Editions of Bach Chorales

Does anyone know how reliable this edition of the Bach chorales is? I didn't know there were various versions, nor do I know why this is; but thanks to anyone who can clear this up for me.

It seems to be the one available on IMLSP, or one very similar to it.

Reliable?

It looks fine. When you are ready you should get one with open score - eg C clefs - to improve your score and sight reading

Isn't the the normal edition that everyone uses?

I just wanted to check, 'cause he seems to go a bit mental in some of the chorales, from what I can see... :unsure:

I've seen him have the tenor inexplicably jump down a fifth creating a gap greater than an 8ve with the alto before jumping an 8ve to a note which I don't see why it isn't used in the first place (instead of having the gap) in the Chorales (No. 4, bar 5).

There are tons of places in the chorales where I think you'd get an examiner mark you down (Bach crosses, overlaps, has awkward intervals, doubles the major third, &c.), but I can see the reasoning behind most of them and figure out why they work in the context; but this one defies me...

I think a lot of those have to do with either the text influencing the melodic contour of the line or Bach just trying something new just because. I don't know the text of the example you posted above but that might shed some light on why it is that way.

I've yet to check the text (and I will); but I'll be really surprised if the text somehow justifies having a large gap between the inner parts by implying a melodic contour that only applies to the tenor. That being said, if the word on that beat is 'separate', then I'm into it.

But, more importantly, why is there about a hundred million editions of them? I can't find an edition on the internet that's the same as mine, but I can't find any other two editions that are the same as each other, either.

Idk but I use the original edition from IMSLP based on CPE Bach's edition of the Chorales published by Breitkopf and Härtel in 1878.

For your Chorale #4 there I looked it up: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale020-Eng3.htm

Notice for the first phrase of the B part of the first stanza, the text is "Der Glaub' sieht Jesum Christum an" (Faith looks towards Jesus Christ). On the word "sieht" the bass rises and the tenor jumps up an octave to "Jesum". both pieces looking up to Jesus Christ. Since the chorale melody already existed, he can't alter it, but he does alter the most "noticeable" voices, the bass and tenor (other than the melody, of course).

Little things like this can be found all over the Bach chorales, and its been noted that Bach had a great fondness for word painting; just look at any of his Cantatas.

I have the Reminschnieder book which is what was used to teach chorale harmonisation at college. I would expect all subsequent editions to be copies or near-copies of this seeing as it is the oldest (from the Bach-Geselschaft edition of 1850) and was based on surviving manuscripts.

The other reason Bach may have taken the tenor down so far is to mitigate the effect of three voices all moving upwards on beat 1-2. It would otherwise end up with the bass being an octave below the other parts for three beats which amounts to a sustained gap in the tessitura. Nonetheless, Bach quite frequently disregarded the theoretical rules of SATB writing for musical effect without harming the voice-leading. In Dulce Jubilo has a chord in which tenor and alto swap, which is indicated by lines in the printed edition. You can find parallel octaves and fifths as well as false passing notes in others.