Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden – Psalm 51

Scoring: Solo SA, Coro SATB, 2 Vl, Va, Bc

None other than Johann Sebastian Bach arranged Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s well-known Stabat mater for performances at Leipzig’s Thomaskirche. Bach replaced the old liturgical sequence of the original with a rhymed version in German of the 51st Psalm, Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden (God, annull all my transgression) (available from Carus under Carus 35.302).

Both Pergolesi’s composition and Bach’s arrangement have only two solo vocal parts (soprano and alto). As early as the 18th century, the tradition developed of performing individual movements of the Stabat mater chorally, since some movements literally demand a choir. The presented edition now also offers this possibility for Bach’s version Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden. Jörn Bartels has created choral versions for verses 3, 5-7 and 10-15 by adding male voices based on the basso continuo as well as Bach’s original viola part.

• Bach's adaptation of the poignant "Stabat Mater" by Pergolesi
• Suitable for small choirs and ensembles