[Chorale] Masterpieces of chorales. Recommended popular pieces.
In the world of classical music, chorales are frequently featured in wind ensemble and orchestral performances.
With their solemn resonance and profound spirituality, chorales hold a special place in music history.
Many masterpieces, starting with the works of Bach, continue to captivate musicians around the globe to this day.
In this article, we present a selection of exquisite chorale pieces that will resonate deeply with both performers and listeners.
Whether you are encountering chorales for the first time or already appreciate their allure, you are sure to discover something new.
Enjoy these treasures of music, woven from beautiful melodies and rich harmonies.
- [Hymns] Famous hymns and sacred songs. Recommended hymns and sacred songs.
- [Chorale] Masterpieces of chorales. Recommended popular pieces.
- A cappella masterpieces: Recommended songs where beautiful harmonies shine (Western and Japanese music)
- Japanese gospel: recommended Japanese songs with a gospel-like style
- [Tearjerker] Songs that make your heart tremble with tears & moving tracks with lyrics that touch the soul
- Masterpieces of Celtic music. Recommended Irish music.
- [Nostalgic Collection] Classic oldies masterpieces. Recommended popular songs
- [Irish Folk Songs] Surprisingly Familiar Masterpieces and Standards of Ethnic Music
- Beautiful, lovely Western music. A roundup of recommended classic songs.
- The Brilliance of Youth: A collection of the Carpenters’ signature and popular songs
- [Classical] Masterpieces of oratorios. Recommended classical music.
- [Wind Ensemble] Recommended Western pop songs for concerts: timeless classics from every era
- [Choral Songs You Can Sing in English] Recommended Pieces for Choral Competitions Too!
[Chorale] Masterpieces of chorales. Recommended popular pieces (11–20)
The Promised LandUematsu Nobuo
This piece is notable for its sacred, hymn-like chorus.
The composer is Nobuo Uematsu, world-renowned as a master of video game music, and he has crafted it into a solemn, chorale-style work.
The Latin lyrics seem to convey fundamental questions—why humans bear sin and suffer, and where life returns—as well as sorrow toward an inescapable fate.
The track is included on the soundtrack FINAL FANTASY VII ADVENT CHILDREN, released in September 2005.
In the film, it is used as an insert song during a moving scene in which the characters ascend to the heavens.
It’s recommended for nights when you want to quietly immerse yourself in a grand, epic world.
Hymn No. 320: “Nearer, My God, to Thee”Sarah Adams
Based on a passage from the Old Testament, a poem was written in the 19th century by the British writer Sarah Flower Adams.
The melody known today is based on the tune arranged by the American composer Lowell Mason.
In 1912, when the luxury liner RMS Titanic sank, it is said that the ship’s string players performed this piece on the deck as the vessel went down.
This story was also depicted in the 1997 film Titanic, helping to make the piece widely known.
Pachelbel / Chorale Canon (Tokyo Solisten, March 14, 1983)Johann Pachelbel
It’s “Chorale ‘O Sacred Head, Now Wounded’ and Canon in D major” by Johann Pachelbel, a German composer and organist of the Baroque period.
You might not be very familiar with this chorale, but the name “Pachelbel’s Canon” probably rings a bell for many.
Pachelbel had a significant influence on the development of the chorale prelude and the fugue, becoming one of the most important figures of the mid-Baroque era.
The opening, with its rich sonority of strings, differs from the canons we typically know, but the canon that flows in the latter half is certainly familiar!
God is our strongholdMartin Luther
This is “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” composed by Martin Luther, who was born in Eisleben in the Saxon region of the Holy Roman Empire.
It is a beautiful chorale that also appears in wind band method books.
Defying his parents’ wishes, Luther entered the Order of Saint Augustine and pursued the path of a monk.
The performance features a brass ensemble of trumpet, horn, trombone, and tuba, yet it achieves a rich, choir-like resonance, serving as a model performance for wind players—truly splendid.
Hymn 298: “Be at Peace, O My Heart”Jean Sibelius
Arranged in 1932 by the composer himself from the main theme of Finnish representative violinist Jean Sibelius’s symphonic poem “Finlandia” for the Presbyterian Church’s official American hymnal, The Hymnal (1933), it quickly became famous.
The symphonic poem “Finlandia” itself was composed in 1899 in Finland, which was suffering under the oppressive rule of Imperial Russia, and it is still widely sung in Finland today as a second national song after the national anthem.
It is a hymn that sings of obedience to God and hopeful longing.