Erbarm dich mein, O Herre Gott

Johann Pachelbel (baptised September 1, 1653 – buried March 9, 1706) brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era.

His music was influenced by southern German composers, such as Johann Jakob Froberger and Johann Kaspar Kerll, Italians such as Girolamo Frescobaldi and Alessandro Poglietti, French composers, and the composers of the Nuremberg tradition. He preferred a lucid, uncomplicated contrapuntal style that emphasized melodic and harmonic clarity. His music is less virtuosic and less adventurous harmonically than that of Dieterich Buxtehude, although, like Buxtehude, Pachelbel experimented with different ensembles and instrumental combinations in his chamber music and, most importantly, his vocal music, much of which features exceptionally rich instrumentation. Pachelbel explored many variation forms and associated techniques, which manifest themselves in various diverse pieces, from sacred concertos to harpsichord suites.

This prelude shows the "full" and uncoupled plenum of the Hauptwerk, with the melody in the pedal, featuring the 16' reed.

This piece, as well as a number of other uploads, are all part of my upcoming review of the wonderful new Wiesseanu sample set by Prospectum. It will soon be featured on "The Barde," so, please take a look!

The score is attached below.