Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ

This is the fifth of the unedited anonymus choral preludes from manuscript KN 209, owned owned by the Ratsbücherei in Lüneburg I have the privilige to publish. It is again a magnificent composition, based on the melody of "Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ".

As was usual in those days and region, the composer is only indicated with his initials. Often the initials speak for them selves, as for example "H.S.M." = Heinrich Scheideman, or "J.P." = Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. In other instances though, they don't, as for example "M.W.B.C.M" or , in this case "H.M.T". Those are the initials written in the manuscript, right beneath the title of the composition. Even though the initials are known, it is not known who the man or woman behind these letters is. In effect, it is an anonymous composition.

As with the other anonymous pieces from this manuscript it is a composition of great quality. It is a small partita, in three parts, based on three different verses of the choral. The first of these three has the chorale melody in the pedal part. Intruiging is that the composer alternates the octaves in which the phrases are played: two in the great octave, then two in the small octave, then again two in the great and the last two in the small.

Versus two and three are to be played with the hands on different manuals. The right hand plays an embellished version of the chorale melody, left hand and feet provide a suitable accompaniment, often based on the fragment of the chorale melody the right hand is about to play. Botyh versus can easily compare with the best of the work in this genre of Dietrich Buxtehude. Though this description is the same for both verses, the result is vastly different.

The recording was done with the Hauptwerk software and the sampleset, made by Sonus Paradisi, of the Bader organ in the Walburgiskerk, Zutphen.

Score available here: http://partitura.org/index.php/h-m-t-ich-ruf-zu-dir-herr-jesu-christ