Have
you heard about the Hands & Feet Together: A Festival of the Organ
happening this Saturday, March 14 as part of Collegium Cincinnati’s 2015 Bach
Festival? Join three world-class organists for a program exploring the national
styles that Bach assimilated in his organ compositions. For more information
and to get tickets, you can check out this website.
Johann
Sebastian Bach was a working musician meaning that he would compose to meet the
needs of his current employer. While working in Arnstadt and Mühlhausen as a
church organist and Weimar as a court organist, he found himself composing many
works for the organ. Often times Bach wrote organ pieces that would be used in
Lutheran services such as chorale settings. Bach became familiar with organ
music at a young age finding fascination with composers such as Buxtehude,
Froberger, and Frescobaldi. Did you know that at one point he traveled 225 miles
on foot to hear Buxtehude? That’s dedication!
Bach
wrote over 200 chorale settings for the organ. His compiled manuscript
collection of 45 short chorale preludes makes up what is known as his Little
Organ Book. These chorale preludes served as introductions for the congregation
before they joined in singing the chorale during church services. Bach also
intended the book to serve pedagogical purposes in teaching young organ
students.
Chorale
preludes typically would contain one occurrence of the chorale melody line and
then each would have various settings beyond that. Settings may include playing
the melody in canon or perhaps with added ornamentation, or even reflecting the
text through the music. One example of a chorale prelude that reflects the chorale
text is Bach’s Through Adam’s Fall BWV
637. In this chorale prelude, the top line contains the chorale melody while
the bass contains descending leaps depicting Adam’s fall in Genesis. The
twisted chromatic line in the alto is reminiscent of a slivering serpent and
the downward pull in the tenor shows Adam as he’s pulled down by temptation.
You can listen to this chorale prelude from the Little Organ Book here.
Join
me next time as we look at what has become Bach’s most famous organ piece,
Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565, and its appearances in pop culture.
