Bach’s chorals. Part III. The hymns and hymn melodies of the organ works

374 Pages·1921·9.607 MB·English

by  Terry, Charles Sanford

/BACH'S CHORALS/_-
BY
CHARLES SANFORD TERRY
LXTT.D. CANTAB.
PART III
THE HYMNS AND HYMN
MELODIES
OF THE
ORGAN WORKS
Cambridge :
at the University Press
I92I
V
i ,
T
"No one who is familiar with the work of other cen-
turies will contradict or hold my statement exaggerated,
that Bach cannot be named except in tones of rapture,
and even of devout awe, by those who have learnt to
know him. We may discover and lay bare the secrets of
his technique. But his power toinspire into it the breath
ofgenius, the perfection oflife and charm that moves us
so powerfully, even in his slightest works, must always
remain extraordinary and insoluble."
JOHANNNIKOLAUSFOR_:_L.
PREFATORY NOTE
"('_F all Bach's works, the Organ Chorals are
_-J probably the least known, even to organists,"
Mr Newman remarks in Novello's edition of the
OrgelbucMein. "Until recently," another English
writer 1 confesses, "not more than one organist in
a hundred knew what Bach was driving at in the
Choral Preludes as a whole. We were confronted
with collections of pieces bearing German titles,
with no hint as to pace, power, or registration.
Sometimes the thematic basis could be identified
and followed, but more often not. In many cases
it was even impossible to say whether the music
was intended to be joyful or sad. We need not be
surprised that the puzzle was laid aside in favour
. of Preludes and Fugues that carried their message
- on their face."
_' In large measure English neglect of the Choral
.. Preludes is due to unfamiliarity with the melodies
and hymns on which they are founded, whereas, by
reason of the intimate relation between them and
Bach's music, a knowledge of both is imperative.
No adequate attempt hitherto has been made to
.-_ remove this serious impediment by placing the text
J of the hymns before English readers, systematically
. exploring them for guidance to Bach's treatment
1 Mr Harvey Grace in TAt ,¢trusicalTimes for October I92o,p.67z.
-cj
vi
of their melodies, and expounding the form and his-
torical antecedents of the tunes. The author believes
that the following pages will be found to provide
the necessary apparatus for a neglected study.
The author's discovery of Bach's early use of
Christian Friedrich Witt's Psalmodia sacra (I-715)
opens a new field of exploration and has produced
important results. It has at length forced the secret
of its design and purpose from the OrgelbucMein, a
problem which German scholarship, persistently
and minutely concentrated on Bach's art for more
than sixty years, either neglected or found insoluble.
It affords, moreover, with some approximation to
accuracy, the means to date the Choral Preludes ac-
cording as Bach's version of their melodies conforms
to or differs from Witt's--Le. Gotha-Weimar--use.
It is only necessary to add that the present
volume repeats the method of its predecessors. The
source of the hymns and melodies is stated: the
tunes are given in their earliest published form: a
translation of every hymn used by Bach isprovided.
Biographical and bibliographical information isfur-
nished concerning such authors, composers, hymns,
and tunes as do not occur in the earlier volumes
of this work. In Part II an Appendix was provided
disclosing the locus of the MS.and Autograph texts
of the Oratorios, -Passions, Masses, Cantatas, and
Motetts. Similar information is provided here re-
garding the Choral Preludes.
vii
References to the Choral Preludes are made
throughout to Novello's Edition (Books xv-xix).
Owners of other Editions can easily adapt these
pages to their use by means of the comparative
Table provided on pages 2-I I. It would have been
agreeable to collate the Schirmer Edition, prepared
by C. M. Widor and Albert Schweitzer: its volumes
vI-vIII are to contain the Choral Preludes, but are
not yet published.
The present volume concludes an arduous labour.
To those who have aided him by counsel and cor-
rection, and particularly his friends Sir Ivor Atkins
and Dr W.G. Whittaker, the author makes his sincere
acknowledgments. He cannot fail to add a note of
warm gratitude to the Syndics of the Cambridge
University Press for material aid towards the publi-
cation of this volume and for unfailing interest in
an undertaking whose completion owes much to
their encouragement.
C. S.T.
KING'S COLLEGE,
OLDAB_-RD_.N.
July I921.
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFATORY NOTE v
INTRODUCTION
The Organ Chorals . I
The Texts 12
The OrgelbucMein . I8
The Clavieriibunff, Part III 66
Schtibler's Sechs Chorale 7o
The Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch" 75
The AcMzehn Chorgile 78
MELODIES 83
INDEX 347
ix
MELODIES
PAGE
Ach bleib' beiuns, Herr Jesu Christ 83
Ach Gott und Herr 86
Ach wie fltichtig 89
Alle Menschen mtissen sterben 93
Allein Gott in der H6h' sei Ehr' 96
