J. S. Bach was the first known composer to use a literal representation of his name in his music. He used the chromatic motive B-A-C-H , that is, B-flat, A, C, B-natural in American theoretical language in Contrapunctuas XIV from the Art of Fugue. Although Bach left this fugue unfinished, the third and last subject of the fugue was the B-A-C-H motive that composers after Bach have used to pay tribute to the great composer. There are a number of composers; including: Schumann, Liszt, Reger, Busoni, Schoenberg, and Webern, who have used the B-A-C-H theme in their works; varying the way they employed it to make it part of their personal style. NEED SCHUMANN, LISZT, REGER INTRODUCTION SENTENCES. In 1910, Busoni created one of most famous works, Fantasia Contrappuntistica, that "finished" Bach's unfinished fugue; the theme is easily noticeable in contrapuntal form. In 1923, the year Schoenberg created his twelve-tone method, he composed op. 25 Suite Für Klavier, which employs his tonal row in inversion, the B-A-C-H motive. In 1937-38, a student of Schoenberg and a purveyor of serialism, Webern used a tonal row beginning with the B-A-C-H motive to create his piece Streichquartett, op 28. Each of the three modern composers uses this theme differently but they each have used these four notes to create a piece that connects each of them to Bach in a unique way.
In Fuga a 3 Soggetti (Contrapunctus XIV) from the Art of Fugue; Bach first presented two whole fugues with separate subjects before beginning the signature-subject . The subject begins with the four notes B flat, A, C, and B natural in a chromatic pattern that is easily recognized. As can be seen below, he quickly matches his subject in the tenor with a real answer at a fi...
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...e is a key factor of serialism and Webern is able pull this off while maintaining the B-A-C-H theme in his row.
Annotated Bibliography
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Schoenberg, Arnold. Suite Für Klavier, Op.25. Wien: Universal Edition. Print.
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Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven both flourished in their compositions of classical music; however, their genre of music differed considerably. Bach was a German composer during the Baroque time era of western music which is estimated to have taken place during 1600 to 1750. It was during this time that he composed prolific church organ music which included such works as the Mass in B Minor, much scared choral music, and the St. Matthew Passion, as well as composing over a thousand works in nearly every musical genre except opera. On the other hand, Beethoven was a German composer whom began to emerge during the classical era of western music twenty years after Bach. This era took place throughout the years1750 and 1830. The large quantity of arrangements, over two hundred works in numerous musical genres composed by Beethoven was significantly influenced by his predecessors, onset of deafness, and his highly personal expression of intellectual depth. Such works include the first an...
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie, 20 vols. (London: Macmillan, 1980)9: 708-709
In the early 1740’s, Bach began work on what many consider to be his most monumental project ever, Art of the Fugue. Bach intended this piece to be an extensive study of “the art of fugal counterpoint,” exploring the possibilities and various outcomes that can be produced by manipulating a single theme (“The Art of the Fugue”). Bach was not commissioned to compose this piece, nor was the idea inspired or suggested to him by anyone else; in creating Art of the Fugue, Bach was “alone in his genius” (Herz, 4-5). The result of Bach’s endeavors was a collection of eighteen fugues, all in the same key, and all based on the same principle theme. This principle theme was modified and transformed into an astonishing number of over twenty different major variations and one hundred minor variations (“The Art of the Fugue”).
Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the most famous German composers of his time. All of his work was mostly during the baroque era. The baroque period was from 1600 to 1750 and it is known to be one of the most diverse musical periods as opposed to the other classical music eras. It was in this era that “included composer like Bach, Vivaldi and Handel, who pioneered new styles like the concerto and the sonata.”(Classic FM) Johann Sebastian was born in the midst of the Baroque era as he was born on March 31, 1685 in Thuringia, Germany. Johann came from a family of musicians, which is how he himself became one as well. It was his father who showed him how to play his first instrument, which was the violin. His father was also a well-known musician in his town as he “worked as the town musician in Eisenach.”(Johann Sebastian Bach) It is known that Johann Sebastian went to a school that taught him
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I can remember being a young boy, spending several hours throughout the days watching cartoons. I can definitely relate to classical music being played in these cartoons, like the mentioned classic, Bugs Bunny. “Bugs Bunny was quite the concert musician”(“Classical Masterpieces Turn Up”). I vaguely remember Bugs Bunny attempting to play classical music tunes, but I did not know they were classicals at a young age. The music I was hearing contributed to everything I was feeling. This classical tune that had a rising tempo when something dramatic was happening, caused me to feel excited and thrilled. This classical tune that began to get louder and stronger when intense moments in the cartoon came about, caught my attention. I was physically unable to turn away, my favorite character was running from the evil man, and the tempo sped. I had no idea how much of an impact classical music played into my childhood until this assignment.
