Who's behind the notes? Discover Johann Sebastian Bach: Master of Baroque Music
"Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich" (The day is so full of joy) is a Christmas chorale prelude from Bach's Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book). This collection represents some of Bach's most sophisticated contrapuntal writing for organ, where he demonstrates how to treat chorale melodies with elaborate accompaniment. In BWV 605, Bach creates a joyful, bubbling texture of sixteenth and thirty-second notes in the inner voices against the steady chorale melody, evoking the Christmas joy described in the text.