Bach the Organist

Bach’s duties as a Lutheran church organist included “preluding” on chorale (hymn) melodies and maintaining instruments. At Arnstadt Bach must also have been expected to accompany singers both at court and in church, and during these years he also carried out organ “tests.” It is unknown whether he wrote any vocal compositions at Arnstadt, but he doubtless wrote much keyboard music and developed his organ technique during these years. Compositions examined in this chapter include chorale preludes and praeludia (preludes and fugues), as well as the great Passacaglia for organ and several vocal works (cantatas) probably performed at Mühlhausen, including the so-called Actus tragicus.