The Neumeister Collection is a compilation of 82
chorale preludes found in a manuscript copy produced by
Johann Gottfried Neumeister (1757–1840). When the
manuscript was rediscovered at the Yale University in
the 1980s it appeared to contain 31 previously unknown
early chorale settings by Johann Sebastian Bach, which
were added to the BWV catalogue as Nos. 1090–1120 and
published in 1985.
It is rare that lost works by a major composer surface
centuries after they were written, but t...(+)
The Neumeister Collection is a compilation of 82
chorale preludes found in a manuscript copy produced by
Johann Gottfried Neumeister (1757–1840). When the
manuscript was rediscovered at the Yale University in
the 1980s it appeared to contain 31 previously unknown
early chorale settings by Johann Sebastian Bach, which
were added to the BWV catalogue as Nos. 1090–1120 and
published in 1985.
It is rare that lost works by a major composer surface
centuries after they were written, but that is
precisely the case with this chorale prelude and its 37
siblings housed in the once-forgotten Neumeister
Collection. Organist Christoph Wolff discovered the
collection in 1985 at the Yale Library, ultimately
treating the music world to many previously unknown
Bach treasures. This chorale prelude, "Ich hab mein
Sach Gott heimgestellt" (I Have Brought My Affairs Home
to God), proves to be a worthwhile, perhaps even an
important find. It opens with the chorale theme
presented in a stately, bright fashion, Bach's
characteristic counterpoint blending into the
background for the most part rather than offering a
competing line. The remainder of the piece has
fantasy-like elements in its formal makeup, the theme
transforming somewhat and Bach reducing textures in the
latter half and adding elegant trills and other
ornamentation. The work's close features a buildup that
rises from single notes in the middle register to reach
resounding sonorities that impart a sense of glorious
finality. Lasting about two minutes, this brilliant
work must stand with the better Neumeister chorale
preludes.
Although originally written for Organ, I created this
Arrangement of the Chorale Prelude "Ich hab mein Sach
Gott heimgestellt" (I Have Brought My Affairs Home to
God) BWV 1113 for Woodwind Quartet (Flute, Oboe, Bb
Clarinet & Bassoon).
PARTITION