O Mensch bewein dein Sünde groß Johann Sebastian Bach / Arr. Percy Aldridge Grainger

Grainger's Chosen Gems for Winds & Medium

Ah, Bach! In all its beauty, intensity, and calm, this piece is the best of Bach. Superbly scored, O Mensch, Bewein' Dein' Sünde Gross is a must for all bands. The piece captures the essence of one of the most played style periods of modern time - the Baroque period.

Genre: Band | # of Players: Standard
Level: 4 | Duration: 5:45

Instrumentation
This piece uses Grainger's "Elastic Instrumentation" such that it is playable by any number of instrument combinations and ensembles, such as brass quartet/quintet/sextet, woodwind quartet/quintet, saxophone quartet, brass choir, and double reed choir.

Piccolo
Flute 1/2/3
Oboe 1/2/3
Bassoon 1/2/3
Eb Clarinet
Bb Clarinet 1/2/3
Bb Bass Clarinet
Soprano Saxophone
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

Bb Cornet/Trumpet 1/2
Horn in F 1/2/3/4
Trombone 1/2/3
Bass Trombone
Euphonium 1/2
(Baritone T.C.)
Tuba

String Bass

Program Notes
The Chorale-Prelude O Mensch, Bewein' Dein' Sünde Gross is taken from Bach's 'Orgelbüchlein' collection. Grainger created the setting between 1937 and 1942. While not unusual today, his beautiful realization of the ornamentation was revolutionary in the 1940s.