This chorale prelude first appeared in the late-eighteenth century in the Neumeister Collection, a compilation of 82 chorales by various composers. Assembled by Johann Gottfried Neumeister (1757—1840), the collection was passed on to others and forgotten for centuries. It was finally unearthed in 1985 by Christoph Wolff at the Yale Library. Of its chorales, 38 are attributed to Bach, including this one, "Ach Gott, tu dich erbarmen" (Oh God, have pity). Along with the others in the collection, it is thus a relatively new composition to most listeners. Many "complete" organ recordings, in fact, lack these works and even some relatively recent ones. This chorale prelude is an attractive piece, even if it is not a major rediscovery. It presents the glorious chorale melody in a lovely, songful manner in the first half. Thereafter, the textures darken a bit and much of the writing moves from the upper to middle and lower ranges on the manuals. Still, the character of the music remains glorious and reverential and Bach's contrapuntal writing is masterful here and throughout the entire work. This chorale prelude typically has a duration of two-and-a-half minutes.

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