Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 639) Orgelbüchlein

Text: Johann Agricola (1526/1527)
Chorale Melody: Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ | Composer: Anon: Hagenau (1526/1527), Wittenberg (1529)
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Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ!
Ich bitt' erhör' mein klagen,
Verleih' mir gnad' zu dieser frist,
Laß mich doch nicht verzagen,
Den rechten weg, o Herr! ich mein',
Den wollest du mir geben,
Dir zu leben,
Mein'm nächsten nütz zu sein,
Dein wort zu halten eben.

I call to you, Lord Jesus Christ,
I pray, hear my lamentation,
bestow your grace on me at this time,
do not let me despair;
I think that I have the right faith, Lord,
which you wanted to give me,
to live for you,
to be useful to my neighbour,
to keep your word properly.

This wonderful arrangement of the chorale "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ" is a small marvel: the barely embellished melody resounds in the descant, while in the middle voice a steady movement of semiquavers appears like a constant call to prayer (someone has compared this to Dürer's drawing "Praying Hands" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praying_Hands_(Dürer)). The quaver bass probably symbolises the constantly beating heart.

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After I had recorded the first 32 pieces from Bach's "Orgelbüchlein", which contain chorales for the time of the church year from Advent to Easter, on the OrganArt sample set of the Metzler organ in the monastery of Poblet, the remaining pieces now follow on the sampleset of the large Riepp Dreifaltigkeits organ in the basilica of Ottobeuren. With the exception of the two pieces intended for Pentecost, "Komm, Gott Schöpfer" and "Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend", these pieces belong to the rather non-festive time of the church year. All of these chorale arrangements, however, are no less artful and extraordinarily crafted in the sense of Albert Schweitzer's idea of a "dictionary of Bach's tonal language" (Wörterbuch der Bach'schen Tonsprache).