Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe (BWV 156): soprano/tenor duet

"All's well that ends well." It's an old adage, perhaps best known as the title of a Shakespeare comedy... but for Bach, and in the context of his church life, "all's well that ends well" took on a much more serious meaning.  In this cantata, his librettist, Picander, used the phrase to mean that a life well-lived in the service of the Lord will find its end in the peace of earthly death.

The title of the cantata means, literally, "I stand with one foot in the grave." But there is no winking irony nor intentional macabre-ness to the presentation of this work; instead, it's an expression of faith and preparedness -- the sentiment that "I have put my house in order; only let my end be a blissful one!"

Cantata "Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe" (BWV 156) performed by the Netherlands Bach Society, conducted by Lars Ulrik Mortensen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drFcH_WwK7Y

The Netherlands Bach Society's "All of Bach" project:

http://allofbach.com/en/