There are 38 Bach chorale preludes in the Neumeister Collection, an assemblage of 82 chorales by various composers collected by Johann Gottfried Neumeister in the 1790s and later lost. Musicologist Christoph Wolff rediscovered them only in 1985 at the Yale Library. This Neumeister chorale prelude, "Als Jesus Christus in der Nacht" (As Jesus Christ in the Night), mostly follows Buxtehude's example in the genre rather than Bach's own individual manner as set forth in the 46 chorale preludes of Das Orgelbüchlein and other later chorale preludes. Not that it is imitative, but it does exhibit far less ornamentation and other features typically associated with Bach's mature organ works. This E minor work opens with the serene chorale theme played in a glorious but slightly somber manner. While Bach's writing exhibits contrapuntal characteristics, they are less in evidence than is typically the case in his keyboard works. In the second half of the piece, the music takes on a more spirited sense as Bach invests the writing with more ornamentation and contrapuntal activity. In the end, this approximately two-minute chorale prelude must be judged as a most worthwhile effort, not least because of the contrasting character of its first and second halves.

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