Chorale Preludes

Alongside the Chaconne for violin, the ten Chorale Preludes for organ are Busoni’s best-known piano transcriptions of works by J. S. Bach. Unlike the Chaconne, which Busoni envisaged for concert performance, he transcribed the Chorale Preludes in “chamber-music style”. A great deal of this organ/piano edition can also be played by advanced amateurs.

Henle is publishing Busoni’s definitive version in the first modern Urtext edition with valuable fingering suggestions by Marc-André Hamelin. And what is more, in the appendix we are publishing an eleventh chorale prelude for the first time: Busoni’s transcription of “Aus tiefer Not”. With regard to performing its six-part setting, the composer himself spoke of an “extreme performance limit” – but why not judge for yourself!