Seht – Wohin? – auf unsere Schuld: Überlegungen zu Form und Gehalt des Eingangschors der Matthäuspassion BWV 244

As one of the pinnacles of protestant church music, the opening chorus of Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion has often been the subject of poetic, speculative, and analytical study. The following article follows a trail laid—though not consequently pursued—by Philipp Spitta, who suggests that Picander's libretto ("Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen") displays unmistakable parallels to Luke 23:27: "Large numbers of people followed him, and of women too, who mourned and lamented for him." Widely accepted exegeses in Bach's time, which are also present in the Thomas cantor's estate, prove vital to understanding how this passage influenced the powerful opening chorus with regard to form, conception, and affect.