Jesu, meines Herzens Freud
BWV 361 performed by the Netherlands Bach Society
Sint-Gertrudiskerk, Bergen op Zoom
Behind the music
Story
Story
Texts
Texts
Credits
Credits
A declaration of love
Faith and gratitude in an abandoned chorale
The chorales – hymns that were very close to devout listeners’ hearts – run through Bach’s music in a constant stream. He took them as the starting point for many of his organ compositions and they have left their mark on numerous vocal works. Sometimes, the simple melody takes the lead, surrounded by an unfolding complex web of variations: themes twist around one another, draw apart and join together again, and blend with other motifs. And sometimes Bach opts for the art of the modest four-part chorale; an art he mastered to perfection. Take, for instance, all those poignant cantata finales or the chorales in the Passions. Beneath the melody, the three other voices construct the harmonies; sometimes in concurrent rhythms and sometimes with very individual lines, always creating a rich interplay of sound and expression.
This exceptional richness, which appears to be exclusive to Bach, soon turned his chorale oeuvre into a school of harmonic theory. This was partly thanks to his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, who published an edition of dozens of chorales without words, in 1765. It is wonderful that the music has been handed down to us, of course, but unfortunately the context – along with who knows how many cantatas – has been lost. This chorale, BWV 361, belongs in that enigmatic category, although a text by Johann Flittner could be put to it, through the melody by Johann Rudolph Ahle, both of which date from 1660. And what a text it is! The singers of the Bach Society sing three of the five verses, which overflow with gratitude and love; something you might also be able to discern in the subtly embellished lines of the alto, tenor and bass in the second verse.
- BWV
- 361
- Title
- Jesu, meines Herzens Freud
- Genre
- chorales
- Special notes
- Melody by Johann Rudolph Ahle
Extra videos
Vocal texts
Original
1.
Jesu, meines Herzens Freud',
Süßer Jesu!
Meiner Seelen Seeligkeit,
Süßer Jesu!
Des Gemütes Sicherheit,
Süßer Jesu,
Jesu, süßer Jesu!
2.
Tausendmal gedenk ich dein,
Mein Erlöser!
Und begehre dich allein,
Mein Erlöser!
Sehne mich, bei dir zu sein,
Mein Erlöser,
Jesu, mein Erlöser!
4.
Nichts ist lieblichers als du,
Liebste Liebe!
Nichts ist freundlicher als du,
Milde Liebe!
Auch nichts süßers ist als du,
Süße Liebe,
Jesu, süße Liebe!
Translation
1.
Jesus, joy of my own heart
dearest Jesus,
the salvation of my soul,
dearest Jesus,
refuge that will keep me whole,
dearest Jesus.
Jesus, dearest Jesus.
2.
Endlessly I think of you,
my Redeemer.
My desire is only you,
my Redeemer.
How I long to be with you
my Redeemer.
Jesus, my Redeemer!
3.
None is lovelier than you,
you, my dearest.
None is kindlier than you,
you, so gen’rous.
And none give delight as you,
you my dearest.
Jesus, dearest Jesus.
translation © Ruth van Baak Griffioen, 2025
Credits
-
- Release date
- 27 November 2025
-
- Recording date
- 6 May 2024
-
- Location
- Sint-Gertrudiskerk, Bergen op Zoom
-
- Soprano
- Amelia Berridge
-
- Alto
- Tim Braithwaite
-
- Tenor
- Adriaan de Koster
-
- Bass
- Donald Bentvelsen
-
- Theorbo
- David Mackor
-
- Director and editor
- Onno van Ameijde
-
- Music recording
- Guido Tichelman, Pim van der Lee
-
- Music edit and mix
- Guido Tichelman
-
- Camera
- Jesper Blok, Jorne Tielemans
-
- Focus pull
- Glenn van Neerden
-
- Lights
- Jorne Tielemans, Patrick Galvin
-
- Project manager nep
- Ron Vermeulen
-
- Assistant music recording
- Marloes Biermans
-
- Producer
- Lisanne Marlou de Kok, Stephan Esmeijer
Discover
Help us to complete All of Bach
There are still many recordings to be made before the whole of Bach’s oeuvre is online. And we can’t complete the task without the financial support of our patrons. Please help us to complete the musical heritage of Bach, by supporting us with a donation!