Christus der ist mein Leben

Untill now I've only come acroos one choral prelude by Jacob Adler, the prelude to "Herr Christ, der einig Gottes Sohn (see here: https://partitura.org/index.php/jacob-adlung-herr-christ-der-einig-gottes-sohn/). That publication is already more than 6 years old, so I'll repeat what I wrote then about Jacob Adlung.

Jacob Adlung (1699 – 1762) was a German organist, teacher, instrument maker, music historian, and music theorist. He was born in Bindersleben, near Erfurt. He studied philosophy, philology, and theology at the University of Jena from 1723 to 1726, where he studied the organ further with Johann Nikolaus Bach. He returned to Erfurt in 1727 where he succeeded Johann Heinrich Buttstedt as organist of the Prediger church after the former’s death, a post he retained for the rest of his life. He was also professor of languages at the Erfurt Gymnasium and a maker of keyboard instruments. And on top of all this, he composed as well.

Though perhaps he did not compose a lot, as this in only the second composition by his hand that I came across. I know there could be one more, but I have not yet been able to find a suitable source. The prelude to "Christus der ist mein Leben" is a charming work. I like it more than Adlung's other chorale prelude I published previously. The prelude is written in e flat major and is build on steady repeated notes in the pedals. It reminds me a bit of the first part of cantate "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbest Zeit", BWV 106. Bach is of course the better composer, yet this piece of Adlung is very nice to play.


Score available here: https://partitura.org/index.php/jacob-adlung-christus-der-ist-mein-leben