These traditional settings sound very much like the hymns we use today in Christian churches. This appears in the first cantata in the Christmas Oratorio , and is the fifth movement overall. See what this traditional type of setting looks like, and then hear it . This chorale is mostly in the minor mode, meaning that it uses pitch es from a scale in which the third note is lowered. Sometimes the sixth and seventh notes are lowered as well, though they often are not.
Pieces written in minor are often more somber or sad in mood.
This chorale is not so much sad as it is penitent, hopeful, and longing. Part of the longing comes from Bach's use of chromatic pitches, which can easily be seen in the music. This makes the setting a little more colorful and unexpected. In a surprising twist, and reinforcing a feeling of hope, this chorale ends on a major triad . To hear it again, click here.