GOOD Friday is an appropriate day to post this final chorus from Bach’s monumental work. It is entitled Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder, which is usually translated as ‘We sit down in tears’. It was written in 1727 with libretto by Bach’s frequent collaborator, the German poet Christian Friedrich Henrici (1700-1764), who used the pen name Picander.
Here is the score, in a performance taken a little slower, which many prefer.