An Wasserfliassen Babylon IOI
Auf meinen lieben Gott, or,Wo soil ich fliehen bin 34I
Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zudir . io6
Christ, der du bist der helle Tag . lO9
Christ ist erstanden 113
Christ lag in Todesbanden Ix5
Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam I2O
Christe, du Lamm Gottes I24
Christum wir sollen loben schon . I26
Christus, der uns selig macht x29
Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund I33
Das alte Jahr vergangen ist . 137
Das Jesulein soil doch mein Trost i4o
Der Tag, der ist sofreudenreich . I43
Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot' i46
Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt i5o
Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott i53
Erbarm' dich mein, O Herre Gott i55
Erschienen ist der herrliche Tag . 158
Erstanden ist der heil'ge Christ 16o
Es ist das Heil uns kommen her . 166
Es ist gewisslich an derZeit, or, Nun frent euch, lieben
Christen g'mein 266
Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ 169
Gott, dutch deine Gtite, or, Gottes Sohn ist kommen . I73
Gottes Sohn istkommen, or, Gott, durch deine Gute . x73
x
PAGE
Helft mir Gott's Gute preisen I77
Herr Christ, der ein'ge Gottes-Sohn, or, Herr Gott, nun
sei gepreiset 182
Herr Gott dich loben wir I85
Herr Gott, nun sei gepreiset, or, Herr Christ, der
ein'ge Gottes-Sohn. 182
Herr Gott, nun schleuss den Himmel auf x87
Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend' i9i
Herzlich thut mich verlangen I95
Heut' triumphiret Gottes Sohn i98
Hilf Gott, dass mir's gelinge. 2oi
Ich hab' mein Sach' Gott heimgestellt 2o5
Ich ruf' zudir, Herr Jesu Christ . 2o9
In dich hab' ich gehoffet, Herr 2xI
In dir ist Freude 2i5
In dulci jubilo 220
Jesu, meine Freude 224
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, Der den Toc 227
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, Der von uns. 23o
Jesus, meine Zuversicht 236
Komm, Gott, Sch6pfer, heiliger Geist . 239
Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott 242
Kommst dunun, Jesu,vom Himmelherunter aufErden? 246
Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit 248
Liebster Jesu, wirsind hier . 25i
Lob sei dem allm_.chtigen Gott 255
Lobt Gott, ihr Christen alle gleich 258
Meine Seele erhebt den Herren 26o
Mit Fried' und Freud' ich fahr' dahin 262
Nun danket aUe Gott 264
Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein, or, Es ist
gewisslich an der Zeit . 266
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland . 272
O Gott, du frommer Gott 275
0 Lamm Gottes unschuldig . 28_
xi
PAGE
O Mensch, bewein' dein' Siande gross 284
Puer natus in Bethlehem 286
Schmiacke dich, O liebe Seele 289
Sei gegrusset, Jesu giitig 292
Valet will ich dirgeben 297
Vater unser iraHimmelreich 300
Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her 304
Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schaar 308
Von Gott will ich nicht lassen 31o
Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiemit, or, Wenn wlr in
h6chsten Nothen sein 3x6
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme . 314
Wenn witinh6chsten N6then sein, or,Vordeinen Thron
tret ich hiemit. 316
Wer nur den lieben Gott l_tsst walten . 324
Wie sch_n leuchtet der Morgenstern 328
Wir Christenleut' . 332
Wir danken dir, Herr Jesu Christ 334
Wir glauben all' an einen Gott, Sch6pfer 336
Wir glauben all' an einen Gott, Vater . 339
Wo soil ich flmhen hin, or,Auf meinen lieben Gott 34I
PART II
ADDENDA AND ERRATA
PAGE
4. In Period I 0704-8)add No. t96.
,, II (I7o8--17) delete No. t96.
,, IV (1725-34) add Nos. 39, 53, 54, and delete
Nos. 28, 1o7, U3.
,, V (I735-So)addNos. 28, ToT,U3, and dekte
Nos. 39, 53, 54.
5ft. A fuller Analysis of the Cantata libretti is available in
Forkel's (ed.Terry)Johann Sebastian Bac_ (Constable,
x92o), pp. t87-22¢. Further information is afforded
there also regarding their authorship.
_7- In its revised and existing form Cantata No. _o (O
Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort) probably belongs to the
later Leipzig period.
3o 1.xS. Bach wrote four Choral Cantatas of earlier date than is
here suggested: No. 4in i7_4, No. 8c. x725, No. 20
c. x725, No. 95in i728 {?).
Sx 1.i_. Bach's dependence onPicander isprobably exaggerated.
See Forkel, o#. cir. p. i78.
33 1.I6. Cantata No. 93was composed in 17_8 (?). Bach already
had used the paraphrased hymn-stanza in Nos. 8and
(perhaps) _o.
53 1.Io, Bach's text of the Magnificat follows St Luke's Gospel
and not Pollio's paraphrase.
6,. Izaak's authorship of" 0 Welt, ich muss dich lassen"
is doubtful.
63. To Rosenmttller may be attributed, but not positively,
"Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn" (see p.66, 1._o).
74" Some of the melodies onpp. 74-I26 arein the "English
Hymnal," and, in Aria form(ed. DrW. G.Whittaker),
are published by Messrs Stainer and Bell.
96. The melody is included in the Moravian Hymn-book,
_l. x9_4(No.357).