St. Matthew Passion: "O Mensch, bewein" chorale fantasia (mvt. 29)

A Moment of Bach

Here we do a full "Bach-n-talk" runthrough of the famous "O Mensch, bewein" chorale fantasia which ends the first half of the St. Matthew Passion, which happens to end on Alex's favorite moment. Join us as we unpack a moment of mode mixture here, at the choir's closing cadence. The borrowed minor modality gives the necessary spice to give a more complex flavor to the otherwise light and airy music. But don't be fooled, listener, into thinking the woodwind parts are all just fluff. They carry a darker undertone in the meaning of this music. Remember: the flute's not cute.

"O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß" from St. Matthew Passion performed by the Netherlands Bach Society

Different version of "O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß" as mentioned in this episode; from the 1725 revision of St. John Passion, also performed by Netherlands Bach Society