Playing together what belongs together

Everyone is familiar with these little pieces – but not with the compelling connection among them which Pieter Dirksen discovered. According to his findings, Bach conceived the eight fughettas as a little anthology for Advent (BWV 704, 703, 698 and 699), Christmas (BWV 701, 696 and 697) and New Year (BWV 702). The pieces have been transmitted in this order in a source that had been mostly ignored up to now, a copy made for the Leipzig publisher Breitkopf. Since this reliable manuscript is also the earliest source of the fughettas, Dirksen had every reason to base his edition of the music text on it. Organists will welcome the publication as a valuable new source of inspiration for the start of the church year. What's more: The upright format of the edition signalizes that these pieces are not specifically for the organ, but “neutral” works that can be interpreted very well on other keyboard instruments as well.