Neumeister Collection


The Neumeister Collection is a compilation of 82 chorale preludes found in a manuscript copy produced by Johann Gottfried Neumeister. When the manuscript was rediscovered at Yale University in the 1980s it appeared to contain 31 previously unknown early chorale settings by Johann Sebastian Bach, which were added to the BWV catalogue as Nos. 1090–1120, and published in 1985.

History

Neumeister compiled his manuscript after 1790. It has been suggested that the 77 earliest works in the collection may have been copied from a single source, possibly a Bach family album put together in J. S. Bach's early years. The five works by Neumeister's own music teacher, Georg Andreas Sorge, were a later addition.
Some time after 1807 the manuscript passed to Christian Heinrich Rinck, whose library was bought by Lowell Mason in 1852. After Mason's death in 1873, his collection was acquired by Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. There the Neumeister volume lay as manuscript LM 4708 until it was rediscovered "early in 1984" by musicologists Christoph Wolff, Hans-Joachim Schulze, and librarian Harold E. Samuel. After satisfying themselves that the manuscript was genuine, they announced the discovery in December 1984. Their conclusions were confirmed in January 1985 by German organist , who had been working on the same material independently, and with a fatal lack of urgency, since 1981. Wolff acknowledged that he brought his announcement forward when he learned that Krumbach was in the field. Krumbach was unhappy with the way things turned out.

