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Revision as of 08:41, 21 March 2021
Contents
Sacred Vocal Works
Cantatas
Bach's sacred cantatas are among his most treasured and ample groups of pieces. They come predominately from his first years in Leipzig (1723-1750). The main movement types are arias, duos, and choruses, interleaved with recitatives. Instrumentation varies according to the text: Bach lived in a time of many conventions associating specific instruments with attitudes and emotions such as grief and joy but also triumph, sorrow, contrition, and so forth.
Cantatas Nos. 1-10 (BWV 1-10)
Item No. | Title | Catalogue No. | Voices | Instruments | Key | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern | BWV 1 | SATB | 2Hn, 2ObdC; 2VnPr, 2Vn, Va, Bc | G Major | BWV 1 |
No. 2 | Ach Gott, von Himmel sieh darein | BWV 2 | SATB | 4Trb, 2Ob; 2Vn, Va, Bc | F Major | BWV 2 |
No. 3 | Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid | BWV 3 | SATB | 2ObdA; 2Vn, Va, Bc | A Major | BWV 3 |
No. 4 | Christ lag in Todesbanden | BWV 4 | SATB | Crn, 3Trb; 2Vn, 2Va, Bc | E Minor | BWV 4 |
No. 5 | Wo soll ich fliehen hin | BWV 5 | SATB | 2Ob, Sl Tr; 2Vn, Va, Bc | G Minor | BWV 5 |
No. 6 | Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden | BWV 6 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
No. 7 | Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kamm | BWV 7 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
No. 8 | Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben | BWV 8 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
No. 9 | Es ist das Heil uns kommen her | BWV 9 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
No 10 | Meine Seel erhebt den Herren | BWV 10 | Example | Example | Example | Example |
Cantatas Nos. 11-50 (BWV 11-50)
If there is a baseline for measuring Bach's progress as a composer of cantatas, the cantata BWV 23 is it. On 7 February 1723 Bach used it for his audition for the position of cantor at the Thomas Kirche in Leipzig. It opens with an Adagio for soprano and contralto and concludes with a robust chorus of substantial proportions.
Item No. | Title | Catalogue No. | Voices | Instruments | Key | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | |
No. 23 | Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn | BWV 23 | SATB | 2Ob; 2Vn, Va, Bc | C Minor | BWV 23 |
Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | Example | |
No. 42 | Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats | BWV 42 | SATB | 2Ob, Fg; 2Vn, Va, Org, Bc | F# Minor | BWV 42 |
No. 43 | Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen | BWV 43 | SATB | 3Tr, Timp, 2Ob; 2Vn, Va, Bc | G Major | BWV 43 |
No. 44 | Sie werden euch in den Bann tun | BWV 44 | SATB | 2Ob, Fg; 2Vn, Va, Bc | Bb Major | BWV 44 |
No. 45 | Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist | BWV 45 | SATB | 2Fl, 2Ob; 2Vn, Va, Bc | E Major | BWV 45 |
No. 46 | Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgend ein Schmerz sei | BWV 46 | SATB | 2Fl, Tr, 2ObdC; 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Minor | BWV 46 |
No. 47 | Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden | BWV 47 | SATB | 2Ob; 2Vn, Va, Bc | G Minor | BWV 47 |
No. 48 | Ich elender Mensch, wer wird mich erlösen | BWV 48 | SATB | Tr, 2Ob; 2Vn, Va, Bc | G Minor | BWV 48 |
No. 49 | Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen | BWV 49 | SATB | ObdA; 2Vn, Va, Org, Bc | E Major | BWV 49 |
Performing editions of Bach cantatas by Craig Smith (Emmanuel Music)
Craig Smith (1947-2007), the founder of the ensemble Emmanuel Music in Boston, was perhaps the most devoted conductor of the genre active in the U.S. The editions appearing in the table below reflect his ideas about how the pieces should be performed. These editions were made by CCARH in cooperation with the conductor.
