Dying Well: Martyrdom and Salvation in BWV 57

CFLERPA 2021 Award Winner. This thesis is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance Abstract This work will explore the relationship between the Roman Catholic pre-Reformation theology of death and the post-Reformation German Lutheran theology of death, specifically how the shift between these theologies affected the relative perspectives of delayed verses immediate salvation. This theological shift, largely initiated by Martin Luther, greatly influenced Johann Sebastian Bach in his own personal theologies. Bach, inspired by Luther, used his musical genius to express complex theological ideas in his works and, in this way, unite music and Lutheran theologies. BWV 57 is a wonderful example of this process as this cantata aptly demonstrates the shift between pre- and post-Reformation theologies of death, through both its libretto as well as its ritornello, and highlights the altered relationship between the believer and Christ that occurred as a result.