A Book of Chorale Settings - German Mass (Bach Edition, Vol 81)

An attempt to place some of Bach’s chorales into an appropriate liturgical context that achieves only mixed results

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Johann Sebastian Bach

Label: Hänssler

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 71

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: 92 081

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Choral Preludes from the Kirnberger Collection, Movement: Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend, BWV709 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Choral Preludes from the Kirnberger Collection, Movement: Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV711 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Clavier-Übung III, Movement: Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit, BWV672 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Clavier-Übung III, Movement: Christe, aller Welt Trost, BWV673 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Clavier-Übung III, Movement: Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist, BWV674 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Clavier-Übung III, Movement: Fughetta: Wir glauben all'an einen Gott, BWV681 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Clavier-Übung III, Movement: Fuga: Jesus Christus unser Heiland, BWV689 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Chorale Preludes, Movement: Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV715 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Chorale Preludes, Movement: Herr Gott, dich loben wir, BWV725 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Orgel-Büchlein, Movement: O Lamm Gottes, BWV618 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Orgel-Büchlein, Movement: Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot', BWV635 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Orgel-Büchlein, Movement: Vater unser im Himmelreich, BWV636 Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gerhard Gnann, Organ
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Herr Jesus Christ, dich zu uns wend' Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Kyrie: Gott Vater in Ewigkeit Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Allein Gott in der Höh' sei Ehr' Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Wir glauben all' an einen Gott Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Heilig, heilig, heilig Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Vater unser im Himmelreich Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
Herr Gott, dich loben wir Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Gächinger Kantorei, Stuttgart
Helmuth Rilling, Conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Composer
Stuttgart Bach Collegium
The hallmark of Bach’s pedagogical influence on generations of musicians lies squarely with the chorale: the bread and butter of a student’s understanding of harmonic syntax, a microcosm of how ‘voices’ can be both dependent and independent at the same time, and the arteries through which so many of Bach’s creative juices flowed. The range of embellishment in these great hymns is what reveals the inventive musical mind at its apex, whether in cantata choruses, organ preludes, motets or passions. Yet the unfettered beauty of Bach’s crafting of a standard Lutheran chorale requires no special advocacy, as can be heard in this unusual assembly of four-part tunes, joined by miscellaneous organ chorale-preludes from the Orgelbuchlein and Clavierubung III.
Nearly 400 chorale arrangements exist, several originally attached to lost cantatas, and a large selection indexed by collectors from the 1730s to the modern day in various guises, though Bach himself conducted no such creative- cum-archival exercise. With no fixed brief, therefore, this disc is an attempt at ‘an audio hymnbook’, placing choice chorales within a liturgical scheme (hence ‘German Mass’) and, in the process, giving a contextual rationale to a broad selection of them. It doesn’t make for compelling listening, it must be said, beyond small doses. The artificiality of the enterprise is also not relieved by Rilling’s fairly perfunctory readings, despite some colourful and sensitive organ playing by Gerhard Gnann. The Stuttgarters sing with customary panache. There is a feeling, though, that this is more a necessary recording for the library and Hannsler’s Bach marathon than for the record-buyer. I wondered how much care had been taken. There is an edit so rough that one bar is subjected to a syncopated effect, decipherable only by advanced rhythmic dictation. We know the paraphrase in Berg’s Violin Concerto of Bach’s whole-tone phrase in ‘Es ist genug’. How Stravinsky would have gone for a chorale with a bit of 3/16 time (Track 9, 1'27'')! Rag-time Chorale?'

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