J.S. Bach: Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe, BWV 25 - The Church Cantatas, Vol. 76

BWV25 (19 August 1723) is another immensely impressive work in which Bach combines a dramatic text with a chorale tune which acts as a commentary. The opening chorus speaks of the sad state of our flesh and bones due to our sins before God. The strings and oboes play a wailing figure of three notes which goes on and on, there is unrest in the continuo part, there are dissonants on words like `Gebeine’. The sombre first line for the choir is sung at the outset by altos and sopranos and just before they are finished tenors and basses sing a repeat. The second theme on `und ist kein Friede’ is finally combined with the opening theme of `Es ist nichts Gesundes’. Through it all the orchestra plays a chorale, most probably `Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder’; the second stanza of this hymn reads `Heil du mich, lieber Herre’: Bach indicates where healing is to be found. The tenor recitative elaborates on the opening chorus by indicating that our world is a hospital for sinners, the continuo moving up and down, ending