C. Sanford Terry Source: the Musical Times, Vol

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The 'Orgelbüchlein': Another Bach Problem. III Author(s): C. Sanford Terry Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 58, No. 889 (Mar. 1, 1917), pp. 107-109 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/908172 Accessed: 23-01-2016 07:16 UTC

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This content downloaded from 130.191.17.38 on Sat, 23 Jan 2016 07:16:16 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES.-MARCH I, I9I7. 10o7 surely a theme of unlimited possibilities. Moreover and Schneesing's familiar Hymn of Faith (No. 70), concerts and recitals are not given exclusively by Miss 'Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ'): Jones and Miss Brown. Performers of greater note Lord Jesu Christ, in Thee alone occasionally appear, sometimes there are orchestral My only hope on earth I place. sometimes sometimes choral, performances, operatic, The mood of dejection returns (No. 71): and concerning one and all it should usually be Alas ! God ! sins are great, possible to find something to say worth saying my my My conscience doth upbraid me, without wandering too far afield; and this whether And now I find that in strait the in be excellent or the my performance question No man hath power to aid me. reverse-by Miss Jones and Miss Brown or by And practitioners more famous. Indeed it is the less again (No. 72): distinguished performers who generally bring the Jesus, Thou Source of every good, most grist to the critical mill, so that while the efforts And fountain of salvation, of Miss and Miss Brown be Behold me bowed beneath the load Jones may altogether Of and condemnation. lamentable from the ordinary hearer's standpoint they guilt may be as manna in the wilderness to the critic seeking And again (No. 73): inspiration for his pen. Of course, too, there is always A sinner, Lord, I pray Thee, the music as well as the performance upon which the Recall Thy dread decree; critic may discourse-if indeed this is not the wrong Thy fearful wrath O spare me, way to put it, seeing that from any intelligent From judgment set me free. standpoint it is so infinitely the more interesting But once more, in No. 74, comes a thought of subject of the two-so that altogether there seems no comfort : reason whatever why a concert notice need necessarily My heavy load of sin be unreadable unless it is irrelevant. To Thee, O Lord, I bring; To one or two other points in Mr. Newman's From out Thy Side love floweth, And bestoweth. articles I hope to return on another occasion. saving grace After a final act of contrition (No. 75), the section ends with two comforting hymns from Witt's ' Rechtfertigung' section-Lazarus Spengler's 'Durch THE 'ORGELBUCHLEIN ': Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt' (No. 76): He that hopeth in God stedfastly ANOTHER BACH PROBLEM. Shall never be confounded. BY C. SANFORD TERRY. and Paul Speratus's 'Es ist das Heil uns kommen her' (No. 77): III. Salvation hath come down to us Of freest grace and love. Before the sections of Part II. of examining It is characteristic of Bach's buoyant optimism that the its resemblance in 'Orgelbuchlein,' general these two hymns, with their message of hope, are the design to the latter half of Witt's book must be movements in the section. realised. Both with followed only completed begin Catechism, by Of the nine hymns in the Holy Communion section Penitential into the latter of which Bach Hymns, only five (Nos. 78, 79, 8I, 82, 84) are found in absorbs Witt's 'Glaubens-Gesange ' (Nos. 271-289) and Witt's division. The rest are intro- 'Von der corresponding Rechtfertigung des Glaubens' (Nos. 290-307) duced from other of Witt's book, and No. 83 is section. In parts both books a 'Holy Communion' in from elsewhere. Clearly Bach is working section brought follows, from which Bach passes directly to out a of his own. The first hymn (No. 78) 'For the Common design Weal,' omitting Witt's 'Jesus- Christus, unser Heiland') is an Lieder' and his (Luther's 'Jesus (Nos. 334-409), reserving Morning invitation to the Holy Feast: and Evening Hymns for a later place. Similarly post- Who will draw near to that Table poning Witt's 'Vom der Christlichen Kirchen' and Must take heed all he is able; 'Um Friede' sections, Bach inserts next a section on Who unworthy thither goes, 'Christian Conduct and Experience.' His twodivisions Thence death, instead of life, he knows. 