• O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht [1. Fassung]

BWV 118.1; BWV 118 / 231‑>; BC B 23a

^GND

Genre

• Motet

Scoring

• S, A, T, B, Lituo I, Lituo II, Cornetto, Trombone I, Trombone II, Trombone III ["Lituo/Lituus" = Horn in B?]

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Date of origin, Work history

• 1736-1737 (1. Fassung)

• Date of composition around 1736–1737. The wind instrumentation suggests a procession or funeral music. The instruments meant by the singular term “due Litui” in Bach’s work are disputed (Discussion see Prinz 2005); they are likely horns, as indicated by a Dresden archive record and sources related to Bach (Schulze 1993; Wollny BJ 2016); compare with Suppl 2, page 672

relation to other works:

is alternate of BWV 118.2 / BC B 23b
is part of BWV diverse [o.Jg.]

Comment

• first version with trombones (no string instruments).
  2 autograph versions. Performance of the second version (with strings) about 1746/1747.

Link to videos:

O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht, BWV 118.1 (Netherlands Bach Society)

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Libretto

• Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht (anonymous, 1608; presumably M. Behm 1610), stanza 1 (and presumably additional stanzas of the traditional death choral)

Link to lyrics

Chorale

Anonym (vermutlich Martin Behm), "Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht", 1608, Strophe 1 in: Zwey schöne, geistliche newe Lieder, S.l., 1608, In D-Au 221/BS 4780 A498.608 Z9

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Original sources

US-PRscheide BWV 118 [Score]

Additional sources

D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 1037 [Score]
D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 461, Faszikel 3 [Score]
D-HAmi Ms. 155 [verschollen] [Score]
Verschollen BWV 118 (1), J. G. Hientzsch [Score]

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Edition

NBA III/1, S. 161 (Konrad Ameln, 1965) – Critical report (1967), S. 181;

BG 24, S.185 (A. Dörffel, 1876)

Literature

• Schulze 1993; Wollny BJ 2016

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persistent ID

BachDigitalWork_work_00000143

Static URL

https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000143

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Last changed

2024-06-12 11:52:49