Week 2
Wir danken dir, Herr Jesu Christ (We Give Thanks to You, Lord Jesus Christ), BWV 623
We bless you, Jesus Christ our Lord;
Forever be your name adored.
For you, the sinless one, has died
That sinners might be justified
–Christoph Fischer, trans. Benjamin Hall Kennedy
The Lenten portion of the Orgelbüchlein is filled with works that contain deep emotional pathos and are closely connected to Christ’s passion. This chorale, focusing on redemption and thankfulness, provides a small respite from the depth of the forty days.
The chorale melody is in the top voice of the organ texture, accompanied by a consistent rhythmic pattern of two sixteenth notes and one eighth note. This rhythmic figure is often associated with joy, indicating Bach was likely inspired by the thankfulness inherent in the chorale text: “For You (Christ) the sinless one has died that sinners might be justified.”
Due to its short length, I will play this chorale prelude twice: once with a more substantial, more jubilant registration (a word referring to the types of stops used in an organ performance) and once with a more subdued registration.