Bach: Motet ’Fürchte dich nicht’ | RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik, Hans-Christoph Rademann

Music that gives hope on a sad occasion. Johann Sebastian Bach most likely composed the motet ’Fürchte dich nicht’ (Do not Fear), BWV 228, for the funeral of his first wife. The work in the video is performed by the RIAS Kammerchor (Chamber Choir) and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Academy for Early Music Berlin) conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann. The concert took place in 2008 at the Gethsemane Church in Berlin on the 60th anniversary of the RIAS Kammerchor. It is impossible to date the motet by analyzing the watermarks on the manuscript since only copies exist. Traditionally, it is believed that the motet was composed in 1726 Leipzig, but more recent researchers disagree and believe that Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) wrote the work earlier in Köthen, and presumably did so for the funeral of his first wife Maria Barbara Bach on July 7, 1720. Also, the lyrics of the motet suggest that it was composed for a funeral. The core of the motet consists of two verses from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, each of which begins with the words “Fear not ...“ and then continues with different messages, on the one hand with “... I am with you“, on the other hand with “... for I have redeemed you.“ The text thus expresses deep trust in God and the hope of redemption. The motet consists of two sections, each of which is the same length of 77 measures. The first section is in double chorus; in the second part, Bach reduces the movement to four-part harmony and combines a double fugue (in the alto, tenor, and bass lower voices) with the last two stanzas from the hymn “Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen“ (Why should I then grieve) by Paul Gerhardt (in the soprano). A little note for Bach experts: at the end of the motet, as so often in Bach’s works, there is the distinctive B-A-C-H motif. In addition, the number of measures (77) in the two parts of the motet is the encoding of the name BACH. The sum of the individual numbers 77 is 14, which is the sum of the numbers of the alphabetical order (B=2, A=1, C=3, and H=8). Text: Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir; weiche nicht, denn ich bin dein Gott! Ich stärke dich, ich helfe dir auch, ich erhalte dich durch die rechte Hand meiner Gerechtigkeit. (Do not fear, I am with you, do not give way, for I am your God; I strengthen you, I also help you I uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.) Fürchte dich nicht, denn ich habe dich erlöset, ich habe dich bei deinem Namen gerufen, du bist mein! (Do not fear , for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine.) Herr, mein Hirt, Brunn aller Freuden, du bist mein, ich bin dein, niemand kann uns scheiden. Ich bin dein, weil du dein Leben und dein Blut mir zugut in den Tod gegeben. (Lord, my Shepherd, source of all joys! You are mine, I am yours, no one can separate us. I am yours, since by you your life and your blood, for my benefit, have been given in death.) Du bist mein, weil ich dich fasse und dich nicht, o mein Licht, aus dem Herzen lasse. Lass mich, lass mich hingelangen, da du mich und ich dich lieblich werd umfangen. (You are mine, since I seize you and, O my light, never shall I let you leave my heart! Let me, let me come where you by me and I by you shall be embraced in love.) Fürchte dich nicht, du bist mein. (Do not fear, you are mine.) The RIAS Chamber Choir was founded in Berlin in 1948. Shortly after World War II, when the American sector’s radio service ’Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor Berlins’ (RIAS) wanted to found a choir, they could only gather enough singers for a chamber choir. This smaller choir nonetheless made a great impact and had soon risen to national and international importance. Renowned for its precise sound, it is today one of the world’s leading professional choirs. Its repertoire includes historically-informed interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque pieces, new interpretations of works from the Classical and Romantic periods, and regular premieres of works by contemporary composers. A production of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg & EuroArts Music International in cooperation with ARTE © 2008 RBB & EuroArts Watch more concerts in your personal concert hall: and in our Bach playlist: Subscribe to DW Classical Music: #bach #motet #baroquemusic