Fuga sopra il Magnificat, BWV 733

The great fugue on the "Magnificat" is found in the collection of "various single chorale preludes for organ, ranging from BWV 714-765).

I've recently seen some scholarship that says that this may not be Bach, but that perhaps Krebs is the composer.

It is well known that Bach, the teacher of Krebs, had enormous respect for his student, referring to him as "the biggest crab (Krebs) in the brook (Bach)."

I have to admit to not being an expert on the music of Krebs, but from what I do know, I've never found the surging, sustained energy and majesty of motion as in Bach, and in this piece, that majestic glory is very evident. So, in a completely unscholarly manner, I will continue to believe this IS by Johann Sebastian. :-)

Nowadays, we think of this as an "Advent piece." Advent is the "season of the Magnificat" and we frequently recall the visit of the angel Gabriel to the young Mary.

In reality, this piece could be played at any service of Vespers or Evensong, as the Magnificat is the central part of those services. Since few of us work in churches that sing daily vesper services, or even weekly services, or ANY such services, we equate this with Advent.

The music speaks for itself, but I want to say a little about the "theme" of the piece, the Tonus peregrinus, which appears in the pedal part towards the end of the work.

The Tonus peregrinus, or the ninth tone, is a reciting tone in Gregorian chant.

The tonus peregrinus is an exceptional reciting tone in Gregorian chant: there it was most clearly associated with Psalm 113 (114), traditionally sung in vespers. In Lutheranism, the tonus peregrinus is associated with the Magnificat (also usually sung in vespers): the traditional setting of Luther's German translation of the Magnificat ("Meine Seele erhebt den Herren") is a German variant of the tonus peregrinus.

The majestic power of God is surely felt in this work.

Attached is a painting of Gabriel's visit, "The Annunciation" by Murillo, ca. 1655.