Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 61) chorale: ”Amen, amen!”

A 45-second masterpiece: the ecstatic joy bursts forth from this hurried chorale, begging Jesus, the Crown of Joy, to return. Amen, amen! 

The urgency becomes part of the musical structure; Bach doesn't even have time for the whole hymn stanza as he sets the mystical text from only the last bit of the last stanza of Philipp Nicolai's hymn Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright).  A brilliant high note and descent of the last phrase reminds us of "Joy to the World." And yet, while the first Advent is shown in the descending notes, the violins don't tarry as they carry us up and up to an unusually high G.

"Amen, amen!" chorale in BWV 61, Netherlands Bach Society

Text translation and commentary used by the Netherlands Bach Society and referenced in this episode are by bachcantatatexts.org (BWV 61) by Daniel R. Melamed and Michael Marissen

Bachstiftung (J. S. Bach Foundation) video recording of a particularly fast performance