This aria originates from Bach’s reuse of his earlier secular work, the serenata Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück, adapted for the Easter cantata BWV 66. The virtuosic orchestration reflects Baroque exuberance.
A duet for alto and tenor from Bach's first Leipzig Easter cantata, featuring a virtuoso violin obbligato. The voices express opposing emotions: the alto sings sustained notes of fear ("I truly fear the grave's darkness"), while the tenor counters with ornate, fearless passages. Their melodies converge homophonically on the hopeful line "Now my heart is full of comfort" in 12/8 time.
This opening chorus transforms sorrow into exultation through virtuosic orchestral passages and poignant chromatic harmonies. Bach reworked it from a secular cantata, using trembling continuo motifs that later reappear in his St Matthew Passion.
