In 1525, Martin Luther wrote his Kyrie, adapting an historic Gregorian chant melody set within the Phrygian mode. It consists of three elements, shifting from God the Father, to God the Son, and concluding with the Holy Spirit.
J.S. Bach composed three organ preludes (Clavier-Übung III) primarily based on the sections of Luther’s Kyrie. Starting within the treble register, every descends, as if to evoke the spiritual symbolism of Christ’s descent. Within the closing and most monumental prelude, Gott, heiliger Geist (“Lord God, Holy Spirit”) BWV 671, the unique chant melody emerges deep within the organ’s bass pedals. The ominous closing bars ship a surprising chromatic development.
This efficiency, recorded by the Netherlands Bach Society, options Leo van Doeselaar taking part in the 1711 Gottfried Silbermann organ at Germany’s Freiberg Cathedral:
Featured Picture: the Gottfried Silbermann organ (1711-1714) at Freiberg Cathedral
