Schübler Chorales

Title page of the Schübler Chorales, 1746

Schübler Chorales is a name usually given to the Sechs Chorale von verschiedener Art ('Six Chorales of Various Kinds') for organ (BWV 645–650), a collection of six chorale preludes by Johann Sebastian Bach, issued around 1748. The title 'Schübler Chorales' derives from the engraver and publisher Johann Georg Schübler, who is named on the title page. All six of the preludes are for an organ with two manuals and pedal, at least five of them transcribed from movements in Bach's cantatas, mostly chorale cantatas, as follows:

BWV	Chorale Name	Transcribed from
645	Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme ("Wake, Awake for Night is Passing")	Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, movement 4 (tenor chorale)
646	Wo soll ich fliehen hin ("Whither shall I flee?")	? lost cantata (see below)
647	Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten ("Who allows God alone to rule him")	Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, BWV 93, movement 4 (duet for soprano and alto)
648	Meine Seele erhebt den Herren ("My soul doth magnify the Lord")	Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, BWV 10, movement 5 (duet for alto and tenor, chorale instrumental)
649	Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ ("Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide")	Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, BWV 6, movement 3 (soprano chorale)
650	Kommst du nun, Jesu, vom Himmel herunter auf Erden ("Come thou, Jesu, from heaven to earth")	Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137, movement 2 (alto solo)

Since no source has been found for BWV 646, most scholars assume that the source cantata is one of the 100 or so believed to have been lost. The trio scoring of the movement suggests the original may have been for violin, or possibly violins and violas in unison (right hand), and continuo (left hand), with the chorale (pedal) sung by soprano or alto.

The fact that Bach had gone to the trouble and expense of securing the services of a master engraver to produce a collection of note-for-note transcriptions of this kind indicates that he did not regard the Schübler Chorales as a minor piece of hack-work, but as a significant public statement. These six chorales provide an approachable version of the music of the cantatas through the more marketable medium of keyboard transcriptions.^[1] Virtually all Bach's cantatas were unpublished in his lifetime.

References

↑ Boyd, Malcolm. Oxford Composer Companions: J.S. Bach, Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 441–442

External links

Schübler Chorales: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Free downloads of the Schübler Chorales recorded by James Kibbie on the 1724–30 Trost organ in the Stadtkirche, Waltershausen, Germany: either search for individual works or download the whole collection

Compositions for Organ, Keyboard and Lute by Johann Sebastian Bach

Organ	Fugue in G minor, BWV 131a (doubtful) Sonatas, BWV 525–530 Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532 Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537 Toccata and Fugue in D minor ("Dorian"), BWV 538 Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV 540 Fantasia and Fugue in G minor ("Great"), BWV 542 Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543 Prelude and Fugue in E minor ("Wedge"), BWV 548 Eight Short Preludes and Fugues, BWV 553–560 (doubtful) Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 562 Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564 Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 Prelude (Toccata) and Fugue in E major, BWV 566 Fugue in G minor ("Little"), BWV 578 Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 Orgelbüchlein, BWV 599–644 Schübler Chorales, BWV 645–650 Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes, BWV 651–668 Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her", BWV 769 Neumeister chorales, BWV 1090–1120 Chorale fantasia Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält, BWV 1128

Keyboard	Aria variata alla maniera italiana Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue English Suites French Suites Goldberg Variations (discography, Gould recording) Inventions and Sinfonias Italian Concerto Overture in the French style Partitas for Keyboard (No. 4, No. 6) Prelude in E minor, BWV 855a Six Little Preludes The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893 (Preludes and Fugues in Book I: C major, BWV 846, C♯ minor, BWV 849, G minor, BWV 861; in Book II: C major, BWV 870, F minor, BWV 881)

Lute	Suite in G minor, BWV 995 Suite in E minor, BWV 996 (Bourrée) Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E♭ major, BWV 998 Prelude in C minor, BWV 999 Fugue in G minor, BWV 1000

Mixed collections	Clavier-Übung III: Prelude and Fugue in E♭ major ("St. Anne"), BWV 552 / Chorale preludes, BWV 669–689 / Duets, BWV 802–805 Concerto arrangements for solo keyboard, BWV 592–597 and 972–987 Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Twelve Little Preludes

List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach List of fugal works by Johann Sebastian Bach

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 182257624 GND: 300005652 BNF: cb139097696 (data) NLA: 35928287

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