Among the most famous works of the great seventeenth century German composer Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), The Seven Words of Jesus Christ on the Cross is a Passiontide work based on a Renaissance tradition of gathering together the words spoken by Christ on the cross. Schütz's setting is based on Martin Luther's German translation of the Bible. The date of composition is unknown; the only clue is a copied score, the last part of which bears the date 1657. Other authorities have suggested a date around 1645, although there is no evidence to support such a claim. Whatever its date, the work is certainly a mature product of the composer's late years—a period during which the aging Schütz consistently sought to withdraw from his onerous duties as kapellmeister at the Dresden court.

In keeping with the court's modest musical forces in the wake of the devastating Thirty Years' War, The Seven Words is economically scored for five vocal parts (soprano, alto, two tenors, and bass), five unspecified instruments, and continuo. The choral, or turbae (crowd scenes), vocal parts are intended to be sung one-to-a-part, while the instrumental scoring is generally allotted to dark-hued instruments such as trombones or viols, who both open and close the work with instrumental sinfonias. The words of the Evangelist are mostly divided between the soprano, alto, and first tenor, although at the point of Jesus' final cry they become a four-part chorus. The soloists are accompanied only by continuo bass, thus placing the accompanied words of Jesus into strong relief. Unlike the great passion works of the eighteenth century, there is no attempt at external dramatization. Rather, this concise setting is designed as a profound and deeply moving meditation summed up in the final words: "He who respects the torment of God and often reflects on the seven words, will be cared for by God, then and in the life everlasting."

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