Most, if not all, of the Bach works in the Neumeister Collection are generally believed to be early compositions dating to the first few years of the eighteenth century, as designated in the eight-year span listed in the headnote above. This one, "O Jesu, wie ist dein Gestalt" (O Jesus, What Is Thy Countenance?), like many of the Neumeister chorale preludes, shows the influence of Buxtehude. Yet Bach's burgeoning mastery is also in evidence here, not least in his deft sense of how to capture the spirit of the chorale's text. Bach gives the chorale theme an appropriately mellow treatment, with contrapuntal writing not strictly tied to the main line material and with deliberate pacing and fairly lean textures. In the second half, he adds a measure of ornamentation and lowers the melodic line to the middle range while relocating much of the accompaniment to the bass realm, in the end imparting a more stately sense to the music's character. While not a major discovery, this chorale prelude, lasting a bit under three minutes, is nevertheless a worthwhile piece that will appeal to Baroque and organ music enthusiasts.

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