About this work
The six Schübler Chorales are a reunion: five of them rework cantata movements for the organ. The famous Wachet auf, BWV 645, retains a highly mobile instrumental line in the right hand, while the chorale appears in the tenor and the bass moves to the pedal. The original orchestra is almost audible behind the manuals.
The collection, published around 1748 or 1749, does not call for the same solution in every piece. Sometimes the cantus firmus must emerge from an inner voice; elsewhere, a line derived from a vocal duet needs flexibility. Begin by finding the chorale melody and its register: its musical role offers a surer guide to registration than any table of ready-made recipes.
At the console, practise each hand separately with the pedalboard. The accompanying voices must retain their phrasing even when they lie comfortably under the fingers. Avoid detaching every note in the same way: Bach changed the clothes, not the breathing. If the chorale disappears, reduce the accompaniment before adding a trumpet stop capable of waking the neighbourhood.
What the document contains
the six chorales BWV 645 to 650;
a 14-page PDF for organ;
no separate MIDI file.
The spelling “Schübler” comes from the publisher Johann Georg Schübler. The file gathers the six pieces in the order of the collection.