Bach compiled 'Die Achtzehn Leipziger Choräle' from over 200 existing organ works late in his life, intending to publish them as a printed collection, a project he did not live to complete.
Composition History
The last three chorale settings in the collection were not written by Bach himself, but by his son-in-law and pupil Johann Christoph Altnickol, due to Bach's rapidly deteriorating eyesight.
Recording & Production
This album uniquely combines recordings from two different Bach organs: one built in 1723 by Zacharias Hildebrandt and another built in 2000 by Gerald Woehl.
Composer Biography
Johann Sebastian Bach, despite his fame as an organist, composed hardly any new organ music during his 27 years in Leipzig, likely due to his demanding schedule as Thomaskantor.
Interpretation
Ullrich Böhme, the organist, consciously performs the original chorales that precede the larger arrangements on a different, historical organ in a village church.
Instruments
One of the organs used, the Hildebrandt organ from 1723, was personally inspected and approved by Johann Sebastian Bach, who praised it as 'in sound working order'.
Instruments
The two organs used, despite being nearly 300 years apart in age, share the same high 'Chortonstimmung' (choir pitch) of approximately 465 Hertz.
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