 Knüpfer frequently based his German works on the text and melody of a chorale, and he was a master at deriving contrapuntal ideas from motivic fragmentation of the chorale.In many of these works the chorale verses are treated much as they are in slightly later German cantatas in which each verse is set separately.An opening choral movement, usually of large proportions and often repeated at the end of the work, is succeeded by movements designed for soloists.