Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand

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

Melody & Text: Zahn: 1978 | EKG: 77

Origin:

This chorale can be traced back to Martin Luther. Contrary to most of the other chorale melodies attributed to Luther (and usually Johann Walter), this is one of the few for which there are no earlier melodies, sacred or secular, upon which this might have been based. It appears for the first time in Wittenberg in 1529 in a collection by an editor Joseph Klug entitled Geistliche Lieder, a collection now considered irretrievably lost.

The earliest printed form of the melody dates back to 1533 (also from Wittenberg) and appears thus

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:

Text: Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand | EKG: 77
Author: Martin Luther (1529)

None by Bach.

Untexted:

Ver

Work

Mvt.

Year

Br

RE

KE

Di

BC

Score

Music Examples

-

BWV 364

-

?

174

207

174

-

F120.1

PDF

Chorale (MG) [midi]

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BWV 626

-

1713/15

-

-

-

-

K56

-

BWV 626: Orgelbüchlein No. 28

Use of the Chorale Melody by other composers:

Andreas Nicolaus Vetter (1666-1734):
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand, Chorale Prelude for Organ

Arrangements/Transcriptions of Bach's use of the Chorale Melody:

See list of Piano Transcriptions of BWV 626 by various composers/arrangers at: Piano Transcriptions of Bach's Works - Index by BWV Number Part 4: Chorale Preludes for Organ

Sources: NBA, vols. III/2.1 & 2.2 in particular [Bärenreiter, 1954 to present] and the BWV ("Bach Werke Verzeichnis") [Breitkopf & Härtel, 1998]
The PDF files of the Chorales were contributed by Margaret Greentree J.S. Bach Chorales
Software: Capella 2004 Software, version 5.1.
Prepared by Thomas Braatz & Aryeh Oron (February 2006, March 2008)