The group of organ pieces formerly known as the "Kirnberger Chorales," through erroneous research of the material in the nineteenth century, were believed to have been compiled by Johann Philipp Kirnberger. J.P. Kirnberger was a student of Kellner and of J. S. Bach. In 1758 Kirnberger was appointed chief musician to Princess Anna Amalia, a sister of Fredrick the Great. While at the Prussian court, Kirnberger was associated with C.P.E. Bach, J. Christian Bach, and Johann Friedrich Agricola.

The music catalogued as BWV 690-713 contains several works that are to this day believed to have been written by other composers, and not by Johann Sebastian Bach. Scholars look to the evidence in the music: the style of writing, the manner in which a motivic idea is skillfully or not so skillfully developed, and the harmonic language used in a given composition. These are but a few of the elements that J. S. Bach used quite well to create a composition, even at an early age. Bach's contemporaries demonstrated a much less skillful ability in developing motivic material.

It was originally believed that Kirnberger either copied these chorales or had them copied for him sometime during his study with Johann Sebastian Bach in the late 1740s. Other students of Bach are known to have made copies of the same chorales during the same time period, which is why there is some discrepancy as to when and why these chorales were written in the first place. Are they intended for use in a church service or might they be used for prayer at home by a pious Lutheran of that time period?

Clifford Bartlett states that recent research shows that Kirnberger acquired the chorales listed as BWV 690-713 from the Leipzig publisher, Breitkopf. Where and when the publisher might have acquired these chorales is still unknown.

These chorales are set in two, three and four voice texture. Many of them are short fughettas, with the chorale melody easily heard in the highest voice. In a few of the settings Bach has harkened back to the writing style of past generations in his composing of either a "chorale motet" type of piece or a bicinium. These textures remind one of the music of Sweelinck, Scheidt, and Scheidemann.

As stated by many authors, the "Kirnberger Chorales" may also find some resemblance to specific chorale settings in Das Orgelbüchlein. In many instances one finds a similarity of character and style between a setting of this collection and that of Das Orgelbüchlein. Of course text plays a role in how a composer might create a certain piece of music, but with Bach at the helm it is no coincidence that two chorale settings created years apart may be found to have similar musical characteristics.

Always a master of the motivic cell, Bach frequently uses the first few notes of the chorale melody to create an accompanimental figuration that will persist throughout the piece. Bach's use of the motive helps each piece maintain a cohesive quality, even in the shorter pieces of a mere twenty measures. All the harder for a composer to limit himself to twenty measures and create a work that exhibits unity and quality. Bach continually rises to the challenge as these works bear witness.

Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, BWV 690
The melody of this chorale is found in the soprano voice. Accompanying voices--three to four voices at any given time--utilize the suspirans figure notable in the double on "Auf meinen lieben Gott" of Buxtehude. The opening of BWV 690 begins with the suspirans figure in the soprano. It acts as a short tirade into the downbeat. The chorale melody is presented in a fairly straightfoward manner in the soprano voice.
There are no autograph copies of this chorale. Copies have survived and may be found in the collections compiled by students of Bach--Johann Krebs and Johann Kirnberger.

Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten, BWV 691
This eight-measure manualiter chorale prelude presents the chorale melody in an ornamented fashion in the upper voice. As Peter Williams explains, this chorale exhibits many of the ornamental concepts found in Bach's ornament table given in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a table that was copied from the work of Jean Henri d'Anglebert.

Ach Gott und Herr (now considered to be a spurious work, formerly BWV 692)

Ach Gott und Herr (now considered to be a spurious work, formerly BWV 693)

Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 694
Bach has provided this chorale setting with a trio-style texture, as he also did in the Schübler Chorales version of this melody, BWV 646. Both chorale settings show a similarity in their opening measures. BWV 694 presents the chorale melody in the pedal, and is one of the longer preludes in this collection. Much of the accompanying figuration in the manuals is based on the material presented in measure one. The rhythmic unit "eighth-quarter-eighth" is a common syncopation used throughout this work.

Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 695
The chorale melody is located in the alto voice of this three-voice manualiter composition. The head motive of each chorale phrase is used to create some of the interlude sections or vorimitative sections between presentations of the chorale melody, while other interlude sections witness the lowest voice functioning as a bassline against a fluid sequential pattern in the soprano.

Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 696
This twenty-measure fughetta setting of a chorale that deals with the incarnation presents little mystery, but some association with a similar chorale setting from Das Orgelbüchlein. The striking nature of chromatic passages is this work may be compared to a similar use of chromatics in the Orgelbüchlein setting. The subject of this short fugal work is derived from the first phrase of the chorale melody. Each entrance in the exposition is colored with ornaments. The use of cross relations enhances the modal character of this setting.

Gelobet seist du, BWV 697
Set in four voices, with three voices heard most often, the first eight notes in the tenor voice are presented at various pitch levels throughout the work, for a total of twelve occurrences. The first phrase of the chorale melody is used as the fugal subject. The use of so many entrances in such a short piece gives it a compact quality and simple sound. Some say that the running sixteenth notes may represent the sound of angel wings, given that this chorale is used at Christmastime. An interesting feature of this work is its weak cadence at the end, arising from the ascending tenor line and the harmonic plagal bass movement.

Herr Christ, der ein'ge Gottes Sohn, BWV 698
Using the first line of the chorale melody, Bach has composed what some call an accompanied fugue. Bach has presented the countersubject for the fughetta from the very start--the subject is first heard in the upper voice with the countersubject in the lower voice. An interesting feature of this work is that the countersubject takes on almost as much importance as the subject does.

Nun komm', der Heiden Heiland, BWV 699
Features of this work are the use of suspension and broken chord figurations reminiscent of lute technique. The first phrase of the Advent chorale is used for the subject of this short fughetta. After a straightforward presentation of the chorale melody beginning in measure 10 and ending in measure 12, a series of close points of imitation provide an exciting conclusion and rhythmic drive to the end.

Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her, BWV 700
As in Das Orgelbüchlein, we are given here two settings, BWV 700 and 701, of the Christmas chorale "I come here from high heaven." BWV 700 is a four voice setting with the pedal used at the conclusion of each section's working out of its chorale phrase. The pedal presents the chorale melody in a simple manner. The texture thickens with each pedal entrance, and then thins out again with the presentation of the next chorale phrase in the manuals. The final entrance of the pedal brings the music to a plagal-like cadence on a tonic pedal point. The closing two measures present the chorale melody in stretto, diminution and chromatically altered.

Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her, BWV 701
Like BWV 607 from Das Orgelbüchlein, this setting BWV 701 utilizes a running sixteenth-note figuration to accompany the fughetta subject. Both settings are said to be presenting the rhetorical figure fuga or flight. In measure 15 we reach a deceptive cadence, a combination of thematic ideas, and a rhythmically straightforward presentation. After this the sixteenth-note movement returns, leading us to the end.

Das Jesulein soll doch mein Trost, BWV 702
In this chorale setting Bach combines two melodic ideas, both heard at the outset. The tenor voice has the initial subject derived from the first phrase of the chorale, while the alto voice brings in the second subject derived from the second phrase of the chorale. The soprano entrance uses the primary subject and the pedal entrance uses the secondary subject. Both subjects are used consistently throughout this work. Each subject, primary and secondary, are heard seven times. This work and BWV 709 contain the most active pedal parts of the entire collection.

Gottes Sohn ist kommen, BWV 703
A manualiter setting for three voices, this work is mainly an exposition followed by episodic material and a closing tonic entry of the subject. The countersubject of running sixteenth notes provides rhythmic interest, whereas harmonic interest is provided by the vacillation between e-natural and e-flat. This movement between the two accidentals shows a fluctuation between the Ionian mode and the Mixolydian mode.

Lob sei dem allmächt'gen Gott, BWV 704
Several unconventional concepts may be found within this short fughetta for manuals. Firstly, an opening subject that begins on the third scale degree is not the norm, but does follow the outline of the chorale melody. Secondly, the subject itself is altered from the chorale melody so that it will sound modal as opposed to tonal--hinting at the Lydian mode. Thirdly, the final entry of the subject begins on the chorale's tonic pitch, but cadences on the third scale degree. The final cadence is a reflection of a plainsong modal cadence, with its melismatic upper voice moving to a closing major tonic on "A."

Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt, BWV 705
Set in four voices, this work is reminiscent of a Renaissance motet. Peter Williams states that this work might in fact be a transcription of a choral work. Its rhythmic movement is in stately half and quarter notes. The pedal and/or the tenor voice announce the beginning of each chorale phrase entrance. It is sßet in the key area of d, with six of eight phrases oriented to d minor. The fifth phrase is tonally oriented to the relative major, and the eighth phrase moves to the dominant for the final phrase and cadence.

Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV 706
This work may have been written as a simple exercise in chorale harmonization as evidenced by its straightforward and somewhat conventional harmonic make-up. Might this work have been used to accompany the singing of the hymn at a church service or for home use during Bach's lifetime? One may never know, but the chorale melody is presented in a clear manner in the soprano voice for all to hear.

Ich hab' mein' Sach' Gott heimgestellt, BWV 707
As Peter Williams states, this piece bears some resemblance to the writing style found in BWV 705. Each of the works is reminiscent of the chorale motet-style of writing as represented by Samuel Scheidt. The pedal activity in BWV 707, however, is more colorful and chromatic than that found in BWV 705. The range of the pedal voice reaches to the limits of many organs of the time period. The chorale melody is in the soprano voice with a rich harmonization for support in the three other voices. The underlying harmony of the chorale melody provides a fruitful source of ideas for the vorimitation sections before the entrance of each chorale phrase.

Ich hab' mein' Sach' Gott heimgestellt, BWV 708
Here again is a mere four-voice setting of a chorale melody. Some scholars believe it to be a vocal arrangement, similar to the many chorale arrangements found in the eighteenth-century.

Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend', BWV 709
The chorale melody may be found in the soprano with the other three voices providing active accompanimental figuration. This figuration provides interest through its rhythmic movement and imitative entrances. In the soprano line the movement between each chorale melody pitch is elaborated or ornamented in a manner reminiscent of the style written about in Renaissance treatises. Treatises on ornamentation from generations prior to the time of Bach detail the use of "divisions or passagio" to move from one melody note to the next. These treatises also indicate the desire to leave the first note of each phrase unornamented, similar to what Bach has done here.

Wir Christenleut', BWV 710
Derived from the first few notes of the chorale melody, the opening motivic cell of five notes is used throughout this piece at different pitch levels. The chorale melody is presented in the pedal, starting with two short statements of five and four notes respectively. When writing in trio style, Bach frequently gives the accompanying manuals running sixteenth notes that provide exciting rhythmic activity to contrast with a flowing melodic line.

Allein Gott in der Höh' sei Her', BWV 711
Following in the steps of north European composers such as Sweelinck, Scheidemann, and Buxtehude, Bach has composed a piece in two-voice texture called a bicinium. Also reminiscent of virginal music from the late renaissance, this work utilizes broken chords and wide leaps for accompanimental figuration. This simple texture presents a challenge for any composer to create an interesting accompaniment against the melody. The opening accompanimental rhythmic pattern returns between each presentation of the chorale melody. This piece does not venture too far harmonically from the tonic key area. Presentation of the third chorale phrase moves towards the dominant of the dominant, but then returns to the tonic key area with the entrance of the last chorale phrase.

In dich hab' ich gehoffet, Herr, BWV 712
During the interlude sections in this piece, the accompanying voices alternate as to which one is the lead. Of the six interlude sections each voice is given the opportunity to be the lead voice twice--TBA, TAB, ATB, BTA, BTA, or ATB. The soprano voice bears the chorale melody. Setting this chorale melody in a compound meter gives the piece a rhythmic vitality. Scholars credit S. Calvisius with writing and publishing the melody of this chorale. Peter Williams states that the change in the rhythmic pattern starting with the sixth interlude "may reflect the melisma at the end of Calvisius' original melody."

Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 713
This chorale setting is unique for this collection in that it is written in two sections--the first section is in duple meter and the second section is in triple meter. Written in three-voice texture, in the first section the chorale melody migrates through the following voices: high, middle, low, middle, low, and high. The melody in the first section is presented in half notes with an active accompaniment in sixteenth and eighth notes. The first section is given no tempo marking, but the second section is marked dolce. This marking may reflect the change of text from one of joy and desire to a more tender and reflective mood of devotion and piety. At bar 53 the meter changes to a triple time and the grouping of two notes together takes over. This grouping of diads aids in the sweet sound of the section. In the second section the chorale melody is not presented in as straightforward a manner. However, the tune may be found in the moving soprano voice.