The selection will also be a rich resource for the teaching and study of traditional harmony. Chorales, familiar to English speaking singers, of which several are included in today s hymn books, have been chosen for this edition. Many are known in settings by composers other than Bach, which makes his harmonizations treasured and valuable alternatives. There are also a number of more unfamiliar chorales which deserve to be better known through their strength and beauty. Settings for the Eucharist have been grouped in one section, where they form a kind of German mass ideally suited for worship services.
All settings are for four-part choirs.
A few settings with obbligato instrumental lines or with brass and timpani augmentation of the keyboard accompaniment have also been included. Many chorales were carefully transposed down from their original key for more practical use by modern mixed-voice choirs. We have chosen translations for their faithfulness to the spirit if not the letter of the original German text and for their poetic value, relying heavily on the classic translations from the mid-19th century writer Catherine Winkworth. Each chorale is provided with a judicious selection of verses suitable for use in both church services and in the concert hall. We trust you will find this anthology of Bach chorales in the English language to be a rich fund of music for home, worship service, concert hall and for the private study of Bach's supreme art of harmonization.