St John Passion: 1. Herr, unser Herrscher (piano transcription)

The Declaration of Finger Independence. When I first published my transcription around this time last year, I could not play it at all. I had to put it aside and work on my finger technique. I reattempted this piece quite recently and I was pleasantly surprised by my progress. Although I still cannot play it with ease and I would like to increase the tempo by another 10-20%, I can no longer contain my excitement by sharing with you all the very first performance of a faithful arrangement for solo piano, almost exactly 300 years after it was premiered on April 7, 1724.

What is "pianistic"? What is "playable"? To me, a piece is playable if there exists one person who can play it; whether it is pianistic is irrelevant. The great keyboard composers of the past have been constantly pushing the boundaries of keyboard technique, uncovering time and again unimaginable possibilities within the physical limitations of two hands.

Since this is one of the most technically demanding pieces I have ever produced, and there may be enthusiasts who wish to try it out (see below for purchase link on Patreon), I must make the disclaimer that I am not responsible for hand injuries. As preparation, I highly recommend the following:
Hanon Nos. 1-20 in all major keys (C major alone will not suffice)
Hanon No. 52 "Scales in Thirds" or equivalent
a broad sampling of fugues from both volumes of the WTC and the Art of Fugue
Ricercar a 6 from the Musical Offering
my transcription of Widerstehe doch der Sünde

While practicing this piece it is extremely important that the wrist and arm be relaxed and flexible. One should reduce the tempo or stop altogether in case of tension buildup. If you are studying with a teacher please seek professional advice.

Transcription notes
As usual I try to preserve the counterpoint as much as possible, but here I have allowed more flexibility, especially in combining voices. Being too literal would bring more confusion to the score than desirable.
To preserve the running sixteenth note drive, a choral voice is sometimes replaced with an instrumental voice.
In bb.46-48 the tenuto symbol is used to indicate "Herr" across the four choral voices.
In b.84 the two accidentals of C in the right hand are to be played simultaneously.
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Johannespassion, BWV 245 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
1. Herr, unser Herrscher
Arr.: Ruoshi Sun (2023, rev 2024)
Piano: Ruoshi Sun (2024) on CLP-785
Temperament: Werckmeister
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Links
Score purchase   / st-john-passion-1-herr-unser-herrscher-180589  
St John Passion playlist    • Bach-Sun - St John Passion, BWV 245 (...