Composer’s Note:

Bach’s organ chorale preludes are settings of Lutheran hymns, used probably to introduce the congregational singing. The congregation would naturally have known all the tunes, and all the words and their implications would have been as vivid to them as to Bach. In all five preludes arranged in this anthology, the chorale appears relatively unadorned in the top voice, while the lower three voices provide harmonic support in various styles. This edition contains minimal editing; bowings and fingerings have been added only to facilitate reading, and despite their general conformance with current ideas on Baroque practice they should not be considered the only possibilities. Tempos, as in the original, are left to the performers’ discretion. However, it is suggested that they be slow enough for the listener to discern harmonic and contrapuntal events, yet fast enough for the tune to be recognized.