Brahms Twelve Songs, Opus 44 were originally composed between 1859 and 1866 for his Women\'s Chorus in Hamburg, which he founded in 1959. These songs are some of the only a cappella works of his. Several of the songs have folk origins, however No. 10 is more serious (If You Walk Through the Churchyard). This collection is Brahms\' nod to the choral traditions of the Renaissance and early Baroque.

Mr. Sauer has produced a lovely score that is perfect for intermediate level performers, the music being in bass clef and of moderate technical difficulty and range. Each song is between 1 and 2 minutes in length.

This instrumental quartet version was created with ensemble practice in mind for beginning music school students who want more contact with baroque music, ideal also for liturgical performances in churches, since it is a sacred work. This version lasts 3:19 minutes with the original melody adapted with the harmony divided between the voices of the performers.

Jesu joy of man's desiring or Wohl mir, da� ich Jesum habe (I am happy to have Jesus) is a chorale from the cantata 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" or "Heart and mouth and deed and life" from the B. W. V 147 catalog composed by Johann Sebastian Bach around 1723, where the same music in different stanzas of a chorale closes both parts of the cantata.