Newly Found Bach Preludes To Be Performed

A collection of 33 chorale preludes composed by Johnson Sebastian Bach, recently discovered by a Harvard professor, will be performed tomorrow for the first time at Yale's Battell Chapel.

Hailed as one of the grestest musical finds of the century, the preludes were first attributed to Bach last December by Harvard Music Department Chairman Christoph J. Wolff, who found them in the Yale Music Library among a collection of 18th-century manuscripts.

"We have been beseiged with requests for tickets to the concert," said Carl S. Miller, Yale's director of concerts and public information. "We've been sold out for three weeks."

Scheduled as the concert's featured performer is Harvard organist John R. Ferris, choirmaster of Memorial Church, who will play 16 of the preludes.

Ferris will be followed by Charles Krigbaum, a professor of music at Yale, who will perform the final 17 works in the collection.

An overwhelming response to the afternoon concert prompted. Yale officials to Schedule a repeat performance. Sunday, evening said Harold L. Sannels, the head librarian of the Yale Music Library.

National Public Radio, heard locally on WGBH-EM (87.), it will broadcast the first concert live tomorrow at 2 p.m.

The preludes which were not in Bach's handwriting, had to be transcribed and corrected in preparation for their performance, said Melodee I. Wagen. Wolft's assistant in the Harvard Music Department.

Written sometime before 1710, the works are considered significant because they reveal much about Bach's early musical development, Wagen added.

Although the preludes sat in the Yale Library for more than 100 years. Wolff was the first scholar to identify their composed.

The preludes will be performed at Harvard on April 18 as part of 4 special week long University festival commemorating Bach's 300th birthday.

Wolff, at Yale in preparation, for the performances, could not be reached for comment.