This is a four-part setting of the chorale melody associated with Luther’s setting of the Nicene creed. The affect is stern, the Prelude written in the stile antico, in a slow duple time, which allows the chorale to unfold slowly. This gives a sense of the stability that is suggestive of the text. The setting exegetes only four lines of the chorale, perhaps owing to the repetition in the melody and unlike BWV702 the counterpoint is varied enough to suggest authenticity.

from notes by George Parsons © 2018