Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem, BWV 159

Bach structured the cantata in five movements. He scored the work for four vocal soloists (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir only in the closing chorale, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of oboe (Ob), two violins (Vl), viola (Va) and basso continuo.[10] The first movement is a dialogue of the bass as the vox Christi who sings a quotation from the gospel, and the alto representing a follower, named a "faithful Soul" by Dürr.[11] The second movement is a dialogue of the alto, and the soprano (S) singing a stanza from Paul Gerhardt's hymn. The soprano part can be sung by a soloist or the soprano section of the choir. The third and to fifth movements are more the usual sequence of recitative, aria and four-part closing chorale.[12] The duration of the cantata is given as 17 minutes.[13]

In the following table of the movements, the scoring, keys and time signatures are taken from Dürr.[14] The continuo, which plays throughout, is not shown.

Movements of Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem

No.	Title	Text	Type	Vocal	Wind	Strings	Key	Time
1	Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem Komm, schaue doch, mein Sinn	Luke Picander	Arioso Recitative	Bass Alto		2Vl Va	C minor
2	Ich folge dir nach Ich will hier bei dir stehen	Picander Gerhardt	Aria Chorale	Alto Soprano	Ob		E-flat major	6 8
3	Nun will ich mich, mein Jesu	Picander	Recitative	Tenor			B-flat major
4	Es ist vollbracht	Picander	Aria	Bass	Ob	2Vl Va	B-flat major
5	Jesu, deine Passion ist mir lauter Freude	Stockmann	Chorale	SATB	Ob	2Vl Va	E-flat major

Without any choral opening, the first movement is a dialogue of two characters.[15] A line that Jesus says in the gospel reading is sung by the bass as the vox Christi (voice of Christ). The alto represents a follower, expressing the reaction to the announcement. Bach achieves dramatic contrast, setting the words of Jesus as an arioso, accompanied by the continuo, while the alto answers in a recitativo accompagnato, with the strings.[2][6] This instrumentation is opposite to the treatment in the St Matthew Passion, where the words of Jesus are accompanied by the "halo" of a string quartet.

The line from the gospel is broken in three parts, interrupted by the alto.[1] Sehet ("Behold",[1] literally: see!) is expressed in a long melisma.[2][6] After an intervention of the alto, the move uphill in illustrated by an upward scale.[2][6] After another reply of the alto, the destination is named: Jerusalem. The phrase is repeated several times, accenting different words each time, to present different aspects of its meaning following the principle of monody.[2][6] John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000, compared the expressiveness of the alto's "outpouring of grief"[16] to the aria "Ach Golgatha" from the St Matthew Passion.[16]

In the second movement, the expressive melodic lines of the alto are juxtaposed to the chorale on the melody of "Befiehl du deine Wege".[11] The Soul begins "Ich folge dir nach" ("I follow after You"),[1] while the first line from the chorale states: "Ich will hier bei dir stehen" ("I will stay here with You"),[1] The process, with the alto voice beginning sooner and ending later than the chorale line, is repeated for the other lines of the chorale, in the end combining the alto's "Und wenn du endlich scheiden mußt, sollst du dein Grab in mir erlangen" ("And if You must depart at last, You shall find Your grave in me"),[1] to the choral's "Alsdenn will ich dich fassen in meinen Arm und Schoß" ("Then I will hold You fast in my arm and bosom"),[1] The melodic treatment is described as powerful and expressive.[11]

A secco recitative of the tenor[11] expresses first sorrow about the way to death, "Nun will ich mich, mein Jesu, über dich in meinem Winkel grämen" ("Now, over You, my Jesus, I will grieve in my corner"),[1] and finally turns to the expectation for an ultimate union with Jesus: "... bis ich durch dich erlöset bin; da will ich mich mit dir erquicken" ("... until I am redeemed through You; then I will be refreshed with You").[1]

The cantata culminates in the forth movement, with the vox Christi reflecting the completion of the Passion, "Es ist vollbracht".[17] The oboe introduces a meditative motif.[11] The bass picks it up, and both rest on long sustained string chords.[11][18] The middle section illustrates the words "Nun will ich eilen" ("Now I will hasten")[1] in runs of the voice, oboe and now also the violins.[6][19] A quasi da capo resumes the first motif,[6] now on the words "Welt, gute Nacht" ("World, good night").[1] The aria was described by a reviewer as a "hauntingly affective reflection on Jesus's last words from the cross",[20] with a "wrenchingly beautiful oboe line", "rich suspensions", and an "unusually contoured melody".[20]

In Picander's printed cantata text, another recitative, "Herr Jesu, dein verdienstlich Leiden" introduced the closing chorale. It is unclear if Bach intentionally did not compose it, or if it got lost.[3] The closing chorale[21] is a four-part setting of Stockmann's hymn[6] which summarises the Passion: "Jesu, deine Passion ist mir lauter Freude" ("Jesus, Your passion is pure joy to me").[1] Gardiner notes that Bach set the melody by Melchior Vulpius with "wonderfully satisfying chromatic harmonies over a lyrical bass line".[15]