Bach: O Ewigkeit, du donnerwort, BWV 60

Description

The cantata Eternity, O awesome word BWV 60, which belongs to Bach's first Leipzig annual cycle and was written for the 24th Sunday after Trinity Sunday, is one of Bach's few dialog cantatas. It deals with the conflict between Dread (contralto) and Hope (tenor) in the face of death, which is already the topic of the expansive opening chorale arrangement . Using a device which was surprisingly dramatic for a Baroque church cantata, the bass joins in as a third vocal part (functioning as Vox Christi) in the penultimate movement – the recitative "Der Tod bleibt doch der menschlichen Natur verhasst" (Dread) – with the Bible quote "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." This also convinces Dread and leads into the concluding chorale "Es ist genug, so nimm Herr meinen Geist."