Befiehl du deine Wege

The second choral prelude fromHöpner's opus 2, "Acht Vorspiele und zwei Fugen", is a prelude based on the melody of "Befiehl du deine Wege". That melody is probably the most famous because it is the melody of "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" as well. Höpner uses the melody to write a choral prelude that is in fact two different preludes rolled into one.

The first is a canon with the melody in both hands. The second one features the choral melody in the bass voice, with the soprano and alto voice providing a lively accompaniment. This second part is the better part of the composition. The first part features nice contrapuntal writing, yet feels a bit stiff as well and not as warm blooded as the first choral prelude from this collection (https://partitura.org/index.php/christian-gottlob-hopner-nun-danket-alle-gott/).

Score available here: https://partitura.org/index.php/christian-gottlob-hopner-befiehl-du-deine-wege