'In Time of Trouble' and 'Death and the Grave' und coincide No. 79, Luther's ' Gott sei gelobet gebenedeiet,' with Witt's. He then introduces Witt's receive and Table like is a prayer that the communicant may worthily Morning, Evening, Hymns, and, him, Blood. his work to an end with a section on 'The Life Christ's Flesh and brings another section of Witt's Eternal.' No. 80, transferred from of Psalm and the com- to the sections. In the Catechism book, is a version 23, brings Turning Hymns Table: Bach follows Witt's order with two one of municant to the Holy exceptions, The Lord He is true, which is of purpose: he deliberately places Witt's my Shepherd He safely guideth; No. 222 in front of his No. 221, the former ('Dies sind My steps With all good things in order due die heil'gen zehn Gebot") being more definitive His me to introduce the Ten Commandments. The bounty provideth. general No. is an act of devotion the order of this section-Commandments, Creed, 81 upon receiving Prayer, Sacrament. Baptism-is in accordance with common use. Bach it later in the Catechism Chorals No. 82, 'O Jesu, du edle Gabe' ('Jesu, precious adopted twenty years is an act of after of the 'Clavierubung.' Treasure'), thanksgiving In the Penitential section Bach includes Witt's Communion: 'Faith' and 'Justification by Faith' hymns, and with From my sins Thy blood hath cleansed me, snatched me. a clear purpose. He begins (Nos. 67, 68) with con- And from hell Thy love hath fessions of sin and abasement, and answers them No. 83 is a grateful invocation of the Lamb of God. (No. 69) immediately with Johann Rist's consolatory In No. 84 ('Ich weiss ein Blimlein') the communi- 'Jesu, der du meine Seele': cant contemplates the precious gift vouchsafed to him. in Witt Tesu ! Who in sorrow dying Nos. 85 and 86, introduced from elsewhere Didst deliverance bring to me. end upon a note of thanksgiving.

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The section 'For the Common Weal' conforms to constancy to it, Bach ending characteristically in Witt's 'Von denen drey Haupt-Standen,' and needs no No. I23 upon an intimate note. comment. The section 'In Time of War' needs no The next section, 'Christian Conduct and elucidation. Bach has selected three well-known Experience,' excepting Nos. 89 and 9I, is taken hymns for peace, and inserts them in Witt's order. entirely from Witt's corresponding division. I cannot In the section 'Death and the Grave' all but the detect significance either in the arrangement Bach last two hymns (Nos. 141, 142) are taken from Witt's adopts or in his variation of Witt's numerical order. corresponding section. But they are arranged in All the eight hymns are appropriate to personal and Bach's own order, and with a definite design. family use. Nos. 127-I29 are utterances of the soul facing death. The next section, 'In Time of Trouble,' contains Nos. 130 ('Alle Menschen'), I32 ('Valet will ich dir seventeen numbers, of which four (Nos. io6, o09, II2, geben '), and 133 (' Nun lasst uns den Leib begraben') 113) are not in Witt's corresponding section. Further, place us at the actual grave. Nos. I34-140 breathe the hymns taken from Witt's section are arranged over it the assurance of a future life. Nos. 14I, 142 by Bach in a changed order which implies the proclaim the Last Judgment and the day-dawn existence of a 'programme.' He deliberately selects of Eternity. No. 97 (' In dich hab' ich gehoffet, Herr'), a fervent Closely following Witt's order within it, Bach expression of faith, to begin the section. The next interpolates an earlier section of Witt's book succeeding eight hymns (Nos. 99-Io6) express the Morning, Evening, Table, and Weather Hymns- moods of distress and despair, culminating in No. io6, from all of which he makes a selection. Excepting 'So wiinsch ich nun eine gute Nacht,' with its hopeless his careful choice of the hymns to begin the Morning cry and Evening sections, Bach's arrangement does not Farewell, vain, worthless world, farewell, call for comment. Farewell to friends, farewell to life. Of a different character is the concluding section, 'The Life Eternal.' At first sight it appeared to Then the mood changes. The last seven hymns contain addenda to the sections breathe and and Bach ends with haphazard preceding courage assurance, of Part II., and so at first I them. The one of his Neumark's ' Wer nur den regarded favourites, Georg of their the thought of Eternity lieben Gott lasst whose he introduces possibility illustrating walten,' melody seemed the more remote because, though Witt's final into no less than of the Cantatas: eight section is of that character, Bach takes not a single Think not amid the hour of trial hymn from it. On the other hand, it was impossible That God hath cast thee off unheard. to believe that Bach would end on so bathic a note as a weather and a closer examination of The section 'The Church Militant' follows Witt hymn; Nos. 157-164 leaves no doubt that they bear the very closely. But Bach's transposition of two hymns I them. and his of two others interpretation give (Nos. 120, I22), interpolation The section with Johann Flittner's are with Witt's section begins 'Jesus- (Nos. 12I, 123), purpose. Lied,' whose closing lines clearly were in Bach's illustrates promiscuously the 'Christian Church and mind: God's Word.' Bach prefers to treat the two ideas in two sub-sections: (a) 'The Christian Church,' When death calls me, O sustain me, Nos. ' God's Nos. Thou Consoler, 114-120; (b) Holy Word,' 121-123. Comforter. In sub-section (a) Bach follows Witt, with one Jesu, characteristic modification-the of No. 120. position There follows (No. 158) another of Flittner's hymns, He with No. 114 (Luther's version of Psalm 12, begins which bears the inscription, 'Though I lose all, yet to ' Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh which sets forth darein'), Jesus I will cling,' and whose seven stanzas all end the Church's mission: with the refrain: Grant to the faith her, O Lord, keep Jesus, from Thee ne'er I'll part. Amid a faithless nation, And grant us safe from sinful scathe Then come two reflective hymns upon the At length to reach salvation. transitoriness of life: No. 