Schübler Chorales

What it is

The Schübler Chorales, BWV 645–650, are six chorale preludes for organ composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. They were published by Johann Georg Schübler around 1747 or before August 1748. Most of the pieces are transcriptions of movements from Bach's earlier church cantatas, composed about two decades before.

Why it matters

Because Bach paid for a master engraver to print these pieces as careful note-for-note transcriptions, scholars see the collection as a deliberate public statement rather than minor work. Since almost none of Bach's cantatas were published during his lifetime, this printed set allowed a wider audience to encounter his cantata music in a more marketable, playable form for organists.

Look closer

• Why might Bach choose to transform music from his cantatas into organ pieces rather than simply publishing the cantatas themselves?
• What does the care taken over the printing suggest about how Bach wanted this collection to be seen?
• What does the loss of most of the original cantata sources tell you about how much of Bach's music may be missing today?