Bach: Motet ’Fürchte dich nicht’ | RIAS Kammerchor, Akademie für Alte Musik, Hans-Christoph Rademann

Music that gives hope on a sad occasion. Johann Sebastian Bach most likely composed the motet ’Fürchte dich nicht’ (Do not Fear), BWV 228, for the funeral of his first wife. The work in the video is performed by the RIAS Kammerchor (Chamber Choir) and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Academy for Early Music Berlin) conducted by Hans-Christoph Rademann. The concert took place in 2008 at the Gethsemane Church in Berlin on the 60th anniversary of the RIAS Kammerchor. It is impossible to date the motet by analyzing the watermarks on the manuscript since only copies exist. Traditionally, it is believed that the motet was composed in 1726 Leipzig, but more recent researchers disagree and believe that Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) wrote the work earlier in Köthen, and presumably did so for the funeral of his first wife Maria Barbara Bach on July 7, 1720. Also, the lyrics of the motet suggest that it was composed for a funeral. The core of the motet consists of two verses