Choral in B minor

Today was my noontime “Lenten Meditation” at the Congregational Church: the two Bach settings of Dies sind die heil'gen zehn Gebot' and the Franck Choral in B minor. It all went well enough, for which I give thanks to God. I have posted the Franck on YouTube, to go alongside the hundreds or thousands of other performances of this piece; here it is.

From the program notes:

In the summer of 1890, which proved to be the final year of his life, César Franck wrote a collection of three Chorales for organ. They are among the crown jewels of the organ repertoire. Today's program includes the second of the three, the Chorale in B minor. In form, it is a passacaglia, a set of variations on a sixteen-measure bass with which the piece begins. After three variations of increasing intensity, a second theme is presented which may be thought of as the “chorale.” Two phrases are presented on the Great Organ, separated by passages on the Swell. The third phrase is a coda in B major, now presented softly on the Swell rather than the Great; its conclusion is the midpoint of the work. An interpolation on full organ leads into more variations on the passacaglia theme, now combined with the chorale theme and developed, building to a statement on full organ. With a beautiful diminuendo, we return to the B major coda, which concludes the work.