(TheRealConcertKing), the polyphonic contrapuntal style is apparent. However, it is accompanied by concerto grosso with use of the technique of terraced dynamics in ritornello form (Whitehouse 76). In Johann Sebastian Bach’s, “Brandenburg Concerto No 4 G major BWV 1049”(Classical Vault 2), the major and minor tonality is obvious, The terraced dynamic are clearly heard when the solo (violin and two flutes) play and when the full orchestra plays (Whitehouse 86). Author Whitehouse writes,” The immediate decrease in sound when the smaller group plays and a return to a full sound when the full orchestra plays” (Whitehouse 87). Bach also used ritornello form in “Brandenburg Concerto No 4 G major BWV 1049” (Classical Vault 2). Bach’s chosen ripieno is, tutti, solo, tutti, solo, tutti, solo (Whitehouse 8...
Between the 1600s and the 1700s, many would think more of Kings or Queens who ruled their vast kingdoms for years upon years rather than a great composer such as Johann Sebastian Bach, a man who greatly contributed to Germany and many other specific regions of Europe during his life. Born in 1685 Eisenach on March 21, Bach was a member of one of the most excellent musical families of all time as, for over 200 years, the Bach family had birthed some of the most superb composers and performers, many supported by churches, the government, and nobles for their extraordinary works ("Wikipedia"). However, having been orphaned so early on, Bach grew up in the home of his brother, Johann Christoph Bach, in Ohrdruf. During his early life, he attended schools of dance, acted as an organist on many occasions, particularly in Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, Weimar, as well as a court music director in Cöthen, and, later in his life, in 1723 to be precise, he became the grand choirmaster of St.Thomas in Leipzig for twenty-seven years and oversaw many events of the school, going so far as to divide the students into four individual choirs and recruiting the talents of the citys professional musicians and university students (pg 1 - 14, Eidam). He continued as a choirmaster until the end of his days, writing various and exquisite pieces that were preformed in front of many audiences, quite a few of which were preformed by those of the four individual choirs he created while he lead them through each piece (pg 1 - 14, Eidam). Though this may not seem as important as the rulings of Kings and Queens at the time, Bach's contribution to his homeland of Germany and its people was mostly certainly memorable and worth consideration. In fact, because of his contr...
Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a family of musicians. It was only natural for him to pick up an instrument and excel in it. His father taught him how to play the violin and harpsichord at a very young age. All of Bach’s uncles were professional musicians, one of them; Johann Christoph Bach introduced him to the organ. Bach hit a turning point in his life when both of his parents died at the age of ten years old. Bach’s older brother Johann Christoph Bach took him in and immediately expanded his knowledge in the world of music. He taught him how to play the clavichord and exposed him to great composers at the time. At the age of fourteen, Bach and his good friend George Erdmann were awarded a choral scholarship to the prestigious musical school St. Michael’s in Luneburg. From then on, Bach began to build his career in the music industry. His first two years at the school he sang in the school’s a cappella choir. Historical evidence has shown that Bach at a young age would visit Johanniskirche and would listen to the works of organ player Jasper Johannsen. This was thought to have been the inspiration to Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Studying at the prestigious musical school has help Bach network his way around and become acquaintances’ with some of the best organ players at the time such as Georg Böhm, and Johann Adam Reincken. Through his acquaintance with Böhm and Reincken Bach had access to some of the greatest and finest instruments.
Bach had and an unsuccessful eye operation in 1749 which resulted to total blindness. This did not deter him from music as he continued to compose music by dictating the composition to his pupil. He died of a stroke in July 1750 and was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Thomas Church. However his body was later exhumed and reburied in Johanniskirche (Baroque Music).
3. BWV in D major. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote four Orchestral Suites. This piece is the second of the five movements that compose his Orchestral suite No. 3. The date it was composed remains unsure, as there is strong evidence that the writing of the piece was done during his years at Köthen, even though the piece is said to have been composed and premiered some years later in Leipzig sometime between 1727 and 1730 by his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, one of his students and himself. Johann Sebastian wrote out the main violin and continuo parts, C.P.E. Bach did the same with the trumpet, oboe, and timpani parts, and Johann Ludwig Krebs, his student, finished with the second viola and violin parts. Regardless the authors of the piece, Johann Sebastian Bach ended up getting all the credit for the piece. Air stands out as one of his most famous and successful pieces of the Baroque period, as well as of his life. The beginning of the piece is one of the most recognizable melodies of the Baroque
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