Bach Orgelbüchlein

For many, Johann Sebastian Bach is ‘the’ composer of the Baroque period, a master of harmony, counterpoint and genre. During his lifetime he was particularly renowned as a virtuoso organist, and his compositions for the instrument have formed the core repertory of any aspiring organist ever since. The content of the Orgelbüchlein – a selection of chorale preludes composed while Bach held the post of Ducal Organist at Weimar – includes several pieces that are considered to be among Sebastian’s finest works.

45 little masterpieces for the Lutheran Service. The explanatory title Bach gave to his Orgelbüchlein, a collection of chorale preludes composed in Weimar between 1708 and 1717 is as follows: Little organ book, in which the aspiring organist is given guidance in the performance of a chorale in many different ways, as well as in perfecting himself in the study of the pedal, since in all of the chorales contained herein the pedal part is obligatory. In honour solely of God on high, and for the instruction of my fellowmen.

Little Organ Book, in which a beginning organist is given instruction in performing a chorale in a multitude of ways, and also in mastering the use of the pedal, since in the chorales offered here the pedal is used to its full extent. Glory be to God alone, thereby may we our knowledge hone.

Organist Stephen Farr continues his survey of works by Johann Sebastian Bach with one of the composer’s major collections of organ chorale preludes – the Orgelbüchlein. This unfinished compendium of miniatures, said by Mendelssohn to bear ‘most evidently the marks of his genius’, contains much variety with each of theforty-six completed works containing a well-defined and individual character. For this recording, Farr performs on the eighteenth-century Trost organ of Waltershausen’s stunning Stadtkirche in Germany.

The Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book) BWV 599−644 is a set of 46 chorale preludes for organ — one of them is given in two versions — by Johann Sebastian Bach. All but three were written between 1708 and 1717 when Bach served as organist to the ducal court in Weimar; the remainder and a short two-bar fragment came no earlier than 1726, after the composer’s appointment as cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig.

With the major project "Bach Organ Landscapes" and the recording of all of Johann Sebastian Bach's organ works, the German conductor, harpsichordist and organist Jörg Halubek invites you on a comprehensive journey to historical organ builders who shaped Johann Sebastian Bach. "The further you look back into music history, the more regional developments can be discovered," says the artist. “These connections between instrument and organ work characterize the so-called organ landscapes”. The third and fourth albums of the ten-part series are about 'Hamburg' and 'Lüneburg & Altenbruch'.

Brilliant Classics embarked on a daring project in the year 2000, the year of the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach's death: this budget label decided to release a complete set of Bach's works. They were not the only label to do so - Teldec and Haenssler both did as well - but the Brilliant Classics set stands out for several reasons. First, they attempted (though did not fully succeed) to create a complete set entirely recorded on period instruments, using historically informed performances.