54 Verstockung kann Gewaltige verblenden (Rezitativ)
11:31 Bereite dir, Jesu (Arie)
16:09 Wohl mir, daß ich Jesum habe (Choral)
18:51 Hilf, Jesu, hilf (Arie)
22:10 Der höchsten Allmacht Wunderhand (Rezitativ)
24:17 Ich will von Jesu Wundern singen (Arie)
27:13 Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Choral)
@carlogiovanardi475
e’ commovente vedere come decine di donne ed uomini si raccolgano attorno ad un organo
per testimoniare la loro dedizione ad un’Arte suprema
fonte di gioia per loro stessi
e per l’umanità tutta....
ad essi va tutta la nostra riconoscenza in questi tempi oscurantisti....
Viva la Musica e le Arti tutte
AD MAIORA
carlo giovanardi
avvcarlogiovanardi@gmail.com
Bologna ITALY
@bach
0:08 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Chor)
4:16 Gebenedeiter Mund! (Rezitativ)
6:12 Schäme dich, o Seele, nicht (Arie)
9:54 Verstockung kann Gewaltige verblenden (Rezitativ)
11:31 Bereite dir, Jesu (Arie)
16:09 Wohl mir, daß ich Jesum habe (Choral)
18:51 Hilf, Jesu, hilf (Arie)
22:10 Der höchsten Allmacht Wunderhand (Rezitativ)
24:17 Ich will von Jesu Wundern singen (Arie)
27:13 Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Choral)
@HarpsichordVinylGallery
If you put the time table with labels (titles) in the description (not in de comment section) and start with 00:00 instead of 0:08 all the pieces will appear in the progressing red bar.
The least you can do if you do not understand this is to pin this comment so it will appear as the first comment.
You're welcome.
@caputogiulio
Please create sections directly on the video, not in the comments! This would help so much in choosing the tempo or the section of the composition. Thank you!🙏🏻
@displaychicken
Can you pin this comment?
@egosumnavaridas5550
Desde Madrid, muchas gracias por esta gran labor divulgativa. Buen trabajo y enhorabuena.
@robinkindersley6497
Hi Ms Mac N
@rosmarinaus
my 8 year old daughter wanted me to comment that she thinks this is beautiful music. I agree.
@chad9015
You're raising her right, good job haha
@RodrigoFernandez-td9uk
My 8 year old daughter thinks classical music is boring. And for her, "classical music" includes The Rolling Stones.
@massimocampostrini8718
The best way for a child to appreciate classical music is to play or sing it.