Bach Chorale Preludes for Christmas

This fascinating record brings together the various chorale preludes written by Johann Sebastian Bach that are appropriate to the Christmas season.

These are excerpted from a set of the composer's organ works that Walter Kraft (1905-77) recorded for the Vox label from 1961-67. He selected North German organs that dated from Bach's time or soon thereafter, as described on the back cover of this LP. Kraft was the organist of the Marienkirche at Lübeck, in succession to the composer Dieterich Buxtehude among others.

Walter Kraft

Bach's chorale preludes were based on Lutheran hymns. It is thought that some were used to introduce the chorales themselves; others may have been free-standing, perhaps used to accompany Communion.

Bach wrote preludes appropriate to the Christmas season for 16 chorales, using some of the chorales repeatedly. Bach's Orgelbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach contains preludes for each of the chorales.

The titles of the chorales will give you some indication of why these are appropriate to the season. Here they are with translations and the source of the hymn:

• "Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland" ("Savior of the Nations, Come") [Martin Luther]

• "Gottes Sohn ist kommen" ("God's Son Has Come") [Johann Horn]

• "Herr Christ, der ein'ge Gottes-Sohn" ("Lord Christ, the Only Son of God') [Elisabeth Cruciger]

• "Lob sei dem allmächtigen Gott" ("Praise Be to the Almighty God") [Gregorian hymn]

• "Puer natus in Bethlehem" ("A Child Is Born in Bethlehem") [medieval hymn]

• "Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ" ("Praise Be to You, Jesus Christ') [Martin Luther]

• "Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich" ("This Day, the One So Full of Joy") [15th century hymn]

• "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her" ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come") [Martin Luther]

• "Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schar" ("From Heaven Came the Angel Choir") [Martin Luther]

• "In dulci Jubilo" ("In Sweet Rejoicing") [medieval carol]

• "Lobt Gott, ihr Christen, allzugleich" ("Praise God, All Christians Equally") [Nikolaus Herman]

• "Jesu, meine Freude" ("Jesus, My Joy") [Johann Franck]

• "Christum, wir sollen loben schon" ("We Should Praise Christ Beautifully") [Martin Luther]

• "Wir Christenleut" ("We Christian People") [Kaspar Füger]

• "Helft mir Gottes Güte preisen" ("Help Me to Praise God's Goodness") [Paul Eber]

• "Das alte Jahr vergangen ist" ("The Old Year Now Hath Passed Away") [Johann Steuerlein]

As for the performances, Kraft was considered to be a workmanlike organist, but not inspired, although generally thought to be at his best in the chorale preludes. Clifford Gilmore wrote in High Fidelity: "Aided partly by the interesting and beautiful instruments and by less demanding technical challenges, Kraft does manage quite lovely readings of the chorale settings. For the most part, the various organs have been well recorded; the listener can almost imagine himself perched on the organ bench with all the exposed pipe work spread out before him."

To me, the recordings tended to be a bit too close; the worshiper does not normally "perch on the organ bench." I have tried to make the sound slightly more spacious.

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