Man is always more than he can know of himself; consequently, his accomplishments, time and again, will come as a surprise to him. - Golo Mann
Chorales
2005, October 14
BWV 1.6 Organ Trio
BWV 1.6 corrections and a wonderful organ trio arrangement.
Hermann Scheuber, a gentleman in Switzerland who is retired and an organ student, downloaded the midi file for BWV 1.6 and made an arrangement for the organ.
He omitted the alto, the tenor and the first horn part so that he was left with an organ trio made up of the soprano chorale in the right hand, the second horn part as an obligato in the left hand, and the bass in the pedal.
Here is a QuickTime file of the resulting trio.
When three parts were omitted, I was able to hear the second horn part more clearly and realized there was a mistake in the file that went back through the years to the original file and ran through the midi, the QuickTime and the PDF files.
So because of Hermann's work I have been able to post all new corrected files for this chorale. It is wonderful how people are using the files; I always appreciate the feedback I get.
- Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh' darein
- BWV 1.6 midi
- BWV 1.6 QuickTime
- BWV 1.6 PDF
- BWV 1.6 Organ Trio QuickTime
- BWV 1.6 Organ Trio PDF
(Wie schön leuchtet der morgenstern)
2005, September 07
Lord Hear my Deepest Longing
Lord Hear my Deepest Longing (Herzlich tut mich verlangen)
This chorale melody is attributed to Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612), 1601. Bach used the melody in the following eleven settings.
| BWV 135.6 | A four part chorale. | BWV 161.6 | A four part chorale. |
| BWV 244.15 | A four part chorale from St. Matthew Passion. | ||
| BWV 244.17 | Another four part chorale from St. Matthew Passion. | ||
| BWV 244.44 | Another four part chorale from St. Matthew Passion. | ||
| BWV 244.54 | Another four part chorale from St. Matthew Passion. | ||
| BWV 244.62 | Another four part chorale from St. Matthew Passion. | ||
| BWV 248.5 | A four part chorale from the Christmas Oratorio. | ||
| BWV 248.64 | Another four part chorale from the Christmas Oratorio. | ||
| BWV 270 | A four part chorale. | ||
| BWV 271 | Another four part chorale. |
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:
Herzlich tut mich verlangen
Lord Hear my Deepest Longing
Discussions from the Bach Cantatas website:
Discussions from the Emmanuel Music website:
2005, July 18
BWV 650 Corrected
Schübler chorale 6, Come thou, Jesu, from heaven to earth (Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter)
This morning I realized that the QT file of the sixth Schübler chorale has the chorale melody an octave too low. I missed the organ pedal marking, 4 fuss, meaning that it sounds an octave higher than written.
Since it is an alto aria, this makes sense, since it would be in the wrong range as I had it.
Here is the corrected file:
And since I have developed a fondness for the chorale an octave lower, here is the uncorrected version.
BWV 650, chorale an octave low
2005, July 12
How Brightly Beams the Morning Star
How Brightly Beams the Morning Star (Wie schön leuchtet der morgenstern)
This chorale melody is attributed to Philipp Nicolai (1544-1608), in 1599. Charles Sanford Terry comments that "it is improbable that Nicolai composed the melody" but rather more likely that he adjusted older material to his hymn. Terry goes on to state that the melody bears a partial resemblance to a 14th century carol, Resonet in laudibus.
Resonet in laudibus, harmonized by Ralph Vaughn Williams
According to Terry, the source of the hymn text is Psalm 45, but I personally cannot see a connection.
Besides the pieces below, the melody also appears in BWV 37.3 as a soprano and alto duet, and in BWV 49.6 where it is an aria duet for soprano and bass.
| The music: | BWV 1.1 | The opening chorale of Cantata 1. A complex chorale fantasia with the chorale in the soprano part. | BWV 1.6 | The final chorale of Cantata 1. The soprano part is doubled by the first horn and the first violin. The alto part is doubled by the second violin and the first oboe da caccia. The tenor part is doubled by the viola and the second oboe da caccia. |
| BWV 36(2).4 | Another four part chorale. | ||
| BWV 61.6 | This piece uses the final Amen from the chorale. | ||
| BWV 172.6 | A violin obligato part accompanies this 4 part chorale, "How Brightly Shines the Morning Star". This is the final chorale of Cantata 172, "Erschallet, ihr Lieder" or "Ring Out, Songs, Resound". | ||
| BWV 172.6, Vocal parts | The four part harmonization without the violin. | ||
| BWV 172.6, violin obligato | Violin part only. | ||
| BWV 436 | A four part chorale. |
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:
Wie schön leuchtet der morgenstern
How Brightly Beams the Morning Star
Discussions from the Bach Cantatas website:
Discussions from the Emmanuel Music website:
BWV 1
BWV 36
BWV 61
BWV 172 (translation)
2005, June 09
Schübler chorale 6, BWV 650
Come thou, Jesu, from heaven to earth (Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter)
This is the sixth Schübler chorale, BWV 650, based on the melody "Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter". This is a chorale based on a secular melody by an anonymous composer.
