rss...Bach could be viewed as a musical cul-de-sac within the history of the eighteenth century itself: he did little to extend the musical vocabulary of his age, and his music hardly served as a basis for that of the succeeding generation. Yet what has made him a summit for many is his apparent ability to transcend historical contingency, somehow to stop the clock of outward progress and to rearrange and recreate the world as he knew it. - John Butt
Chorales
2005, April 08
Schübler chorale 2, BWV 646
Whither shall I flee? (Wo soll ich fliehen hin)
This is the second Schübler chorale, BWV 646, based on the melody "Wo soll ich fliehen hin". The melody is of secular origin, from an anonymous composer. According to Charles S. Terry, the name of this anonymous melody is "Venus du und dein Kind".
This melody is used in cantatas associated with the 8th, 17th, 19th, 21st, and 22nd Sundays after Trinity (Schmieder).
This organ chorale, alone among the Schüblers, is not a transcription from a known cantata. There is speculation that it may be from a lost cantata. It is a trio in E minor, with the chorale in the pedal.
| The music: | BWV 646 | The cantus firmus in the pedal. | |
| BWV 5.7 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 89.6 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 136.6 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 148.6 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 188.6 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 694 | Another organ chorale on the same melody. |
MP3 files of these chorales are available. If you want one, leave me a note in a comment with your email address and I will send it. Unfortunately, the files are too large to put them on my ftp server for general distribution.
Some names under which this chorale is known:
Auf meinen lieben Gott
Wo soll ich fliehen hin
In my beloved God I trust
In my dear God
Where shall I fly?
Where shall I refuge find?
Whither am I to flee?
Whither shall I flee?
Where may I fly, oh where?
Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke von Johann Sebastian Bach.
ed. Wolfgang Schmieder, Breitkopf and Hartel, Wiesbaden. 1990 ISBN 3-7651-0255-5.
The Organ Music of J.S. Bach, 2nd ed.
Peter Williams, Cambridge University Press 2003
2005, March 31
Schübler chorale 1, BWV 645
A look at a well known chorale: Wake, Awake for Night is Passing (Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme)
Bach chose a group of chorale arias from cantatas and transcribed them for organ; they were engraved and published by Johann Georg Schübler. They include BWV 645 through 650.
The first Schübler chorale, BWV 645, is based on the melody Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, by Philipp Nicolai. It is a composite melody, with elements from plainchant, a tune by Hans Sachs and the German Agnus Dei.
This organ chorale is an E-flat major trio, with the chorale in the left hand. This chorale is associated with the 27th Sunday after Trinity, which is the last Sunday before Advent.
| The music: | BWV 645 | Organ transcription of BWV 140.4, with the bass of the continuo in the pedal, no realization of the figures | |
| BWV 140.1 | A chorale fantasia with SATB, violin, viola, continuo | ||
| BWV 140.4 | A tenor aria with continuo with figured bass, and a violin obbligato. | ||
| BWV 140.7 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. |
MP3 files of these chorales are available. If you want one, leave me a note in a comment with your email address and I will send it. Unfortunately, the files are too large to put them on my ftp server for general distribution.
Some names under which this chorale is known:
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
Wake, awake for night is passing
Wake, awake, for night is flying
Discussion from the Bach Cantatas website
Discussion from the website of Emmanuel Music of Boston
Cantata No. 140
by Johann Sebastian Bach, Gerhard Herz (Editor), Norton Critical Scores 1972
The Organ Music of J.S. Bach, 2nd ed.
Peter Williams, Cambridge University Press 2003
A New Venture
March 31, 2005 is the ninth anniversary of the first appearance of http://www.jsbchorales.net.
To celebrate the ninth anniversary of JSB Chorales.net, here is the JSB Workshop, where I will offer short descriptions of some chorales, have some fun and share a few thoughts about life in general, probably about once or twice a week. Enjoy!
