We bustle along with the other members of the congregation beneath a sullen, gray sky towards the church of St. Boniface, in the little German town of Arnstadt, in the princedom of Thuringia, deep in the heart of Germany. My hope is that today, Easter Sunday (March 23rd) 1704, we might have an opportunity to hear, or even meet, the nineteen-year old organist who was appointed here just last year. Not yet out of his teens and already, the name of Johann Sebastian Bach is known to everybody with more than a passing interest in music. He was invited to inspect, and give the inaugural recital on the organ in the church last summer, so I have great expectations for this visit.
The Lutheran divine service of this time takes a while, so we should make ourselves comfortable. We can probably expect to be here for at least the next two hours, possibly three.
Settling in one of the unoccupied pews toward the back of the church, a distant rumble of thunder is audible. It's a little unusual to hear thunder this early in the year, but what follows is a genuine delight! The unseen organist opens the swell box of his instrument and lets rip with an answering thunderclap that echoes before entering into a virtuosic musical evocation of raindrops pattering against the windows and the tiled roof! By the end of the Twentieth Century scholars were increasingly uncertain whether J.S.Bach had in fact composed the Toccata and Fugue attributed to him. Given the frequency with which he borrowed musical ideas from other composers, and reworked his own earlier compositions, I think the confusion is understandable.
Here is the abc notation for the chorale we sung that morning, arranged for guitar: Wachet auf, ruft uns die stimme

X:1
T:Wachet auf, ruft uns die stimme % title
C:Johann Sebastian Bach % composer
O:Dirk Meineke-d.meineke@web.de % origin.
M:C                          % meter
L:1/8                        % length of shortest note
Q:60                         % tempo
%%staves (1 2)
V:1 clef=treble name="Guitar" % voice 1
V:2 clef=treble
%
K:C
[V:1]       G2 | c/d/e ed fe GF | e/c/d FE Bc z G | c/d/e ed fe GF |
[V:2][L:1/4] z | C     C  C  E, | F,    G, C    z | C     C  C  E, |
%
[V:1] e/c/d FE Bc z g | g2 f/e/d/c/ d/c/B/A/ GA/B/ | c/d/e/d/ f/e/d/c/ ed dG |
[V:2] F,    G, C  z   | E, A,       G,       F,    | E,       C        G, B, |
%
[V:1] e^f fg c/B/c CA | ^fg ga c/B/c Dc'| b/a/g g/^f/g E/f/e/d/ c/B/A/G/ |
[V:2] C   B, A,    C  | D   E  ^F    D  | G     ^F     E        D        |
%
[V:1] A/B/c c/B/c A,/^f/g/a/ g/f/e/d/ | gB     BA/G/ G/c/B/A/ B[GD] |
[V:2] C     B,    A,         C        | B,/G,/ D/D/  E,/B,/   G,    |
%
[V:1] E>^F  F>G   [GD]3  G | c/d/e ed fe GF | e/c/d FE Bc z G |
[V:2] C/A,/ D/A,/ [B,G,]>z | C     C  C  E, | F,    G, C  z   |
%
[V:1] c/d/e ed fe GF | e/c/d FE Bc z g | g2 f/e/d/c/ d/c/B/A/ GA/B/ |
[V:2] C     C  C  E, | F,    G, C  z   | E, A,       B,       F,    |
%
[V:1] c/d/e/d/ f/e/d/c/ ed   B,c | ab bc' f/e/f  ca    | bc' c'd' f/e/f Fd |
[V:2] E,       C        G/F/ B,  | B, D  G,/A,/ B,/F,/ | D   G    A     F  |
%
[V:1] e/d/c A/B/c c/_b/a/g/ f/e/d/c/ | d/e/f D/e/f G,/B/c/d/ c/B/A/G/ |
[V:2] G     A     F/E/      D/C/     | B,    D     G,/A,/    G,/F,/   |
%
[V:1] gc     e/d/c/B/ c/f/e/d/ ec   | A>B  B>c       c4-| c8     |]
[V:2] E,/A,/ F,/B,/   A,/B,/   C/E/ | F/D/ G/G,/ [GEC]2-| [GEC]4 |]

To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].

This is an entry for all you fans of the Thuringian Stud. From Johann Sebastian's chart-topping 1745 album, Nun da, was ich Musik nenne, here are the Minuet in G, and Sleepers Awake.

X:55 % number
T:Minuet in G % title
C:Johann Sebastian Bach % composer
O:The Little Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach % origin.
M:3/4 % meter
N:Requires notes up to B' in the upper octave
L:1/8 % length of shortest note
Q: % tempo
K:G
V:1 % voice 1
d2 GA Bc | d2 G2 G2 | e2 cd ef | g2 G2 G2 |
c2 dc BA | B2 cB AG | [1 F2 GA BG | B2 A4 :|
[2 A2 BA GF | G4 z2 | b2 ga bg | a2 de fd |
g2 ef gd | ^c2 B^c A2 | AB ^cd ef | g2 f2 e2 |
fa d2 ^c2 | d4 z2 | d2 GF G2 | e2 GF G2 |
d2 c2 B2 | AG FG A2 | DE FG | AB c2 B2 |
A2 Bd G2 | F2 G4 ||

X:54 % number
T:Sleepers Awake! % title
C:Johann Sebastian Bach % composer
O:Traditional Lutheran Chorale % origin.
M:4/4 % meter
N:Requires notes up to C''
L:1/4 % length of shortest note
Q: % tempo
K:C % key
V:1 % voice 1
G c/d/ e e | d f e G | F e/c/ d F | E B c2 :|
g g2 f/e/ | d/c/ d/c/ B/A/ G | A/B/ c/d/ e/d/ f/e/ |
d/c/ e d2 | G e ^f2 | g c/B/ c2 | A ^f g2 | a c/B/ c2 |
c' b/a/ g2 | (3a/g/^f/ g d B | G z E2 | ^F2 G2 |]


To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].