This composition is based on the beautiful chorale melody Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (How lovely shines the Morning Star). Like the chorale fantasias by Bach and Buxtehude, this is a fantasia in which the original theme is used and altered throughout the work in various ways. Slow passages are alternated with fast ones, and finally a grand tutti arrives in which the original chorale theme sounds joyfully in a majestic finale. For extra colour and dimension, an optional organ part ...