Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 639)

from Das Orgelbüchlein by Johann Sebastian Bach

=Background

The five verses of Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesus Christ are a prayer for faith, hope, and love in times of despair. The text was written by Johann Agricola (1494-1566) and published before 1530. (Footnote No. 1)

This chorale is the only three-voice setting in the Orgelbuchlein and might be a transcription of an accompanied aria. Bach differentiated each line by employing quarter notes in the soprano (the ornamentation of the first five phrases does not detract from the basic quarter note motion), sixteenth notes in the middle voice, and eighth notes in the bass. (Footnote No. 2)

The music is in the remote key of F minor, described by J. P. Kirnberger, a pupil of Bach, as "the least pure, and thus the saddest." (Footnote No. 3)

Registration and Organs

Suggested registration:

Right Hand: Principal 8'; Cornet; 8' and 2-2/3'; Reed and Flute 8'.

Left Hand: Flutes or 18th-century String stops 8' or 8' and 4'; (the slurs are reminiscent of the bowings for the Viol da Gamba in 18th-century music, suggesting the appropriateness of an 8' String stop).

Pedal: Flutes or 18th-century String stops 16' or 16' and 8'. (Footnote)

See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page

Fingering and Pedaling

The pedal part contains many repeated notes, some serving as harmonic suspensions.(Footnote)

The pedal may be played with a small separation between each note. (Footnote)

Articulation and Phrasing

The broken-chord figures of the middle voice... Resembling a viola or viola da accompaniment complete with the slurs, the figures supply a subdued harmonic rhythm that sets the foundation for this setting. (Footnote No. 5)

The appoggiatura in the solo line, m. 3, should be played as an eighth-note d-flat precisely on beat two, slurred to the following c. (Footnote)

Ornamentation

Ornaments should be played with flexibility and freedom against the continuous motion in other voices. (Footnote)

In the first half of the setting the tune is somewhat ornamented, while in the second half, curiously, it is plain. This state of affairs may be a signal that the performer is free to devise appropriately similar ornamentation for the second half. On the other hand, it may be an intentional reflection of the shift of emphasis that occurs half way through the text, from a plaintive to a more sturdy and confident character. (Footnote)

Tempo and Meter

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Scores and Editions

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Recordings

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Free Online

James Kibbie, 1717 Trost organ, St. Walpurgis, Großengottern, Germany, using _____.

Pay to Listen

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Other Resources

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Notes

Mark Steven Bighley, "The Lutheran Chorales in the Organ Works of J. S. Bach" (D.M.A.dissertation, Arizona State University, 1985), p. 185.