Wo soll ich fliehen hin

BWV 694 performed by Leo van Doeselaar
Walloon Church, Amsterdam

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A chorale melody that is laden with doom

Bach's early organ compositions were snatched from oblivion by Kirnberger

Bach cherished many of his compositions, ensuring they were collected, recycled or – if at all possible – published. But there are also pieces that did not receive this treatment, including the concise chorale arrangement Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 694. The fact that it has survived is due only to Bach’s pupil Kirnberger, who collected twenty-four organ compositions, among other works, following his master’s death. The most remarkable thing about this collection is the lack of cohesion. The only thing that might connect the works is that they probably all date from the period before 1710.

Bach used the same chorale melody later on for another organ arrangement, BWV 646, which he published along with five others in the latter part of his life. So the youthful work on the same melody probably did not pass Bach’s own critical test. For music-lovers, however, it is very good that the piece survived, as this earlier version shows that Bach changed the emphasis later on.

The words of the chorale are about the fearful sinner who diligently tries to escape the clutches of the devil, and finds redemption and peace in the blood of Jesus. Above the doom-laden chorale melody in the pedal, which unfurls frightfully slowly and is therefore unrecognisable, the right hand plays a hurried escape motif. Nevertheless, the cheerful undertone in the left hand reveals that there will be a satisfactory outcome. In the even shorter BWV 646, the mood is also clearly hopeful. But the big difference is that Bach has filtered out the impending doom of the pedal. The message he gives is one of joy and encouragement. For the young Bach, however, hell and damnation must have been continually lying in wait.

Kirnbergerschen Sammlung, BWV 690-713
Bach cherished a great many of his compositions, ensuring that they were collected or recycled, and – if at all possible – published. But there are also pieces that missed the boat, such as the twenty-four early organ compositions now known as the Kirnbergerschen Sammlung. We owe the survival of these works to Bach’s pupil Johann Kirnberger, who collected twenty-four organ compositions, among other pieces, following the death of his master. The most striking thing about this collection is its lack of cohesion. The only similarity between the works is that they probably all date from the period before 1710.

BWV: 694
Title: Wo soll ich fliehen hin
Instrument: organ
Genre: organ works
Serie: Kirnbergerschen Sammlung (organ)
Year: 1739
City: before 1710?
Special notes: BWV 646 is a later arrangement of this chorale.

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Organist Leo van Doeselaar

“The two parts, to be played on different manuals are fighting out a duel, allowing each other no rest at all.”

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Release date

15 May 2015
Recording date

24 June 2013
Location

Walloon Church, Amsterdam
Organist

Leo van Doeselaar
Organ

Christian Müller, 1734
Producer

Frank van der Weij
Film director

Jan Van den Bossche
Directors of photography

Sal Kroonenberg, Ruben van den Broeke
Grip

Antoine Petiet
Music production, editing and mix

Holger Schlegel
Film editor

Dylan Glyn Jones
Colorist

Jef Grosfeld
Interview

Onno van Ameijde
Production assistants

Marco Meijdam, Zoë de Wilde

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