"Come, Sweet Death, Come Blessed Rest" (Komm, süßer
Tod, komm selge Ruh) was originally written by Johann
Sebastian Bach for solo voice and basso continuo from
the 69 Sacred Songs and Arias that he contributed to
Georg Christian Schemelli's Musicalisches Gesangbuch
(Schemelli Gesangbuch No. 868 -- BWV 478) edited by
Georg Christian Schemelli in 1736.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komm,_s%C3%BC%C3%9Fer_To
d,_komm_selge_Ruh).
For most of these sacred songs, B...(+)
"Come, Sweet Death, Come Blessed Rest" (Komm, süßer
Tod, komm selge Ruh) was originally written by Johann
Sebastian Bach for solo voice and basso continuo from
the 69 Sacred Songs and Arias that he contributed to
Georg Christian Schemelli's Musicalisches Gesangbuch
(Schemelli Gesangbuch No. 868 -- BWV 478) edited by
Georg Christian Schemelli in 1736.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komm,_s%C3%BC%C3%9Fer_To
d,_komm_selge_Ruh).
For most of these sacred songs, Bach had only to devise
bass lines and figured bass indications -- the melodies
selected were old and famous Lutheran tunes. Komm,
süßer Tod, however, is an exception. The song has
five verses, written around 1724 by some unknown poet,
each of which begins which the text "Komm, süßer
(süsser) Tod, komm selige Ruh" (Come, sweet death;
come, blessed rest), and each of which is set to the
same eight short phrases of triple-meter music. Its
melody is known in no other source than the Schmelli
Gesang-Buch, and it is generally believed that Bach
wrote the piece from scratch. (There are two or three
other entries in the Gesang-Buch that seem also to have
been newly composed) .
Those familiar with ordinary German chorales will find
themselves on familiar ground with Komm, süsser Tod,
but its solo vocal line seems especially to exemplify
Bach's supremely confident devotional side. Bach, by
means of melody and harmony, expresses the desire for
death and heaven.A beautiful orchestral version of this
piece was made by Leopold Stokowski in 1946 (see
VideoScore); it opens with all the strings muted except
for a solo cello that "sings" the melody.
In my own inexperienced interpretation, the lyrics read
more like a suicide note or death wish than other
pieces from this time. It really seems to express the
misery with things in the world and longing to end the
suffering. Perhaps it was the loss of his beloved wife
Maria Barbara Bach or the loss of many of his children.
This piece touches me; sad to think of the suffering of
a great master like this. One listener offered, "This
is not a death wish in the way we normally think of it
but the deep longing of a devout man of God desiring to
be with his Savior. The music pulls forward and back
just as the Apostle Paul was torn between the desire to
be useful here on earth yet more to be with his Lord.
In this piece the tension ebbs and flows until
the final resolution gives full release."
I created this arrangement for Pipe Organ and created
English lyrics for Choir (SATB).
SHEET MUSIC