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.
This chorale prelude is among the 38 attributed to Bach
that were discovered along with 44 othe...(+)
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.
This chorale prelude is among the 38 attributed to Bach
that were discovered along with 44 others by various
composers, including other Bach family members, when
organist/musicologist Christoph Wolff unearthed the
Neumeister Collection at the Yale Library in 1985. This
particular chorale prelude, "Herzlich lieb hab ich
dich, O Herr," poses problems in translation, but can
be read as Dearly I Love Thee, O Lord, though it most
often appears as the less literal Lord, Thee I Love
With All My Heart. In any event, the work is a joyful,
quite attractive piece, about twice the length of the
approximately two-minute duration of most of the other
Neumeister chorale preludes. Bach gives the chorale
theme a variations treatment here, the melody appearing
in a jaunty, sprightly guise in the opening and then
turning a bit more serious thereafter while retaining
its radiant glow, as the composer's contrapuntal
writing both enlivens and deepens the expressive
character of the piece. About midway through, the music
takes on a vigorous manner, shedding its sense of
fluency as long stretches of unaccompanied chordal
passages proclaim their glorious music in an almost
ecstatic manner.
Although originally written for Organ, I created this
Transcription of the Chorale Prelude "Herzlich lieb hab
ich dich, O Herr" (Dearly I Love Thee, O Lord) BWV 1115
for Pipe Organ (2 Manuals w/o Pedals).
PARTITION