The Chorale Variations on the Magnificat noni toni, BuxWV205 are based on plainsong, the melody being the ninth psalm tone, the tonus peregrinus. There are two verses, the first, vocal in character, having the melody (in long notes marked ‘tremolo’) in the pedals, the second a fantasia based on the melody’s first three notes (minims) to which Buxtehude adds a lively counter-subject (semiquavers).
from notes by Relf Clark © 2008
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