The Neumeister manuscript, containing 82 chorales, includes 38 ascribed to J.S. Bach, 25 to Johann Michael Bach (J.S. Bach's father-in-law), and others to various composers.
Compositional Technique
The Passacaglia in C minor, BWV582, expands the normal four-bar theme to eight bars, presenting it 21 times before a fugue is appended as a coda.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The Neumeister collection offers a glimpse into J.S. Bach's 'schooling,' showing how he developed his own style by studying the works of other composers, similar to his later studies of de Grigny and Vivaldi.
Historical Context
The manuscript containing these newly discovered Bach compositions was found in the Yale University library, part of a collection bequeathed by Lowell Mason, who acquired it in 1852 from Christian Heinrich Rinck.
Composition History
The repertoire of J.S. Bach's chorale arrangements was significantly expanded in December 1984 with the discovery of 33 previously unknown compositions.
Interpretation
In this recording, a full plenum registration is used throughout Bach's Passacaglia in C minor, BWV582, except for three manual variations played on the positif de dos.
Composer Biography
Christian Heinrich Rinck, a prominent German organist of the early 19th century and a pupil of Bach's pupil Kittel, was a faithful defender of Bach's traditions and a keen collector of 18th-century manuscripts.