Catalogue No. | Title | Voices | Instruments | Score | Choral score | Parts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BWV 135 | Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder | SATB | Example | |||
BWV 136 | Example | SATB | Example | |||
Example | Example | Example | Example | |||
Example | Example | Example | Example | |||
Example | Example | Example | Example |
Motets
Bach's six motets are well known to choirs and choral groups. Each one was composed and performed for a funeral or memorial service. Each reflects on the personal relationship between the recently deceased and God by proclaiming joy at the imminent reunion with Him in Heaven. Nos. 4 and 6 are thought to have been composed during Bach's Weimar period (1708-1717), the remainder subsequently. These were composed between 1723 and 1732, during Bach's long tenure in Leipzig. Opinions vary on the question of whether two additions motets ("Ich lasse dich nicht," BWV Anh. 159, and "Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt," BWV 160) are partly by Bach or entirely by other members of his family. Although some motets were composed for funeral services, others may have been performed at festive celebrations.
Work No. | Title | Catalogue No. | Voices | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied | BWV 225 | SATB, SATB | BWV 225 |
No. 2 | Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf | BWV 226 | SATB, SATB | BWV 226 |
No. 3 | Jesu, meine Freude | BWV 227 | SSATB | BWV 227 |
No. 4 | Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir | BWV 228 | SATB, SATB, insts. | BWV 228 |
No. 5 | Komm, Jesu, komm | BWV 229 | SATB | BWV 229 |
No. 6 | Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden | BWV 230 | SATB, Bc | BWV 230 |
Masses
The B-Minor Mass (BWV 232)
Bach's B-Minor Mass was assembled in bits and pieces. Like the building of a great cathedral, its overall structure and content may not have been appreciated by those who perceived only a few gargoyles or saw one stained-glass window. In its entirety it was a colossus of its own kind. It was difficult to comprehend. It required a long acquaintance to absorb its dimensions, angles, and superstructures.
Historical and cultural background
Bach presented his first setting of the Kyrie and Gloria to Friedrich August II, Elector of Saxony, soon after his ascension in 1733. The Saxon court had converted to Catholicism in 1697, partly to facilitate an eventual link to the Polish throne, and the new duke also served as Augustus III of Poland. With his Thuringian origins, Bach served Leipzig's Thomas-Schule (from 1723 until his death in 1750) with the strict devotion characteristic of Lutheranism of the time. Bach was born under the shadow of the Wartburg, where Martin Luther translated the Greek New Testament into the German vernacular.
Elsewhere at the time the idea of a devout Protestant composing an elaborate Catholic mass would have presented many conflicts of ideology and interpretation, but Bach transcended those conflicts by allowing art to guide him through the process. Bach expanded the Credo and completed the remaining sections of the mass in 1748 and 1749. In its fullest form the B-Minor Mass became a resume of the composer's earlier activities, as it threaded elements of cantatas from his Weimar period into the fabric. Bach never felt his compositions were "perfect enough," and in recycling their remnants he also sought to improve them. In the end, the B-Minor Mass stands as an epitome of Bach's musical career. In some accounts Bach's goals went further still by embedding elements of the stile antico and Renaissance polyphony into his magnum opus.
Liturgical structure and musical specifications
Musically, the B-Minor Mass relies heavily on choral numbers, predominately for five voices (SSATB). (A point of controversy in recent years has been the question of whether these parts were sung exclusively, in Bach's presence, by soloists, by a chorus, or by a combination of the two.) Familiar and uncommon instruments are arrayed as appropriate. Overall, the timbre varies from one piece to the next. The elements of an ordinary mass are all present, but Bach has grouped them in his own way. What he calls the Missa (Mass) consists of the Kyrie and the Gloria. In keeping with the practice of other composers of his time, Bach makes each line of text the subject of a separate movement. Departing from tradition, he calls the Credo section (with its many separate pieces) the Symbolum Nicenum (in parallel with the English term Nicene Creed). The Sanctus constitutes the third section. The fourth section consists of the Hosannah, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, and the benediction, Dona nobis pacem. We divide the score below into Bach's four-sectional format.
