Johann Sebastian Bach (?), Was Gott tut das ist wohlgetan (BWV Anh. II 67)

by admin · February 6, 2022

Number 67 of the second appendix to Schmieder’s catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach is still tentatively ascribed to Bach. And even though there are several compositions in this appendice that could be genuine Bach works, number 67 is, in my opinion, almost certainly not one of them. The music is written in galant style, as opposed to the thoroughly contrapuntal style of Johann Sebastian Bach. So the ascription was probably done, somewhere in the past centuries to sell the music better.

Now this is not necessarely a bad thing. If the asription to Bach ‘sells’ the music, it means it is being played, instead of lying somewhere forgotten on a shelf in some library. And if a new engraving of the music helps to ‘sell’ it again and hopefully make some more organists play this music, that is a good thing. Though I won’t go as far as making the claim ‘yes, this is of the great Johann Sebastian Bach’. It isn’t.

Probably.

The recording was done with the Hauptwerk software and the sampleset, made by Sonus Paradisi, of the Schittger organ in the St. Martini-kerk, Groningen.

Score
Bach, BWV Anh II 67, Was Gott thut das ist wohlgetan