'Ach wie Tho' men their with Satan earthly 159, part take, nichtig,' and No. I60, 'Ach, was ist doch unser No power of hell can ever shake Leben.' The last four look the The Church's sure foundation. hymns beyond gulf: No. I6i ('Allenthalben, wo ich gehe') contemplates No. 115 (Luther's version of Psalm 14, 'The fool an existence in which there is neither death nor sin. hath said in his heart, there is no God') is answered It is inscribed, Longing to be with Jesus': No. II6 Psalm 'A confidently by (Luther's 46), strong- There's a land that looms before me, hold sure our God is He.' Where nor death nor sin I'll see, In No. 117 (Luther's version of Psalm 67, 'Es woll' Where, 'mid angels who adore Thee, uns Gott genadig sein') the Church prays for the I shall pure and glorious be. enlargement of her bounds: 'that Thy saving grace ' be known all nations.' No. 162 (Ahashuerus Fritsch's Hast du denn, Jesu, may among is a Nos. II8 and II9, two versions of the I24th Psalm dein Angesicht gantzlich verborgen') dialogue between and the Soul. In its stanza (Luther's 'War' Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit' and Jesus penultimate the Soul bids farewell to and in the last receives Jonas's ' Wo Gott, der Herr, nicht bei uns halt'), earth, Justus the Saviour's summons to life. With what picture the Church triumphant and impregnable. everlasting Nicolai's Wie schon leuchtet minuteness Bach drafts his design! In No. 163 Finally, Philipp hymn,' ' the der (No. her as the (Christian Keimann's Sei gegrlisset, Jesu giitig') Morgenstern' I20), presents glorified Soul for to meet the ordeal: Spouse of Christ. prays strength The sub-section 'God's (b), Holy Word,' appro- Master, dearest treasure, is Psalm Jesus, priately prefaced (No. 12I) by 42, declaring Christ my Saviour, my heart's pleasure, the Church's longing for the pure waters of God's Hands and pierced Side O show me, Word. No. 122 (Luther's 'Erhalt' uns, Herr, bei Give nle strength to see and know Thee. deinem Wort') and No. 123 (Nicolaus Selnecker's Let me all Thy love inherit, Lass mich dein sein und bleiben') are prayers for And meet death in Thy sure merit.

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So, sustained and strengthened, the Soul wings its 1717. If that is granted, it would seem that the four flight God-ward (No. I64, Johann Franck's'Schmiicke weeks of imprisonment in November, 1717, were the dich, O liebe Seele'): actual period in which Bach began to write out a work Soul, array thyself with gladness, he never found time or inclination to complete. Leave the gloomy caves of sadness ; But the determination of the date of the Autograph Come from doubt and dusk terrestrial, does not settle the question, When were the completed Gleam with radiant light celestial: movements of the 'Orgelbiichlein' composed? Rust, For the Lord, divine and gracious, in 1878, concluded that they could not have been Full of gifts both rare and precious, written earlier than the Cothen period (I718-22). He of love itself the essence, Spitta, on the other hand, gives convincing reasons Bids thee to His sacred Presence. for the conclusion that they were not composed at Cobthen, where Bach had neither an adequate organ None can follow the unfolding of Bach's design in nor duties as an but at Weimar L organist, (1708-17), the Orgelbuchlein without recognizing in its author wherebothincentives existed. Moreover, demon- a man whose his as a Spitta personality, beyond greatness strates clearly that the Autograph is not the earliest maker of music, had in it the sure fabric of moral text of the Preludes it contains. Felix Mendelssohn On its musical as Mr. Newman so grandeur. side, possessed a holograph MS. of Bach's which contained well it: ' If else of his were expresses everything lost, twenty-six-and perhaps thirty-eight-of the from we could reconstruct Bach forty-six [the "Orgelbichlein "] movements. Indeed, Spitta makes out a case in all his and almost all his As a good pathos grandeur.' for believing that the Mendelssohn MS. itself is the test of character it is not less less complete-not transcript of an earlier text. It must therefore be It reveals in the man of illuminating. young thirty concluded that the completed movements of the the reverent trust in God that washis simple, stand-by 'Orgelbiichlein' were