O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded

Note from the arranger

Although it is Bach’s magnificent harmonization of this chorale which has made it so beloved today, the original melody has in fact been through several iterations since its composition around 1600 by German composer Hans Leo Hassler. It began life as a secular love song before being simplified as a hymn tune, finally making its way into Bach’s St Matthew Passion in 1727. The English hymn lyrics are based on the medieval poem “Salve mundi salutare” in which the various parts of the crucified Christ’s body are addressed and praised.

This lever harp arrangement strives to keep as much of Bach’s harmonization as possible whilst making the fingering and voicings of the chords a little more harp-friendly than the original keyboard version.

There are two versions in this download: an intermediate one (shown in the video), and a simplified one with no lever changes. Fingering suggestions are included in both versions. The versions may be combined to create a longer solo, or played separately, repeated as many times as appropriate for the occasion.

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