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This is a gorgeous piece.. Horowitz plays it on the CD Forgotten Treasures (?). I am not sure if he plays the Busoni transcription.. I think so. I am missing my CD since it is in a box somewhere. I'm not sure if the IMSLP link will work but you can find it under Bach - search by BWV number (639)

just sublime.. a quiet reflective piece

Busoni transcription of Ich Ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesus Christ

and a you tube movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMlgyCb6vfg

That made me cry

Does anybody else feel that the bass should be more like a round pizzicato like a double bass plucking away? That is how I always played it on the organ...gorgeous - good one for funerals.

Wow, I love it! And I love how he plays it as well. The Horowitz one, of course is also excellent.

A lovely piece.

Oh wow. This brings back a memory. That Horowitz recording was on a Christmas LP that I remember my parents buying at a gas station - or someplace like that, a place you wouldn't expect - for, like, 2 bucks. Maybe it was in '69 or '70.

I think this was the oasis track in the middle of a lot of schmaltzy, commercial xmas stuff. I remember the logo of the gas station was on the label, but I can't remember what the name of the company was.

Totally forgot about it until now. Thanks!

Yes, Horowitz, plays the Busoni transcription. Perahia, for me, does an even better job with it though on this recording. It's a gorgeous piece and one of my favorite Busoni chorale transcriptions.

i found the organ music last in the choral preludes.

not too hard for Bach organ music. here is a beautiful organ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMnrjQK2Z8Y

This makes me want to rebuy this book. I used to own it but it has dissappeared. I probably lent it to someone.

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/3192329

(edit.. I just rebought it. It is the best collection. I have the Lizst organ transcriptions that I also enjoy very much even tho they are WAY hard)

Love that piece. IMO, Lipatti does it the most justice, though it's one of those pieces that seem to play itself as long as you hit the notes right.

Here's Lipatti!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fhqqxEQRRY

Does anyone know whether Lipatti had particularly large hands? I don't hear any of the one-handed tenths broken or rolled. It's interesting, too, to hear how he plays the last three chords: he puts a break between the first and second chords and between the second and third chords, but he plays the top line of those chords legato, without a break.

Regards,

That approach might be appropriate if this were a Baroque piece in its original form. However, as a 19th century transcription, Busoni has indicated : "Der Bass weich und getragen." ("Il basso dolce e sostenuto.") I guess it depends whether you believe that you are playing Bach or Busoni.

Regards,

cool, you picked one of my favorite organists on youtube, Aarnaud has quite a few very well played pieces on his account, I especially like his 'Vivace' from triosonate VI.

Yes Marco.. i occasionally watch Aarnaud to learn pieces - he is so precise and the filming is excellent .. plus i love that organ. i can hear the notes so clearly. I would love to play it.

the Vivace sounds very hard. I read in the comments that Aarnaud was deaf? Is that true?

I don't think Aarnaud is deaf, it would be quite surprising... and yes, the triosonate are very difficult pieces, and to play them well even more so, he makes it seem a lot simpler than it is (like most good interpreters)

I love this piece, but mostly I love the transcription by Wilhelm Kempff the most. Probably because I have the published book of Kempff's Bach transcriptions and it is easy enough for me to play. ;-)

There is also a CD release (DGG) of Kempff playing all of his Bach transcription which includes this.

Kempff made some excellent transcriptions, but even he was no match for the wonderful transcription of Jesu, by Dame Myra Hess.

Beautiful, apple.

I think I have found my next piece!

Thanks for posting the score, apple. I may not have looked at it had you not done so. As a result of seeing it, I have been working on it this week and will take it to my lesson next week. It fits well into my current "Bach phase." I may also look at others of Busoni's transcriptions, and I wonder, too, if now is the time for me to look seriously at Hess' brilliant transcription of "Jesu, Joy of man's Desiring."

Regards,

I've played the original on the organ - one of the very few pieces of Bach with a pedal part which I've mastered! I think I may have a look at this transcription too, though in general I'm not a Bach 19thC transcription person.

now that i've been playing with it a few days.. it is much easier in a way on the organ (i've been gaining some skills). it's very challenging to sound like Horowitz on the piano, and it is difficult to tell where the voices go.. Horowitz sounds so very gentle and thoughtful..

perhaps it is not necessary to have the transcription sound like the organ piece.. but i found it helpful that i'm familiar with the organ.