As most Bach mavens are aware, many of the composer's works are difficult to date, including those in the Neumeister Collection. This assemblage of 82 chorales unearthed in 1985 at the Yale Library by organist Christoph Wolff contains 38 works by Bach, a few of which are sometimes considered to be of doubtful origin. Although most of the items in the Neumeister Collection are thought to come from the period 1700 - 1708, no firm dates can be established. This effort, "Herr Gott, nun schleuss den Himmel auf," was almost certainly written in the early 1700s since it is modeled on Buxtehude's chorale preludes and shows little of the style Bach would use in the chorale preludes in his Orgelbüchlein (1713 - 1715). The work opens with the chorale theme stated in big chords in declamatory fashion. A striking, arched-shaped run announces the character of the accompaniment, which sporadically joins with the chorale theme thereafter, occasionally yielding to further chordal thematic pronouncements. The work closes with a flashy run that leads to an emphatic final chord. While this two-minute effort is not a major Bach work, it is well crafted and has become one of the most popular Neumeister chorale preludes among performers.

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