composed during Bach's when the call of death came to thirty-five years later, residence at Weimar, between his him almost as his breath dictated the 1708-17, failing words: twenty-third and thirty-second year. What Boree, Thymy G,t I s , is the relation of Witt's hymn-book to the Myself, my all, are in y hand. inquiry ? Undoubtedly not all the completed movements were written in touch with Witt's book, as * * * * can be proved by collating the text of Bach's melodies with that of Witt.' evidence Witt's sacra' Spitta's The identification of 'Psalmodia as leaves little doubt that many of the completed move- Bach's model to determine when the helps 'Orgel- ments had been written before the publication of biichlein' was Witt's is dated planned. preface Witt's book in November, I715. But it was, I suggest, It follows that was November8, I715. the Autograph the publication of that book that gave Bach the idea not written then. On its Bach describes title-page to include them and others composed after 1715 himself as at Cothen. pro tem5fore Capellmeister in the ordered scheme he sketched in the 'Orgel- The is and its qualifying phrase curious, significance, buchlein.' Since the latter part of 1717 is the only I venture to has been think, misinterpreted by Spitta, period in which he could style himself pro temllore who which to the overlooked circumstances point last Capellmeister at C6then, I conclude for November, as the in which the weeks of 1717 period Autograph 1717, as the occasion when the scheme was partially a familiar fact actually was written. It is that Bach completed in the Autograph. secured of at Cothen before the post Capellmeister Schweitzer offers an explanation of the 'Orgel- his as obtaining release from engagement Concert- buchlein's' incompleteness in an argument which The meister to the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. C6then Mr. Newman dissipates in the new Novello edition. appointment was dated August I, I717. Weimar, The actual reason of Bach's neglect seems to arise however, refused to release him, and Bach actually from the nature of the work and the circumstances was November 6 and imprisoned between December2, in which it was undertaken. The already-written instant to take 1717, for demanding permission up movements in Part I., being appropriate to the his new post. seasons and Festivals of the Church, were of practical of the Spitta interpreted the title-page 'Autograph' utility to Bach as an organist. Part II. was of another to imply that it was 'written out at Cothen.' He character, divorced from ecclesiastical ritual for the added the words ' supposed that Bach 'pro tempore most part, a task conceived in a moment of enthusiasm, to while the was written imply, that Autograph at whose practical inutility condemned it to incompletion. it contains Cothen, the completed movements had A final note is permissible: If my inference is But if been composed at an earlier period. Bach sound, and the 'Orgelbiichlein' was written out in at and actually wrote the Autograph Cothen, desired I717, the revelation of its meaning is an appropriate were to indicate that its contents composed elsewhere, act of homage to its incomparable author in this year it is much more natural to suppose that he would have of its second centenary. his the earlier he then put upon title-page position * held and had since vacated. In other words, we Nos. 4, I4, 27, 98, 131 certainly were written on another text than iitt's. Nos. io, 20, 23, 36, 39, 49 are doubtful. The fact also may be should expect him to describe himself in those stated, for what it is worth, that of Bach and Witt's correspondingtexts circumstances as eo temizore Concertmeister at (43), all but fifteen (Nos. I, 3, 9, I1, X3, I6, 20, 23, 25, 35, 37, 49, 59 51, 91) Weimar. But if we assume that the Autograph was have the same tonality. For Nos. 4, 98, I3I, Bach and Witt use written at Weimar in 1717, and not at C6then, the falls in puzzling phrase pro tenpore harmoniously We remind composers that March 31 is the latest with the facts. For as Bach did his holding, then, date for receiving in connection with the Weimar under and compositions post protest, being by appointment prizes for Phantasies for Quartets based at he String upon actually Capellmeister Cothen, might reasonably folk-song offered by Mr. W. W. Cobbett, whose new the latter as that it qualify post 'pro tempore,' seeing address, it should be noted, is 34, Avenue Road, doubtful whether it would be to become was permitted London, N.W. permanent. The conclusion, therefore, may be advanced with A well-known cathedral organist, not a hundred confidence that the Autograph was not written at miles from York, had a son born to him recently Cothen, as Spitta and later writers have agreed, but whilst he was conducting a performance of 'Elijah.' at Weimar between August I, 1717, and December 2, A local wit said : 'Of course you will call him louder?'

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