Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Fine Collection of Bach Orgelbuchlein with 4 part chorales

By chance I happened on the Grammaphone issue for December 2005 which included a CD entitled A Bach Christmas which, among other items, included the first 16 Orgelbuchlein Chorale settings for organ. These are associated with Christmas. What is unique about this CD, from BBC Music, is that interleaved with each organ chorale is a sung four-part chorale version in German with translation in the booklet that accompanies the CD. Since there are often more than one four-part chorale setting for a given chorale melody, careful attention seems to be taken with the choice as relates to the organ chorale. There are two famout chorales from cantatas that begin the CD and an organ fugue at the end, but it is the Orgelbuchlein with four-part chorales that make this CD notable.

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