1. Mass in B-Minor (BWV 232): Kyrie and Gloria)
Item number | Title/text(s) | Voices | Instruments | Key | Notes | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | Kyrie eleison I | SSATB | 2Fl, 2ObdA, Bn; 2Vn, Va, Bc | B Minor | Example | BWV 232: Missa--Kyrie eleison I | |
No. 2 | Christe eleison | SS | 2Vn, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Missa--Christe eleison | |
No. 3 | Kyrie eleison 2 | SATB | 2Fl, 2ObdA, Bn; 2Vn, Va, Bc | F# Minor | Example | BWV 232: Missa--Kyrie eleison II | |
No. 4 | Gloria; Et in terra pax | SSATB | 3Tr, Timp; 2Fl, 2Ob, Bn; 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Gloria | |
No. 5 | Laudamus te | S2 | Example | A Major | Example | BWV 232: Laudamus te | |
No. 6 | Gratias agimus tibi | SATB | 3Tr, Timp; 2Fl, 2Ob, Bn; 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Gratias agimus | |
No. 7a | Domine Deus | ST | Fl; 2Vn, Va, Bc | G Major | Example | BWV 232: Domine Deus | |
No. 7b | Qui tollis peccata mundi | SATB | 2Fl; 2Vn, Va, Bc | F# Minor | Example | BWV 232: Qui tollis peccata mundi | |
No. 8 | Qui sedes | A | Obda; 2V, Va, Bc | B Minor | Example | BWV 232: Qui sedes | |
No. 9a | Quoniam tu solus sanctus | B | Hn, 2Bn, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Quoniam tu solus sanctus | |
No. 9b | Cum sancto spiritu | SSATB | 3Tr, Timp; 2Fl, 2Ob, Bn; 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | BWV 232: Cum sancto spiritu |
2. Mass in B-Minor (BWV 232): Credo (Symbolum Nicenum)
Item number | Title/text | Voices | Instruments | Key | Notes | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 10 | Credo in unum Deum | SSATB | 2Vn, Bc | A Minor | Example | BWV 232: Credo in unum Deum |
No. 11 | Patrem omnipotentem | SATB | 3Tr, Timp; 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Patrem omnipotentem |
No. 12 | Et in unum Dominum | SA | 2Vn, Bc | G Major | Example | BWV 232: Et in unum Dominum |
No. 13 | Et incarnatus est | SSATB | 2ObdA, 2Vn, Va, Bc | B Minor | Example | BWV 232: Et incarnatus est |
No. 14 | Crucifixus | SATB | 2Fl, 2Vn, Va, Bc | E Minor | Example | BWV 232: Crucifixus |
No. 15 | Et resurrexit | SSATB | 3Tr, Timp; 2Fl, 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Et resurrexit |
No. 16 | Et in Spiritum Sanctum | B | 2ObdA | A Major | Example | Example |
No. 17 | Confiteor | SSATB | Example | F# Minor | Example | Example |
No. 18 | Et expecto | SSATB | 3Tr, Timp; 2Fl, 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Et expecto |
3. Mass in B-Minor (BWV 232): Sanctus
No. | Title | Voices | Instruments | Key | Notes | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 19 | Sanctus | SSATB | 3Tr, Timp; 3Ob, 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Sanctus |
4. Mass in B-Minor (BWV 232): Osanna, Benedictus; Agnus Dei, Dona nobis pacem
Item number | Title/text | Voices | Instruments | Key | Notes | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 20 (22) | Osanna | SATB, SATB | 3Tr, Timp; 2Fl, 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Osannna |
No. 21 | Benedictus | T | Vn, Bc | B Minor | Example | BWV 232: Benedictus |
No. 23 | Agnus Dei | A | 2Vn, Bc | G Minor | Example | BWV 232: Agnus Dei |
No. 24 | Dona nobis pacem | SATB | 3Tr, Timp; 2Fl, 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | Example | BWV 232: Dona nobis pacem |
Orchestral Works
Brandenburg Concertos
Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos are demonstrations par excellence of both virtuosity and interplay between most of instruments available in Bach's time in Thuringia, where Bach was raised and held all his posts prior to moving to Leipzig in 1723. He composed them while living in Cöthen, which offered few of the resources required here but may have prompted Bach to show how many different combinations of sounds could be found in the broader palette of sonorities in use within a day's travel from the court.
