Patrick Schönbach: Kleine Choralfantasie über "Befiehl Du Deine Wege"

This little chorale fantasy on the German Lutheran chorale "Befiehl Du Deine Wege" has the specialty that it is based on two different tunes for the same hymn: the more familiar tune in minor by Georg Philipp Telemann, which is a slightly modified version of the original tune by Gesius, and the lesser known melody in major mode by Johann Michael Haydn.

The piece starts out in a quite somber mood depicting the burdens everyone has to carry. It becomes more and more intense, and on the climax of struggle, it quotes the first two lines of the hymn "Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten". After some very tensed chords that symbolize the submission under God's will and trusting Him unconditionally, the mood changes, and the second, much more joyful melody appears.

The piece is written in my own personal style, which is deeply rooted in the polyphony of J. S. Bach and late romanticism.

This Chorale Fantasy is dedicated to Hubert Hübner.