This is another of the Bach chorale preludes unearthed in 1985 by Christoph Wolff, who discovered the Neumeister Collection at the Yale Library. Most of the Neumeister Bach works are believed to date to the years 1700 - 1708, and this one, "Ehre sei dir, Christe, der du leidest Not" (May You Be Praised, Christ, for You Suffer Pain), was probably written in the earliest years of that span. It exhibits the influence of both Pachelbel and Buxtehude and is somewhat unusual in its consistent use of what German writers call Vorimitation: thematic material is anticipated throughout the work in an imitative, fugue-like manner. For all its seemingly rigid formal qualities, this work presents the chorale theme in a majestic and imaginative way, growing from modest textures at the outset to grander and more colorful ones later on. As the work progresses, its mood takes on a more ecstatic manner, the music a fuller and more complex character. In the end, this approximately two-minute chorale prelude will likely strike Baroque enthusiasts as a compelling even if still youthful work from the pen of the young Bach.

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