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Could almost be Bach!

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
I always like new discoveries. Especially in the field of organ music (of which I'm deliriously fond). This composer is totally new to me, and when I looked at the music, could have sworn it was Bach.
 

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  • Walther_CompleteFreeOrganMusic.pdf
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Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
I had always liked doing Walther ... glad you brought his name up David as I haven't used his works in awhile.
 

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
David,

THANKS !!!!!!!
We share the same passion and yes I didn't know Walther too :-(
Getting the scores is the best thing, also it's like talkin' with and understand the composer .
Now I'll have to find recordings of any of those.... hmmm
 

Soubasse

New member
Yes, he's a most playable composer Walther. Some delightful chorale preludes amongst other things. He turns up a lot in collections, my perenially used "Seasonal Chorale Preludes" volumes have a lot of his works in them. Am less familiar with the free works though and they look interesting, thanks for the link there David.
 

GoneBaroque

New member
His music certainly resembles that of Bach. Perhaps this is the reason. Not only was his life almost exactly contemporaneous with that of Johann Sebastian Bach, he was the composer's cousin. Thank you for the posting.
 

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
Hundreds of pages Lars !
He was very productive, indeed. Very interesting are the concerto adaptions and from what I saw from David's upload in major Preludium/fugue works it looks like Bach, yes.
Many hours must spend to download but....
Of course I'll get them all !!!!

PS. Already got his picture, positive personality he looks.
 

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
I think composers like Walther sadly fall under Bach's incredible shadow, hence thier obscurity. It's really only other giants that survive (Vivaldi, Haendel, and so on).
 

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
David, I'll keep this : "The Incredible Shadow of Bach" !!
Indeed. And I'll go even further concerning the other Giants : Vivaldi's super violin concertos sound magnificent with Bach's transcriptions for the organ , Vivaldi himslf wouldn't do this high !!!!!! = The Incredible Shadow expanded and passed the borders of the giant's terriorities !!!!!
 

Marc

New member
It is now believed that the chorale preludes Ach Gott und Herr (BWV 692 & 693) and Gott der Vater wohn' uns bei (BWV 748) were composed by J.G. Walther.

If you want to listen to recordings of works by Walther, here are some suggestions: Craig Cramer (Naxos), Wolfgang Stockmeier (CPO) and Olivier Vernet (Ligia).
 

Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
Hi Marc, thanks for the label info !

Where did you find out that these chorale praeludes are now belived to be composed by Walther ??!
How one can tell?
Is there any new document with Walther's hand writing or signature?
 

Marc

New member
Hi Marc, thanks for the label info !

Where did you find out that these chorale praeludes are now belived to be composed by Walther ??!
How one can tell?
Is there any new document with Walther's hand writing or signature?

The first surviving copies were in Walther's hand. (And one by Johann Tobias Krebs.)
Mind you, the number of surving manuscripts in Bach's own hand are very small.
The Neue Bach Ausgabe and the most recent BWV catalogue both have put these three in the third part of the BWV Anhang: works wrongly attributed to J.S. Bach.
BWV 692, 693 and 748 have appeared in published collections of organ chorales by Johann Gottfried Walther since the beginning of the 20th century.

Sources a.o.:
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Ach-Gott-und-Herr.htm

Books:
Peter Williams, The Organ Music of J.S. Bach (2nd edition). Cambridge, 2003
Bach Werke Verzeichnis: Kleine Ausgabe. Edited by Alfred Dürr, Yoshitake Kobayaski & Kirsten Beißwenger. Wiesbaden, 1998.
 
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Ghekorg7 (Ret)

Rear Admiral Appassionata (Ret)
Marc,
THANKS !
Very usefull site, not only for what we discussing here, but for almost anyhting has to do with Grand Master's Cantatas/choral works and also for it gives info for a great number of composers and how anonymous' melodies have intergrated to the works.
Walther's short biography found there has all I needed to have a good start on the matter.
Best....
 

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
I read somewhere once a long time ago, that Bach's manuscripts were even found wrapped around saplings to keep them getting frost bite. Can't remembe where I read that or whether if was just folly.
 
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