The chorale melody Valet will ich dir geben dates from 1613 and is originally a funeral hymn, the dying soul’s farewell to the “false and evil world”. Bach ornaments this melody with garlands of fast notes, but never obscuring the grandeur of the original tune. In this country it has come to be associated with the hymn “All Glory Laud and Honour”, traditionally sung as Palm Sunday congregations recreate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The German hymn refers directly to Christ’s death on the cross a few days later, giving this music particular poignancy at the start of Holy Week.
