Christ lag in Todes Banden (Christ lay in death's bonds), also written Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it for Easter, probably in 1707, and it is likely related to his move from Arnstadt to Mühlhausen. The chorale cantata is based on the chorale of the same name by Martin Luther. In this early work Bach used in all seven different vocal movements the unchanged words of the seven stanzas ...
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Christ lag in Todes Banden (Christ lay in death's bonds), also written Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it for Easter, probably in 1707, and it is likely related to his move from Arnstadt to Mühlhausen. The chorale cantata is based on the chorale of the same name by Martin Luther. In this early work Bach used in all seven different vocal movements the unchanged words of the seven stanzas of the chorale and its tune as a cantus firmus.
Bach composed the chorale cantata on Luther's chorale for Easter Sunday early in his career, between 1707 und 1713 based on the style of the composition. He possibly composed it as a part of his application for the post of the organist in Mühlhausen for Easter of 1707. He was then still in his twenties, seven years prior to his sequence of Weimar cantatas, begun in 1714 with Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182, and 15 years before he started a complete annual cycle of chorale cantatas in...
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