Works and composers

The Neumeister Collection contains 82 chorales, most of them unpublished before the 1980s re-evaluation of the Neumeister manuscript. The attribution of a few pieces in the manuscript remains uncertain:
From the state of the manuscript Wolff concludes that the five unattributed works were written by composers represented elsewhere in the collection, whose names were omitted by accident. Weighing both textual and stylistic evidence, he proposes Johann Michael Bach as the author of all five, while allowing that one could also have been written by J. S. Bach and another by Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow.
#BWVComposerChoraleKeyRISMAuthenticity
1Bach, J. M.Nun komm der Heiden HeilandG min.000105398Confirmed
2Bach, J. M.Meine Seele erhebt dem HerrnD min.000105399Confirmed
3Bach, J. M.Herr Christ der einig Gottes SohnG maj.000105400Confirmed
4Bach, J. M.Nun freut euch lieben Christen gemeinG maj.000105401Also attr. Pachelbel, J.
5Bach, J. M.Nun freut euch lieben Christen gemeinG maj.000105402Confirmed
6Bach, J. M.Gott hat das EvangeliumD min.000105403Confirmed
7Bach, J. M.Gott hat das EvangeliumD min.000105404Confirmed
8723Bach, J. M.Gelobet seist du Jesu ChristD min.000105405Also attr. Bach, J. S.
9Zachow, F. W.Gelobet seist du Jesu ChristG maj.000105406Confirmed
10Zachow, F. W.Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich herD maj.000105407Confirmed
11719Bach, J. S.Der Tag der ist so freudenreichG maj.000105408Also attr. Pachelbel, J.
12751Bach, J. S.In dulci jubiloG maj.000105409Also attr. Bach, J. M. – Walther, J. G.
13Erich, D.Christum wir sollen loben schonE min.000105410Confirmed
141090Bach, J. S.Wir Christenleut'G min.000105411Confirmed
151091Bach, J. S.Das alte Jahr vergangen istD min.000105412Confirmed
161092Bach, J. S.Herr Gott nun schleuß den Himmel aufA min.000105413Confirmed
171093Bach, J. S.Herzliebster Jesu was hast du verbrochenG min.000105414Confirmed
181094Bach, J. S.O Jesu wie ist dein GestaltG min.000105415Confirmed
191095Bach, J. S.O Lamm Gottes unschuldigF maj.000105416Confirmed
201096Bach, J. S.Christe der du bist Tag und Licht, oder Wir danken dir, Herr Jesu ChristA min.000105417Also attr. Pachelbel, J.
211097Bach, J. S.Ehre sei dir Christe der du leidest NotD maj.000105418Confirmed
22anonymousChrist lag in TodesbandenD min.000105419
23Bach, J. M.Jesus Christus unser HeilandG min.000105420Confirmed
24Bach, J. M.O Herr Gott Vater in EwigkeitG maj.000105421Confirmed
25Sorge, G. A.Vater unser im HimmelreichD min.000105422
26Bach, J. M.Der du bist drei in EinigkeitG maj.000105423Confirmed
27Bach, J. Chr.Allein Gott in der Höh sei EhrF maj.000105424Confirmed
28Bach, J. M.Allein Gott in der Höh sei EhrG maj.000105425Confirmed
29Bach, J. M.Mag ich Unglück nicht widerstahnA min.000105426Confirmed
30Bach, J. M.Dies sind die heilgen zehn GebotF maj.000105427Confirmed
311098Bach, J. S.Wir glauben all an einen GottD min.000105428Confirmed
321099Bach, J. S.Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dirG maj.000105429Confirmed
331100Bach, J. S.Allein zu dir Herr Jesu ChristC maj.000105430Confirmed
34Pachelbel, J.Allein zu dir Herr Jesu ChristA min.000105431Confirmed
35714Bach, J. S.Ach Gott und HerrB min.000105432Confirmed
36742Bach, J. S.Ach Herr mich armen SünderB min.000105433Confirmed
37Bach, J. M.Auf meinen lieben GottE min.000105434Confirmed
381101Bach, J. S.Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbtD min.000105435Confirmed
39Bach, J. M.Nun laßt uns Gott dem HerrenG maj.000105436Confirmed
401102Bach, J. S.Du Friedefürst Herr Jesu ChristB♭ maj.000105437Confirmed
41anonymousWas mein Gott will das gescheh allzeitA min.000105438
42Bach, J. M.Kommt her zu mir spricht Gottes SohnG min.000105439Confirmed
43anonymousIch ruf' zu dir Herr Jesu ChristD min.000105440
44anonymousIch ruf' zu dir Herr Jesu ChristG min.000105441
45Bach, J. M.Der Herr ist mein getreuer HirtG min.000105442Confirmed
46Bach, J. M.Warum betrübst du dich mein HerzG min.000105443Confirmed
47Bach, J. M.Von Gott will ich nicht lassenG min.000105444Confirmed
481103Bach, J. S.Erhalt uns Herr bei deinem WortG min.000105445Confirmed
49737Bach, J. S.Vater unser im HimmelreichD min.000105446Confirmed
501104Bach, J. S.Wenn dich Unglück tut greifen anE min.000105447Confirmed
511105Bach, J. S.Jesu meine FreudeD min.000105448Confirmed
521106Bach, J. S.Gott ist mein Heil mein' Hilf' und TrostG maj.000105449Confirmed
53Bach, J. M.Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh dareinD min.000105450Confirmed
54Bach, J. M.Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohlG maj.000105451Confirmed
55Bach, J. M.Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hältE min.000105452Confirmed
56Bach, J. Chr.An Wasserflüssen BabylonG maj.000105453Confirmed
571107Bach, J. S.Jesu meines Lebens LebenD maj.000105454Confirmed
581108Bach, J. S.Als Jesus Christus in der NachtE min.000105455Confirmed
591109Bach, J. S.Ach Gott tu dich erbarmenD min.000105456Confirmed
601110Bach, J. S.O Herre Gott dein göttlich' WortB♭ maj.000105457Confirmed
61Zachow, F. W.Wie schön leuchtet der MorgensternD maj.000105458Confirmed
62anonymousHeut triumphieret Gottes SohnE min.000105459
63Bach, J. M.Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden istG maj.000105460Confirmed
641111Bach, J. S.Nun laßt uns den Leib begrabenG maj.000105461Confirmed
651112Bach, J. S.Christus der ist mein LebenF maj.000105462Confirmed
661113Bach, J. S.Ich hab' mein' Sach' Gott heimgestelltB min.000105463Confirmed
671114Bach, J. S.Herr Jesu Christ du höchstes GutF min.000105464Confirmed
681115Bach, J. S.Herzlich lieb hab ich dich o HerrC maj.000105465Confirmed
691116Bach, J. S.Was Gott tut das ist wohlgetanG maj.000105466Confirmed
701117Bach, J. S.Alle Menschen müssen sterbenB♭ maj.000105467Confirmed
71957Bach, J. S.Mach's mit mir Gott nach deiner GütG maj.000105468Confirmed
721118Bach, J. S.Werde munter mein GemüteG maj.000105469Confirmed
731119Bach, J. S.Wie nach einer WasserquelleD min.000105470Confirmed
74Bach, J. Chr.Wer Gott vertrautF maj.000105471Confirmed
751120Bach, J. S.Christ der du bist der helle TagE min.000105472Confirmed
76Zachow, F. W.Erbarm dich mein o Herre GottE min.000105473Confirmed
77639Bach, J. S.Ich ruf zu dir Herr Jesu ChristF min.000105474Confirmed
78601Bach, J. S.Herr Christ der einige Gottes SohnA maj.000105475Confirmed
79Sorge, G. A.Auf ChristenmenschF maj.000105476Confirmed
80Sorge, G. A.Wo Gott der HerrG min.000105477Confirmed
81Sorge, G. A.Herr Jesu Christ du höchstes GutA min.000105478Confirmed
82Sorge, G. A.Freu dich sehr o meine SeeleG maj.000105479Confirmed