Most musicians are familiar with Part III of the Johann Sebastian Bach's Clavier-Übung only from the opening and closing works, commonly referred to as the St. Anne Prelude and Fugue. These two items frame a most-intriguing series of works comprising three different genres of music.

First, one finds two Lutheran organ masses, consisting of Kyrie and Gloria. These are substitute music to be used in place of a choral-instrumental performance. Secondly there are four very difficult Duetti, composed in a style very much like the famous 2-part Inventions. And thirdly, there is a set of six chorale preludes based upon concepts from Martin Luther's Catechism that every Lutheran child must know by heart. These include the Ten Commandments, the Apostle's Creed, and the Lord's Prayer among others. Bach has made two settings of each of the six chorales.

It is from this last series of compositions that I have extracted the six larger settings of the Catechism Chorales for performance upon double reed instruments. They are as follows:

Diess sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot, BWV 678 (Ten Commandments) is one of the most difficult of chorales in the Clavier-Übung to perform. Of the five voices, the two uppermost and the bass define a ritornello form. During the episodes, the two voices directly above the bass intone the cantus firmus in canon at the 12th. There are five episodes, and since each contains two statements of the cantus firmus, all ten commandments are numerically covered! [oboe, 2 cors anglais, 2 bassoons]

During Wir glauben all' an einen Gott, BWV 680 (Apostle's Creed) three voices engage in imitative counterpoint derived from the chorale melody. Meanwhile, a harmonically-roving ostinato in the bass comments on the busy affair from time to time. [oboe, cor anglais, 2 bassoons]

Vater unser in Himmelreich, BWV 682 (Lord's Prayer) is one of the most bizarre works ever composed by Bach. Its rhythmically and harmonically tortured upper pair of voices are supported by a steadily bass moving in 8th notes. These three voices drive a ritornello form. Meanwhile, the two additional voices above the bass intone the chorale in canon at the octave. A tour de force, to be sure! [oboe, 2 cors anglais, 2 bassoons]

Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 684 (Baptism) is laid out in four voices SATB. The SAB voices chug along in an engaging imitative ritornello form, while the chorale in the tenor floats above it all. Bassoonists might feel compelled to modify the articulation of the bass line, but single tongues on the 16th notes add to much of this movement's charm. [oboe, cor anglais, 2 bassoons]

Aus tiefer Noth schrei' ich zu dir, BWV 686 (Penance) is set in six voices. While the upper four parts and the bass engage in imitative counterpoint, the voice above the bass carries the chorale tune in augmented values. The style is that of the 16th-century imitative motet, but with a difference: the chord changes are quite sophisticated and the movement of each imitative voice is quite difficult to execute. [2 oboes, cor anglais, 3 bassoons]

Jesus Christus unser Heiland, BWV 688 (Communion) has got to be one of the starkest pieces in all of the Baroque repertory. Two voices, one high, the other low, perform a very difficult fugue containing extraordinarily wide intervals in its subject. During the episodes, the cantus firmus enters undistracted by the effort being exerted by the other two voices. [oboe, 2 bassoons]

I have not sought to maintain the exact lower Baroque ranges of the oboes and English horns; therefore, both will occasionally utilize the low C# and descend to low B and Bb. Also, the bassoon will be allowed to ascend to high B, C, and D in BWV 688. In the best of all possible worlds, the combination of oboe and English horn should actually have been assigned to two oboes d'amore, but I wanted make this excellent music available to a wider group of players.