Guten Morgen, meine Freunde

Here's a Bach (my fave) Cantata for this Christian holy day.

Cantata No.4, 'Christ Lag In Todesbanden'

Of course we atheists can appreciate a fine work of art, even if it is religious. I often get "You are really spiritual underneath, since you listen to Bach cantatas all the time" Baloney! I like Indian music too, but I'm not a Hindu.

So....enjoy!

This is an early composition. I believe Bach was like in his 20's when he penned it.

It is based on a single hymn (choral). Every moment has the choral melody in there somewhere, in the voices or the orchestra. So it's like a clever "theme & variations" thing. Each verse ends with a "Alleluia". It's interesting to hear how Bach "goes off" on his own with each one of these. You don't get the choral "straight up" until the last verse.

(you can follow the score and sing along with this YouTube version)