Christ lag in Todes Banden (also spelled Todesbanden) ("Christ lay in death's bonds" or "Christ lay in the snares of death"), BWV 4, is a cantata for Easter by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, one of his earliest church cantatas. It is agreed to be an early work partly for stylistic reasons and partly because there is evidence that it was probably written for a performance in 1707. Bach went on to complete many other works in the same genre, contributing complete cantata cycles for all occasions of the liturgical year. John Eliot Gardiner describes it as Bach's "first-known attempt at painting narrative in music".
Librettist | Martin Luther |
Date of composition | 1707 (1707-1708 unsure;) in Leipzig, Germany |
First published | 1851 in Leipzig, Germany |
Dedicated to | Easter Sunday |
Type | Cantata |
Tonality | E Minor |
Catalogue | BWV 4 |
Approx. duration | 20 minutes |
Instruments |
Voice (Soprano)
Voice (Alto) Chorus/Choir Cornetto Trombone Continuo 2x Voice (Tenor) 2x Violin 2x Viola |
Autotranslations beta |
Jean-Sébastien Bach: Christ lag in Todes Banden en mi mineur, BWV 4 ""Christ lay in Death's Bonds"" Johann Sebastian Bach: Christ lag in Todes Banden in mi minore, BWV 4 ""Christ lay in Death's Bonds"" Johann Sebastian Bach: Christ lag in Todes Banden e-moll, BWV 4 ""Christ lay in Death's Bonds"" |