Der Tod Jesu (The Death of Jesus) is an oratorio libretto by Karl Wilhelm Ramler. In its setting by Carl Heinrich Graun in 1755, it was the most often performed Passion of the 18th century in Germany.

The poem is part of the Empfindsamkeit movement of the 1750s. It is the middle of three oratorio texts by Ramler – Die Hirten bei der Krippe zu Bethlehem, Der Tod Jesu, and Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt – which may have been viewed by Ramler as a libretto cycle, though they were never set as a cycle by any composer.Howard E. Smither A History of the Oratorio 2000 p. 88 "One might also view the three texts by Carl Wilhelm Ramler – Die Hirten bei der Krippe zu Bethlehem, Der Tod Jesu, and Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt – as a libretto cycle, but these seem never to have been set by a single composer." The libretto was intended for Graun but a copy of Ramler's text was somehow received by Telemann who produced his own setting of the oratorio (TWV 5:6) in Hamburg before Graun could perform the premiere in Berlin. Ramler revised his text in 1760.

The text is not a full retelling of the Passion of Christ and it does not quote Bible texts. Instead, it presents emotively various aspects of the Passion.

Settings Georg Philipp Telemann, Hamburg 1755, TWV 5:6 Carl Heinrich Graun, Berlin 1755 – the best known of the settings; it was performed yearly in many cities in Germany throughout the second half of the 18th century. The Australian premiere of Graun's passion cantata took place on Good Friday 2012 in St John's Cathedral in Brisbane with the Badinerie Players and the Brisbane Chamber Choir under Michael O'Loghlin and with Shelli Hulcombe (soprano), Bethany Shepherd (soprano), Gregory Massingham (tenor), Jason Barry-Smith (bass)."Good Friday Musical devotion" , The Cathedral Chamber Choir perform Der Tod Jesu Adolf Friedrich Hesse (1809–1863) composed an Organ Introduction, Op. 84, to Graun's work. Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, cantata (1769) BR D 2 / Wf XIV:1, based on Ramler's revised version from 1760 Joseph Martin Kraus to his own libretto (1776), in the Sturm und Drang style Anna Amalia, Abbess of Quedlinburg, used by Johann Kirnberger as models of counterpoint in his (The art of pure musical composition) (1779) Christian Ernst Graf (1723–1804, The Hague 1802

Compositional style Unlike Bach's Passions, Graun's setting does not imbue the tenor soloist with the role of narrator or Evangelist, nor is the bass cast as Vox Christi. The music is post-Baroque, an italianate galant style, and contains little counterpoint (notably in the duet, no. 17) or fugal movements (chorus no. 14 is a double fugue). Instead, it gives prominence to melody and voice. All arias are da capo arias with stylistic borrowings from opera arias. Grauner's recitative settings are highly expressive, culminating in the moving simplicity of the bass's recitative no. 23 on the death of Jesus, "" (He is no more!). The last chorus starts quite powerfully, but then ebbs away into a mystical silence.

Reception According to Paul Steinitz, Der Tod Jesu built up an immense vogue over many years of performances on Good Friday. "It contains a good deal of imaginative music, but it was more of a Cantata based loosely on sentiments engendered by the Passion story than a liturgical Passion. It fails even to give any specific account of the trial and death of Jesus".Paul Steinitz. Bach's Passions (1978), p. 106 While preparing for the Leipzig revival of Bach's St Matthew Passion in 1824, Carl Friedrich Zelter and others were concerned that a public brought up on performances of Der Tod Jesu would show a hostile reaction to the Bach revival.

Movements Graun's settings consists of 25 movements:

Part 1 Chorale – Du, dessen Augen flossen Chorus – Sein Odem ist schwach Accompanied recitative (soprano) – Gethsemane! Gethsemane! Aria (soprano) – Du Held, auf den die Köcher Chorale – Wen hab' ich sonst als Dich allein Recitative (soprano) – Ach mein Immanuel! Aria (soprano) – Ein Gebet um neue Stärke Recitative (tenor) – Nun klingen Waffen Aria (tenor) – Ihr weichgeschaffnen Seelen Chorus – Unsre Seele ist gebeuget Chorale – Ich will von meiner Missetat Recitative (bass) – Jerusalem, voll Mordlust Aria (bass) – So stehet ein Berg Gottes Chorus – Christus hat uns ein Vorbild gelassen

Part 2 Chorale – Ich werde Dir zu Ehren alles wagen Recitative (soprano) – Da stehet der traurige, verhängnisvolle Pfahl Duet (sopranos) – Feinde, die ihr mich betrübt Recitative (soprano) – Wer ist der Heilige, zum Muster uns verliehn Aria (soprano) – Singt dem göttlichen Propheten Chorus – Freuet euch alle ihr Frommen Chorale – Wie herrlich ist die neue Welt Recitative (bass) – Auf einmal fällt der aufgehaltne Schmerz Accompanied recitative (bass) – Es steigen Seraphim Chorale with bass solo – Ihr Augen, weint! Chorus – Hier liegen wir gerührte Sünder

A performance takes about hours.

Selected recordings Telemann Ex Tempore, Le Mercure Galant. conductor . René Gailly Telemann Chamber Orchestra, conductor Ludger Rémy. cpo Graun Capella Savaria, conductor Pál Németh. HM Quintana La Petite Bande, conductor Sigiswald Kuijken. Hyperion Records 2003Der Tod Jesu at Hyperion Recors, with extensive details Das Kleine Konzert, conductor Hermann Max, cpo 2009 Kraus – with Kom! din herdestaf att bära, Philharmonia Chor Stuttgart, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Helmut Wolf. Carus-Verlag 1997

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