Hi Argoth,
Thank you for calling me on what I said about *O Mensch, Bewein...*
I shall try to put it as simply as I can: Since JSBach was not only a learned musician but a Theologian as well - he had a copy of Martin Luther's Bible in which he heavily pencilled in notes in the side margins - He fervently and prayerfully sought out how to, through music, share the Gospel of the Living God. Through mankind's ignorance, the bliss and beauty of creation is destroyed. But through Faith in the Son of God, all can be made well. Bach the theologian/musician, for example, through the Passions and Sacred Cantatas quotes the Bible text which he then explains through music. Like an orator who uses different devices in order to convey the message, Bach does so through music.
In re to *O Mensch, Bewein...* when you listen and study to how JSBach "tells a story" through the melody and harmony of the piece, when you contemplate the meaning of the title of this work, Bach calls attention to the Crucified Christ, who was sold-out by Judas for thirty pieces of silver. What a ghastly treachery!!! Modern-day man is equally guilty of treachery. Bach calls on us to *Bewein* = Bewail our treacherous sin and nature.
As an aside to this, I read the works of Søren Kierkegaard, an existentialist philosopher who knew human nature well. As a musician, I am indebted to the mastery that JSBach had in music and in theology. Furthermore, I must inform my thinking with the existentialist school of thought through Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard wished that humans would individually question themselves on their own actions and ethics - where they themselves stood - independantly of others. Let me close this reply with one of my favorite quotes of Kierkegaard: " People demand freedom of speech in order to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
Humbly,
Corno Dolce
Btw - I highly recommend that you read the tomes about JSBach which are written by Christoph Wolff. They will equip you to better grasp JSBach and the Timeless message he shares with all.