The chorale that is the basis for this chorale prelude is a musical setting of Psalm 103. The chorale melody is longer than the average Lutheran chorale to accommodate a larger-than-average text. The first verse reads as follows: "My soul praises the Lord, all that is in me, belongs to his name. His compassion enlarges, don't forget that, oh my heart. He has forgiven your sins and healed many great weaknesses, redeemed your poor life, and takes you into his lap, covering you with rich comfort, both the young and the old. The Lord rules righteously and protects those who come into his Kingdom."

Four different settings of this chorale by Buxtehude survive. This particular setting is the longest of the four. It is a chorale fantasy, but the chorale melody appears mostly in the soprano. Most of the time Buxtehude works with small fragments of the chorale melody creating echo effects between the ruckpositive and the hauptwerk manuals of the organ.

© Andrus Madsen, All Music Guide