Variations on "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"
for Grade 4 Concert Band
Perhaps a better name for this work would be "Variations on a Theme by Bach," as the piece bears no resemblance to the Lutheran hymn, "Sleepers awake! The voice calls unto us." Rather, it employs Bach's famous melody from his chorale prelude for organ (BWV 645) which was in turn transcribed from the fourth movement of his cantata of the same name (BWV 140).
Presented as a theme with six variations, the piece takes influences from a wide range of composers, such as Charles Ives, Anton Bruckner, Robert Schumann, Percy Grainger, and of course, Bach.
Variations on "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" was written for Junior/Senior high school band (Grade 4).
Presented as a theme with six variations, the piece takes influences from a wide range of composers, such as Charles Ives, Anton Bruckner, Robert Schumann, Percy Grainger, and of course, Bach.
Variations on "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" was written for Junior/Senior high school band (Grade 4).
