Bach's compositions have been performed and enjoyed for over two-and-a-half centuries. Some of them, however, are relative newcomers to the music scene, including this chorale prelude and the other 37 by Bach found in the Neumeister Collection by scholar Christoph Wolff in 1985. This one, "Das alte Jahr vergangen ist" (The old year is gone), is one of the composer's more somber efforts from that set, but perhaps one of his more rewarding. Though it is a very early work, showing the influence of Buxtehude, it is still a worthwhile composition. Like many of the Neumeister chorale preludes, it presents the chorale theme in skeletal sonorities at the outset. Atypically, though, the theme remains shrouded in rather modest dress and somber tones throughout, the music seeming to look back upon the year passed in the title with a nostalgic, melancholy gaze. As the piece progresses, its contrapuntal elements and deft harmonies impart a more varied character and depth, but the gloomy mood is never quite dispelled. This work typically has a duration of two minutes.

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