Georg Böhm, Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her
Georg Böhm (1661 – 1733) also wrote a chorale prelude on “Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her”, which can be found in the manuscripts of Johann Gottfried Walther. It is a masterfully crafted piece. The accompanying voices have each part of the melody in fugual treatment, before that part of the melody is stated in the cantus firmus. The cantus firmus is very plane, with one notable exception: a 32th-note run in bar 23. It is not clear whether this run is original, or an embelishment from Walther. I play the piece including the 32th-note run, but it is very easy to leave it out. And perhaps the piece is even better without it. Well, you can try out for yourself.
The recording was done on the sample set of the Bader-organ in the Walburgiskerk in Zutphen by Sonus Paradisi for Hauptwerk.
Registration
Bovenwerk: Baarpijp 8′, Vox Humana 8′ (LH)
Rugwerk: Holpijp 8′, Quint 3′ (RH)
Pedaal: Subbas 16′, Gedekt 8′
Score
Böhm, Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her
Score (non alto)
Böhm, Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her (non alto)
Performance
Visits: 65
I would like to thank you for the immense service you are providing by performing and curating these remarkable yet otherwise unknown works, which in my intermittent free time I have been studying with great interest, not only in the hope that the quality of my own chorale preludes will improve by their influence but also out of the great enjoyment I have received from these works by the old masters.
Best wishes,
Philip Daniel
I am very glad my work is useful to you. Thanks for letting me know. It’s a great inspiration te keep going.