Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works
Jesu Kreuz, Leiden und Pein

Melody & Text | Use of the CM by Bach | Use of the CM by other composers

Melody & Text:

The melody, “Jesu Kreuz, Leiden und Pein,” was composed by Melchior Vulpius. This, his most notable, tune appeared in his Ein schon geistlich Gesangbuch, published at Jena in 1609, an enlarged edition of his Kirchen Geseng und Geistliche Lieder (Leipzig, 1604). It is there set to Petrus Herbert’s (d 1571) Hymn “Jesu Kreuz, Leiden und Pein.”
Paul Stockmann’s Passiontide Hymn, “Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod,” in 34 8-line stanzas, first appeared in his Aller Christen Leib-Stucke (Leipzig, 1633). Adjusted to Paul Stockmann’s “Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod,” M. Vulpius' melody was included in Johann Hildebrandt’s Geistlicher Zeit-Vertreiber (Leipzig, 1656). A reconstruction of it, set to P. Stockmann’s Hymn, was published by Gottfried Vopelius in his New Leipziger Gesangbuch, Von den schonsten und besten Liedern verfasset (Leipzig, 1682). By 1714 (the Weissenfels Gesang-Und Kirchenbuch) the tune had in great measure assumed the form J.S. Bach employs.
The melody may be regarded as the principal one of the "St John Passion" (BWV 245), where it appears in Nos. 14, 30 and 32. J.S. Bach uses it also in the Cantatas “Sehet, wir geh’n hinauf nach Jerusalem” (1729), for Quinquagesima Sunday; and “Himmelskonig, sei willkommen” (BWV 182), for Palm Sunday. J.S. Bach uses it in its reconstructed form. The F sharp which he substitutes for A natural at the seventh note in the second bar (supra) has earlier sanction (1714). His variation of the last bar is general to his use of the tune, and is found in an earlier (1714) text. In the “St John Passion” (No. 30) he introduces a C sharp at the sixth note of the first bar.

Melody: Zahn 6288b
Composer: Melchior Vulpius (1609)

Text 1: Jesu Kreuz, Leiden und Pein (EKG 58; EG 78)
Author: Petrus Herbert (1604)

Text 2: Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod (NLGB 77)
Author: Paul Stockmann (1633)

Hymnal versions Bach may have known:

Melody & text of Das walt’ mein Gott, Vater, Sohn und heiliger Geist (NLGB 77) from the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch, pp 165-171

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:

Text 1: Jesu Kreuz, Leiden und Pein

Not used by J.S. Bach in his vocal works.

Text 2: Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod

Chorale Jesu, deine Passion (Mvt. 5) from Cantata BWV 159 (1729) (verse 33)

Form. Simple (Oboe, Strings, Continuo). Choralgesange, No. 194.

Chorale Jesu, deine Passion (Mvt. 7) from Cantata BWV 182 (1714) (verse 33);

Form. Choral Fantasia in fugal form (Flauto, Strings, Continuo).

Chorale Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück (Mvt. 14) from Johannes-Passion BWV 245 (1724) (verse 10),

Form. Simple (2 Fl., 2 Ob., Strings, Organ, and Continuo).

Chorale Er nahm alles wohl in acht (Mvt. 28) from Johannes-Passion BWV 245 (1724) (verse 20)

Form. Simple (2 Fl., 2 Ob., Strings, Organ, and Continuo).

Aria for Bass & Chorus Mein teurer Heiland, lass dich fragen (Mvt. 32) from Johannes-Passion BWV 245 (1724) (verse 34)

Form. The Choral (S.A.T.B.) is sung in eight detached phrases accompanying the Bass Aria (Organ and Continuo).

Appendix A of the Bach-Gesellschaft Full-Score is a movement (Arie und Choral), in which the 33rd stanza (Jesu, deine Passion Ist mir lauter Freude) of P. Stockmann’s “Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod” is set to M. Vulpius’ melody. The movement was discarded by J.S. Bach in the later versions of the Oratorio

Untexted:

Chorale Prelude for organ Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod, BWV Anh 57 (Anh III 172, Emans 115)

The composer of this work, previously attributed to J.S. Bach, is now recognized as Johann Caspar Vogler (1696-1763), a Bach's Pupil. The work, modelled on O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß, BWV 622, in J.S. Bach's Orgelbüchlein, is one of the most elaborately decorated chorales in the whole repertoire, with the chorale melody embellished by hemidemisemiquavers and even shorter notes.

Use of the Chorale Melody by other composers:

Sources: Bach Digital; BGA; Zahn; BCML discussions on BCW; Charles Sanford Terry's Bach Chorals books
Photos from Gottfried Vopelius: Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch (Vopelius 1682) & Christian Friedrich Witt: Psalmodia Sacra, Oder: Andächtige und schöne Gesänge… (Gotha Hymnal, 1715), were taken from digital copies of the books downloaded from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München. These copies are Out of copyright - non commercial re-use (Europeana Rights).
Prepared by Aryeh Oron (October 2018)