The chorale plays against a dance-like obligato.
| The music: | BWV 650 | The cantus firmus in the pedal. | |
| BWV 137.2 | Solo alto aria with violin obligato. | ||
| BWV 57.8 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 137.1 | Chorale fantasia. | ||
| BWV 137.3 | Soprano and bass duet. | ||
| BWV 137.4 | Tenor aria with chorale in the trumpet part. | ||
| BWV 137.5 | A four part chorale with trumpets. |
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:
Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter
Hast du denn, Jesu, dein Angesicht
Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren
Come thou, Jesu, from heaven to earth
Comest thou now, Jesu
Why hast thou hidden, Jesu
Praise him the highest, omnipotent King
Praise the almighty, our king and ruler
Praise the Lord, who rules over all
Discussion from the Bach Cantatas website
Discussion from the website of Emmanuel Music of Boston
The Organ Music of J.S. Bach, 2nd ed.
Peter Williams, Cambridge University Press 2003
2005, June 03
Schübler chorale 5, BWV 649
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ)
This is the fifth Schübler chorale, BWV 649, based on the melody "Wo soll ich fliehen hin".
The chorale melody is by an anonymous composer. It is an old melody, Parvulus nobis nascitur, used as Alto part of four part setting by Seth Calvisius, in his hymnal Hymni sacri Latini et germanici, published in Erfurt in 1594.
The form of the organ chorale is A-chorale-A. This is one of my favorite Bach pieces.
| The music: | BWV 649 | The cantus firmus in the pedal. | |
| BWV 6.3 | A soprano aria from BWV 6. | ||
| BWV 253 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 414 | 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:
Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ
Danket dem Herrn heut und allzeit
Parvulus nobis nascitur
Uns ist ein Kindlein heut gebor'n
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide
A child is born to us this day
Discussion from the Bach Cantatas website
Discussion from the website of Emmanuel Music of Boston
The Organ Music of J.S. Bach, 2nd ed.
Peter Williams, Cambridge University Press 2003
2005, May 01
Schübler chorale 4, BWV 648
My soul doth magnify the Lord (Meine Seele erhebt den Herren)
This is the fourth Schübler chorale, BWV 648, based on the melody "Meine Seele erhebt den Herren", the German Magnificat, or the Visitation of Mary.
The hymn is based on a Gregorian melody, the tonus peregrinus. The Schübler chorale is a transcription of the duet from Cantata 10, BWV 10.5.
| The music: | BWV 648 | The cantus firmus in the pedal. | |
| BWV 10.5 | A tenor and alto duet, with the chorale played by trumpet and two oboes. | ||
| BWV 10.7 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 243.10 | A trio, soprano I, II and alto with the chorale in obligato by 2 oboes. | ||
| BWV 323 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 324 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 733 | 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:
Meine Seele erhebt den Herren
My soul doth magnify the Lord
The German Magnificat
Discussion from the Bach Cantatas website
Discussion from the website of Emmanuel Music of Boston
The Organ Music of J.S. Bach, 2nd ed.
Peter Williams, Cambridge University Press 2003
2005, April 14
Schübler chorale 3, BWV 647
Who allows God alone to rule him (Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten)
This is the third Schübler chorale, BWV 647, based on the melody "Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten", used in cantatas for many occasions, including one wedding. The melody may be by Georg Neumark, from about 1640, and appeared in his "Fortegepflantzter Musikalisch-Poetischer Lustwald", Jena, 1657.
This is a transcription of the soprano and alto duet from Cantata 93. All the sections of the Cantata use the chorale melody, with the seventh section a simple four part harmonization.
| The music: | BWV 647 | Cantus firmus in the pedal, sounding an octave higher than written (Pedal 4 Fuß). | |
| BWV 93.7 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 166.6 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 179.6 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 197.10 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 434 | A four part harmonization of the chorale melody. | ||
| BWV 642 | Another organ chorale on the same melody. | ||
| BWV 690 | Another organ chorale on the same melody. | ||
| BWV 691 | 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:
Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten
Wer weiss, wie nahe mir meine ende
Who allows God alone to rule him
Who will but let himself be guided
Discussion from the Bach Cantatas website
Discussion from the website of Emmanuel Music of Boston
The Organ Music of J.S. Bach, 2nd ed.
Peter Williams, Cambridge University Press 2003
