As organist at Weimar, Johann Sebastian Bach was
charged with providing a harmonic underpinning for the
singing of Lutheran chorale tunes chosen for each day.
Bach wrote out many of these harmonizations, in part as
instruction for younger composers (they are still used
for this purpose). A derivation of this practice,
Bach's conception of the organ chorale, as manifested
in the chorale preludes, dates from 1713 -1714, about
the time he became familiar with Vivaldi's
concertos.
In all hi...(+)
As organist at Weimar, Johann Sebastian Bach was
charged with providing a harmonic underpinning for the
singing of Lutheran chorale tunes chosen for each day.
Bach wrote out many of these harmonizations, in part as
instruction for younger composers (they are still used
for this purpose). A derivation of this practice,
Bach's conception of the organ chorale, as manifested
in the chorale preludes, dates from 1713 -1714, about
the time he became familiar with Vivaldi's
concertos.
In all his chorale arrangements, Bach took inspiration
for the style and atmosphere from the words of the hymn
on which his composition was based. But the main role
in his chorale partitas seems to be given to pure
pleasure in playing and inventiveness. For his
variations on ‘Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig’, he
literally pulls out all the stops. For over twenty
minutes, he explores the harmonic, rhythmic and
stylistic possibilities of the melody forming the base
of the piece. The art of variation was already
considered old-fashioned in Bach’s day. But Georg
Böhm, the organ virtuoso with whom the
fifteen-year-old Bach became acquainted during his
schooldays in Lüneburg, was a master of variation.
Through Böhm, Bach also came into contact with
Reincken, and through him with Buxtehude, who were both
composers with a flair for the art of variation. There
was much that Bach could learn from these masters, but
the challenge of variation must have held particular
appeal for the young composer. It was not just
conceiving of the most varied and sophisticated series
possible, but also the virtuoso interpretation of that
series that provided the opportunity of rivalling his
idols.
The chorale partita (BWV 766-770) is a special form of
chorale arrangement, as the chorale (or hymn) serves as
the starting point for a series of variations. The art
of variation was at its peak in the seventeenth
century. Usually, a folk song was taken as the starting
point for a series of variations that increased in
difficulty and speed. The genre was not restricted to
keyboard instruments. The blind Dutch recorder and
carillon player Jacob van Eyck was also a master in the
art, for example. The five compositions by Bach bearing
the name of chorale partita do not come from a single
source, nor are they dated, but it is supposed that
they originated in his teens and may have been revised
later on.
The terms "Partita diverse," "partite diverse,"
"chorale partite," and "chorale variations" are fairly
interchangeable and refer to a set of variations on a
church chorale prelude or organ chorale. These, in
turn, are terms that refer to a solo organ presentation
of a Lutheran chorale melody (in whole or in part),
rooted in the idea of playing the melody of a hymn
before the congregation was to sing it, in order to
familiarize them with the tune. Church organists of
Bach's caliber often improvised on these familiar
chorale themes and sometimes preserved their
improvisations as sets of variations.
Bach's set of variations on Ach, was soll ich Sünder
machen, BWV 770, is an extremely early work, possibly
even dating from the Arnstadt period (Williams). The 10
variations show the clear influence of Böhm,
particularly his partita on “Ach wie nichtig.”The
work bears various indications for performance on the
organ, though these were likely added later (not by
Bach), and the writing is generally more idiomatic to
the harpsichord than organ. The piece is easily
translated to the organ however, particularity one in a
more intimate setting than most church organs. The
first variation is a five part harmonization of the
chorale, and the following seven variations follow
fairly typical partita forms. The ninth and tenth
differ from the others both in length and in the tempo
indications they bear (Adagio and Allegro,
respectively). The final variation in particular
obscures the chorale melody with complex figuration and
virtuosic writing not found in the works of Böhm or
Pachelbel, and more akin to the freer chorale fantasia.
The innovative use of the partita form, as well as the
already apparent skill for counterpoint has led Peter
Williams to consider this piece “one of the
composer's first masterworks.”
Source: Allmusic
(http://www.allmusic.com/composition/ach-was-soll-ich-s
%C3%BCnder-machen-chorale-partita-for-organ-bwv-770-bc-
k93-mc0002356587).
I created this transcription of the Chorale Partita
(BWV 770) "Ach, was soll ich Sünder machen?" (Oh, what
should I, a sinner, do?) for Pipe Organ.
SHEET MUSIC