The Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book") BWV 599-644 is
a collection of 46 chorale preludes for organ written
by Johann Sebastian Bach. All but three of them were
composed during the period 1708–1717, while Bach was
court organist at the ducal court in Weimar. The
remaining three, along with a short two-bar fragment,
were added in 1726 or later, after Bach's appointment
as cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig.
The collection was originally planned as a set of 164
chorale preludes spa...(+)
The Orgelbüchlein ("Little Organ Book") BWV 599-644 is
a collection of 46 chorale preludes for organ written
by Johann Sebastian Bach. All but three of them were
composed during the period 1708–1717, while Bach was
court organist at the ducal court in Weimar. The
remaining three, along with a short two-bar fragment,
were added in 1726 or later, after Bach's appointment
as cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig.
The collection was originally planned as a set of 164
chorale preludes spanning the whole liturgical year.
The chorale preludes form the first of Bach's
masterpieces for organ with a mature compositional
style in marked contrast to his previous compositions
for the instrument. Although each of them takes a known
Lutheran chorale and adds a motivic accompaniment, Bach
explored a wide diversity of forms in the
Orgelbüchlein. Many of the chorale preludes are short
and in four parts, requiring only a single keyboard and
pedal, with an unadorned cantus firmus. Others involve
two keyboards and pedal: these include several canons,
four ornamental four-part preludes, with elaborately
decorated chorale lines, and a single chorale prelude
in trio sonata form. The Orgelbüchlein has a four-fold
purpose: it is a collection of organ music for church
services, a treatise on composition, a religious
statement, and an organ-playing manual.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgelb%C3%BCchlein).
Of great interest to canonists here is how Bach has
chosen the accidentals of the -comes- (In this
arrangement, the Viola), imitating at the lower fifth,
to create dominant harmonies (at times) where we expect
canons at the lower fifth to favor -subdominant-
harmonies, and at other times to favor the latter (all
this can be seen in the first three measures). Again,
how Bach has chosen the canonic interval and the
half-note delay are measures of his unmatched skill at
this, as well choices of when to compress the melody
into eighth-notes. Note also how he has chosen bass
patterns that resemble the cantus as he has customized
it
Source: Bernard Greenberg
(https://musescore.com/user/1831606).
Although originally created for Organ, I created this
Interpretation of Choral Prelude (BWV 624) "Hilf, Gott,
daß mir's gelinge" (Help me, God, that I may succeed)
for Bb Clarinet & Strings (Violin, Viola & Cello).
SHEET MUSIC