Bach chorale for guitar: Auf meinen lieben Gott

Getting a grip on part writing

We’ve been covering Bach chorales in class for ear training and harmony studies. Last week, I started wondering how many of these I’d be able to study and record on my own time. Yes, they are traditional sounding and may seem far from hip, but the harmony and lines are beautiful and there’s much to be learned here. Bach’s a king. He murders it.

Fermatas in the score indicate the end of a phrase and a place to breath, but not necessarily a place to pause. If you’re singing it, taking a breath may depend on where the fermata occurs in the lyric. Apparently, it’s heavily disputed in some circles. There are pauses in this recording, and I probably won’t hold them for quite as long in future recorded chorales.

I wrote a string quartet a couple years ago and recorded it with a handful of guitars, but I never felt completely satisfied with it. I like the material, but I’m frustrated with how it develops and the tempo’s not right. Over the last year, I’ve picked at it and reworked almost every measure. Over 60 hours have been spent on it, and I’d like to see it done. It’s sounding more shoddy than ever now, which means for me, more restarts and reworkings. Hopefully, Bach can help me out.