So gehst du dann mein Jesu hin

Johann Balthasar Kehl (1725 – 1778) was a German organist, cellist and composer. Kehl's claim to fame are the chorale preludes he published during his time in Erlangen, in four different volumes (Erste bis Vierte Sammlung einiger variierender Choräle, 1764). His music has been little studied, although Johann Adam Hiller considered his oratorios to be the epitome of good, large-scale choral compositions.

The choral “So gehst du dann mein Jesu hin” depicts the time of lent. Kehl emphasises the darker mood of this choral with slow often chromatic lines. With little means Kehl creates a piece with a profound dramatic impression. In this piece Kehl foreshadows the Romantic era, some decades before the actual period.

Kehl's music is downloadable from my website: http://partitura.org/index.php/kehl-johann-balthasar/