J.S. Bach: Complete Organ Works

Bach’s organ music is the organist’s daily bread. This is why the OrganScore collection presents the complete organ works of J. S. Bach in just nine volumes, made possible by the large-format layout. Two volumes (VI and IX) are published in a smaller A4 format for works that do not require large pages, such as short preludes, fugues and chorales.

Page Turns Avoided

Each work has been laid out so that every structural unit—such as a prelude, fugue or sonata movement—appears, whenever possible, on two facing pages. In some cases, four pages are required (one easy page turn), and only rarely six pages (two easy page turns).

Optimised Musical Text

The musical text is based primarily on the BGA (Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe) published by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig between 1851 and 1899, a highly reliable reference that includes a detailed critical apparatus. The Peters Edition (Volume IX, 1904) has also been consulted as a complementary source.

However, these historical editions do not include more recently discovered works (such as those from the Neumeister Collection), and they are no longer adequate for pieces whose manuscript tradition has since been renewed. For these works, the OrganScore edition is based directly on the original manuscripts. The editorial process is documented in a detailed critical apparatus (Volumes VIII and IX), illustrated with numerous musical excerpts.

An Enriched ‘Complete Works’ Edition

The OrganScore J. S. Bach Complete Organ Works offers a number of additional original features:

• inclusion of all BWV organ works, including those now considered spurious (with the sole exception of BWV 771, a partita by Nicolaus Vetter);
• a complete organ transcription of BWV 1039, Trio Sonata in G major;
• a selection of harpsichord works, laid out on three staves where appropriate (preludes and fugues, concertos, variations, ricercari from The Musical Offering, etc.);
• alternative manual settings for chorales, depending on the number of manuals (one or two), where relevant (Orgelbüchlein, Neumeister Collection, etc.);
• the completion of several unfinished but musically significant works (BWV 573, 753 and 764).

VOLUME I
Preludes, Fantasies, Toccatas & Fugues (I):
BWV 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 543, 544.

VOLUME II
Preludes, Fantasies, Toccatas & Fugues (II):
BWV 545, 546, 547, 548, 549, 549a, 550, 551, 552, 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566(E), 566(C).

VOLUME III
Preludes, Fantasies, Toccatas & Fugues (III), Passacaglia & Fugue:
BWV 1121, 567, 568, 569, 570, 571, 572, 573 (completed), 574, 575, 576, 577, 578, 579, 580, 581, 582, 895, 904, 917, 131a, 943, 946, 949, 950, 989, 992, 1079 (Ricercare a 3, Ricercare a 6).

VOLUME IV
Trio Sonatas: BWV 525 , 526, 527, 528, 529, 530.
Trios: BWV 583, 584, 585, 586, 587, 1027-4a, 790 (transcription).
Trio Sonata: BWV 1039 (transcription)
Duettos: BWV 802, 803, 804, 805.
Miscellaneous Pieces: BWV 588, 589, 590, 591, 598.

VOLUME V
Concertos: BWV 592, 593, 594, 595, 596, 597, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976, 978, 980, 981, 985, 986.

VOLUME VI (A4)
Short Preludes & Fugues : BWV [553 … 560].
Orgelbüchlein : BWV [599 … 644].

VOLUME VII
Schübler Chorales: BWV 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 650.
Leipzig Chorales: BWV 651, 651a, 652, 653, 653b, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668.
Partitas: BWV 766, 767, 768, 769 (Canonic Variations), 770.

VOLUME VIII
Clavierübung Chorales: BWV [669 … 689]
Miscellaneous Chorales (long):
BWV 694, 695, 707, 708, 713, 718, 720, 725, 733, 735, 736, 739, 741, 747, 748, 761, 764 (completed), 1128 (© 2008 ortus musikverlag).

VOLUME IX (A4)
96 Miscellaneous Chorales:
BWV 690, 691, 692, 693, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 709, 710, 711, 712, 714, 715, 716, 717, 719, 721, 722, 723, 724, 726, 727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 732, 734, 737, 738, 740, 742, 743, 744, 745, 746, 749, 750, 751, 752, 753 (completed), 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 760, 762, 763, 765, 957, 1085, [1090 … 1120], Anh 49, 58, 2 chorales without BWV number.