Jesu

“Bach Duet,” made in 1974 and not performed since the mid-70s, is set to Bach’s 78th cantata, “Jesu, der du meine Seele.”

The director had used an organ performance of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” under that shot because, to her, it was the sound of a funeral.

The film ends with that shot of the burial ground, tying this recent injustice to an ancient one, and as the credits roll there is a remarkable new arrangement of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Abels, which interweaves his theme — born in reaction to the Bach — for the movie.

Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe; Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram; qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.

“Corpus Dómini nostri Jesu Christi custódiat ánimam tuam in vitam ætérnam. Amen,” the priests prayed as they placed a thin wafer on each tongue.