Musical Offering

Yesterday morning at church I was able to give the musical offering - Bach's Liebster, Jesu, mein Verlangen.  I love this piece.  When I first started learning it, I didn't like it very much.  It is a difficult piece with meandering, agitated harmonies and it didn't feel right in my voice.  I was working on it last year to sing in church and I read that Bach wrote this to correspond to the scripture in Luke 2 about Jesus in the Temple. The next day I heard Mark's brother, Nate, preach a podcast sermon from his church in Texas on the same text.  Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple for Passover and they left him there.  ....Left him there!!  He was fine, of course.  :)  But Nate went into detail in his sermon about out how his parents must have felt as they were searching for him.  That shed great light on the piece for me and instantly I was able to understand and appreciate Bach's text painting.  Bach imagines the soprano to be at the same time Mary and the Soul in general, frantically searching when Jesus' presence is no longer felt.  The end changes to several joyful melismas and a final chord with a raised third as the soul at last finds and rests in Jesus.  I enjoyed singing this on this week in particular as the decorations and excitement of the Christmas season are gone and He is perhaps not so keenly felt as before.

Here is the text:
Liebster Jesus, mein Verlangen,
      Dearest Jesus, my desiring,
Sage mir, wo find ich dich?
      Tell me now where I'll find thee
Soll ich dich so bald verlieren
      Shall I then so quickly lose thee
Und nicht ferner bei mir spuren?
      And no longer by me feel thee?
Ach!  mein Hort, erfreue mich,
      Ah, my shielf, now gladden me,
Lass dich hochst vergnugt umfangen,
      Let my fondest joy embrace thee.

There happened to be a baptism at the same service with a fancy video guy who asked me if it was ok if he put it on youtube.  I won't pick this recording apart.  I'll just post it before I change my mind.  :)