The Orgelbüchlein Community is an open platform for sharing Orgelbüchlein compositions. Compositions can be submitted by using the form below, and will be displayed on the relevant Chorale page of the website. Copyright belongs to the composer of each piece but anyone may download and play the compositions free of charge. However, we ask that, if you programme and perform any of the pieces, you credit the composer and the Orgelbüchlein Project in any publicity and printed programme material. Feel free to share details of performances on Twitter (@orgelbuchleinP) or within the Facebook Orgelbüchlein Project group.

Rules of Composition:

The aim is to write a very short chorale setting on the any of the chorales featured in Bach’s Orgelbüchlein, including those already set by Bach. Chorale melodies may be found on the website.

– Style is open – you can write in Bach style, or another pastiche style, or in an original idiom.
– The piece should be for solo organ with pedals (as in the preface to Bach’s Orgelbüchlein).
– The melody can be in the top part or elsewhere, at your choice.
 
Ideally, there is little or no preludial and interludial material, to mirror the compositional density of Bach’s Ob pieces. In other words, the piece should be a paraphrase of the melody, rather than either a fantasia on it, or a Chorale Prelude where there is Vorimitation.
 
One composition per person per chorale is permitted. 

Complete this form to upload your submission

    BIOGRAPHIES of some of the composers of the Orgelbüchlein Community:

    ABBING, Mathis: Youngest composer to have contributed so far! (b 2005). Son of noted improviser and teacher, Jörg Abbing.

    BERNET, Atie: Atie Bernet-Blom, Dutch, living in Sweden since 2008. Worked in Holland as piano-teacher, now working in Sweden as cantor in Swedish churches.

    von BLOHN, Christian: Biog here – www.v-blohn.de.

    CARPINETTI, Miriam: Miriam Carpinetti is a brazilian organist, choir director and composer. https://unicamp.academia.edu/MiriamCarpinetti

    DANIEL, Philip: Third year law student in the United States, with a passion for musical composition (particularly counterpoint).

    MORROW, Ryan: Organist and Director of Music at the Schöneck Moravian Church, Nazareth PA, USA.

    RITCHIE, Paul: A freelance organist and composer based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Choral and organ music by Paul Ritchie can be found by visiting https://paulritchiemusic.co.uk.

    SCHÖNBACH, Patrick: Born 1971 with severe cerebral palsy which never permitted him to play any instrument practically. Despite this challenge, he began composing when he was 12 years old, starting as an autodidact, later on studying musicology and music theory. He writes music for a great variety of instrumentations. Organ music plays an important role in his oeuvre. Besides composing, Patrick Schönbach works as a software engineer and as a professional audio engineer in his own studio on a part time basis.

    SIMON, Gregor: studied church music (A) in Saarbrücken and Munich. He works as a freelance organist, choir director and composer. He looks after the historic Holzhey organ in Obermarchtal and leads the Concert Choir Oberschwaben, the oratorio choir Liederkranz Ravensburg and the church choir in Obermarchtal. He is the recipient of numerous composition prizes.

    STOKES, Peter St John: Born in Yorkshire, he learnt the organ with Francis Jackson at York before going to Trinity College of Music. A broad musical education included learning composition with Arnold Cooke, a former pupil of Hindemith. He also has an MMus in Historical Musicology from Kings College, London. After 27 years teaching (21 as Head of Music at Loreto College, St Albans) he retired early to take up freelance music making. His organist appointments include St Giles-in-the-Fields, London and Dunstable Priory. For twenty years he was at St Silas and Holy Trinity churches in Kentish Town. He has also studied improvisation with Naji Hakim in Paris. In addition to his musical qualifications, he has a first degree and a PhD in French. Having mostly retired from playing and conducting, he now concentrates on composition.

    TILL, David: Retired academic (computer science), but amateur music making has always been a large part of my life. I sing in contemporary music choirs, I play string quartets, I occasionally play organ for church services and conduct a local community choir.

    de WIT, Jaap: Born 1969. Dutch musician.

    ZÜNDORF, Carsten: Organist and Church Music Director at St. Marien, Osnabrück (Germany). He is recording a series of CDs “Mit Bach durchs Jahr”. Three of six CDs are already available. See www.musikanmarien.de