Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern

Johann Balthasar Kehl (24 August 1725, Coburg – 7 April 1778, Bayreuth) was a German composer, cellist, and organist active in the mid-18th century.
Kehl received his early education at the Latin School in Coburg and continued his musical training from 1742 under Johann Pfeiffer, the Kapellmeister of the Bayreuth court. He entered court service in 1740 as a cellist and chamber musician. After the death of Margravine Wilhelmine in 1758, he increasingly focused on church music.
In 1760 he became the municipal organist of the Neustädter Kirche in Erlangen, where he also served as university organist and provided organ instruction for theology students. Between 1759 and 1764 he published four collections of chorale preludes, drawing on Protestant hymn traditions while incorporating elements of the late Baroque style.
Kehl was appointed court organist in 1769 and, in 1774, took up the position of Stadt­kantor in Bayreuth, a post he held until his death in 1778. His contributions reflect the transitional musical aesthetics of his time and his strong connection to Lutheran liturgical practice.

Registration
I. Flauta 8' + Gamba 4' +Terz 1 1/2 '
II. Flauta 8' + Prestant 4' + Waldflet 2'