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.
Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring
Johann Sebastian Bach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holy wisdom, love most bright
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned
With the fire of life impassioned
Striving still to truth unknown
Holy wisdom, love most bright
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned
With the fire of life impassioned
Striving still to truth unknown
Soaring, dying round Thy throne
The lyrics of Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, are a celebration of Jesus Christ as the source of joy, wisdom, and light for humanity. The song speaks to the longing of the human soul to connect with the divine, and the role that Jesus plays in fulfilling that desire. The opening line, "Jesus, joy of man's desiring," sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the word "joy" being used to describe the deep longing of the human soul to connect with God.
The second line, "Holy wisdom, love most bright," further emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus and his role as a source of wisdom and love. The third and fourth lines, "Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring, soar to uncreated light," speak to the idea of Jesus as a guiding force, drawing the human soul towards the divine and allowing it to soar to new heights.
Line by Line Meaning
Jesus, joy of man's desiring
The greatness and joy that humans desire comes from the divine source of Jesus Christ.
Holy wisdom, love most bright
The wisdom and love of Jesus Christ is divine and illuminating.
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Our souls are pulled by the divine nature of Jesus Christ towards something greater.
Soar to uncreated light
Our souls rise beyond mortal limits towards the eternal and uncreated light that is Jesus Christ.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned
Jesus Christ, as the Word of God, fashioned our human form and nature.
With the fire of life impassioned
Jesus Christ was imbued with the divine essence of life, which burned with unlimited passion.
Striving still to truth unknown
Humans strive continually to explore and understand the mystery and truth of Jesus Christ.
Soaring, dying round Thy throne
Our continual spiritual ascension towards the divine throne of Jesus Christ, even in the face of our own mortality.
Contributed by Isabella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Melody_Hunter
For those interested, here is what I consider to be the best version of "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" ever recorded:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgV3x7aNH7c
@rezakarampour6286
Look it up , ' How the Jews Mock Jesus Christ '
@millsyamoah4888
11111111111
@jayjay-bz3rr
0:43. Is that Leopold ?
@hyperspace-tw1qw
"I play the notes as they are written, but it is God who makes the music." -Bach
@black-rf7xo
amen
@lennon992
Humble Mr. Bach
@AW_597
Amen!
@malvinolimit
Amen😇!!!
@olgashchepotkina317
Wow, Bach is right