The cantata “O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort”, BWV 60, one of two that Bach composed with the same title, continues to show the experimental Bach in his first year in Leipzig, utilizing for the first time a design called a “dialog cantata”, which he would employ several times afterwards.
A dialog cantata is structured around two characters, in this case “Fear” and “Hope”, given to two soloists (alto and tenor, respectively). Like other pieces of this period, this one is also a “solo” cantata, in the sense that it doesn’t call for a choir and doesn’t have choral movements except for the closing chorale. The instrumentation also follows the pattern that has emerged often in this period: oboes (in this case oboes d’amore), strings, continuo, and one horn. Four vocal soloists are required, but the soprano is only needed for the closing chorale.
The piece was first performed on November 7, 1723, which was the 24th Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel for this day is Matthew 9: 18-26, which narrates the resurrection of a ruler’s daughter by Jesus. However, the anonymous librettist doesn’t include references to the actual episode in his text, which instead reflects on the believer’s inner conflict facing their own death, using the dialog between Fear and Hope as a rhetorical device.
The libretto is framed by two chorale texts. The first one is the opening stanza of a hymn by Johann Rist of 1642, which is worked into the opening movement and given to the alto. The one closing the cantata is verse 5 of a hymn by Franz Joachim Burmeister, of 1662. Inwards from the chorales, we find literal quotes from elsewhere in the Bible. Woven into the first movement, and given to the tenor, is verse 18 of Genesis chapter 49, and in the fourth movement, interspersed with the alto recitative, a quote from Revelation 14:13.
Starting the cantata, Fear (the alto), doubled by the horn, is given the Rist chorale text, which portrays “eternity” (“Ewigkeit”) as a dreadful and troubling concept through a variety of very baroque images. To underscore this mindset, Bach sets the chorale tune on top of a repeated motif of tremolo-like figurations on the strings. The oboes, meanwhile, have a duet with more congenial patterns in thirds and sixths, which can be associated with the message of Hope, delivered by the tenor through his superimposed aria. The aria’s text is the one Genesis line, repeated multiple times, with long melismas and sustained notes on the word “warte” (“wait”). The movement finishes with an unconvinced Fear, as evidenced by the string tremolos which persist through the end.
Movement 2 is a recitative in which the characters talk directly at each other in three succesive exchanges. Fear expresses their concern with the arduous path ahead, then with death itself, and finally with their guilt of sin. Hope responds reassuringly to each of these topics. The second exchange features a very expressive arioso for Fear with harmonically twisted leaps on the word “martert” (“torments”), and in his third response, Hope has a sweet and winding melisma on “ertragen” (“endure”).
Fear and Hope continue their dialog in the third movement, this time as an aria/duet. The movement is set as a quintet, with an oboe d’amore and a violin as obbligato instruments accompanying the singers over a basso continuo line. In another set of three exchanges, Fear seems to be at the peak of their terrors, referencing their flagging faith and unbearable sight of their open grave, while Hope continues to provide encouragement and support. All three sections follow the same pattern: Fear states their reflections, Hope responds, and then they sing together. It’s interesting to observe the contrasting nature of the instruments’ lines, reflective of the opposing perspectives of the two characters.
With this, we arrive at the second recitative, which includes inflexion point of the cantata. It brings with it the surprise of a new character: the voice of Jesus (or “Vox Christi”), assigned to the bass as is customary, who directly comforts Fear. Again, there are three exchanges before Fear states their new reassured mindset, content and finally willing to embrace death. Jesus’ interventions in between Fear’s recitative portions are all ariosos on the same Revelation quote, first truncated and each time adding a new section until delivered in its complete form (“Selig sind die Toten / die in dem Herren sterben / von nun an”, “Blessed are the dead / who die in the Lord / henceforth”).
The closing chorale is striking due to the tritone that starts the tune. It’s the same 4 notes from the opening chorale melody, with the fourth note raised by a semitone. The melodic tritone, known traditionally as “Diabolus in musica” (“Devil in music”) due to being considered harsh and unpleasant to the ear, was used by Bach in several opportunities to represent Jesus’ cross and passing, and in this case, Fear’s acceptance of their own death.