Work No. | Catalogue No. | Genre / Instruments ? | Key | Score (PDF) | Concordances |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | BWV 1046 | Concerto / 2Hn, Ob, Bn; VPiccolo, 2V, Va, Vc, Vne Gr, Cem | F Major | BWV 1046/3 = BWV 207a/1. BWV 1046/7 = BWV 207a/5a. | |
No. 1a | BWV 1046a | Concerto / 2Hn, 3Ob, Bn; 2V, Va, Vc, Cem | F Major | BWV 1046a | BWV 1046a/1 = BWV 52/1 |
No. 2 | BWV 1047 | Concerto / Tr, Rec, Ob, Vn; 2V, Va, Vc, Vne, Cem | F Major | BWV 1047 | |
No. 3 | BWV 1048 | Concerto / 3V, 3Va, 3Vc, Vne, Cem | G Major | BWV 1048 | BWV 1048/1 = BWV 174/1 |
No. 4 | BWV 1049 | Concerto / VPr, Rec, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Vne, Cem | G Major | BWV 1049 | BWV 1049 = BWV 1057 |
No. 5 | BWV 1050 | Concerto / Fl, VPr, Cem concertato; V, Va, Vc, Vne, Cem | D Major | ||
No. 5a | BWV 1050a | Concerto / Fl, VPr, Cem concertato; V, Va, Vne | D Major | BWV 1050a | |
No. 6 | BWV 1051 | Concerto / 2Va, 2Va da gamba, Vc, Vne, Cem | B♭ Major | BWV 1051 |
Miscellaneous Concertos
Copies from around 1730 survive for four miscellaneous concertos by Bach. Two or more of them may have been composed earlier, during Bach's Cöthen period. They follow three-movement plans, but relatively little is known about the circumstances for which they were intended. The sinfonia, judged to come from 1743-46, is believed to be detached from a lost cantata.
BWV 1043, for two violins and strings, is one of Bach's best known and most widely played works.
Title | Catalogue No. | Genre / Instruments | Key | Notes | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | BWV 1041 | Concerto / VPr; 2V, Va, Bc | A Minor | BWV 1041, 1st movement | |
No. 2 | BWV 1042 | Concerto / | E Major | Example | |
No. 3 | BWV 1043 | Concerto / 2VPr; 2V, Va, Bc | D Minor | BWV 1043 | |
No. 4 | BWV 1044 | Concerto / | A Minor | Example | |
No. 5 | BWV 1045 | Sinfonia / 3Tr, Timp, 2Ob; 2V, Va, Bc | D Major | Example |
Orchestral Suites
Bach's orchestral suites come down to our time in editions based on third-party manuscripts. Surviving parts date from c.1730-1745. Some argue that lost originals may have come from Cöthen years (1717-1723), with Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen being the intended recipient. Yet unlike the Brandenburgs, the orchestral suites were not envisaged as a set. (The attribution of a putative fifth orchestra suite, BWV 1070, is widely discredited. BWV 1071, which is effectively a suite, corresponds to BWV 1046a, the alternative version of the first Brandenburg Concerto.)
Each suite has a distinctly different character, each calls for an ensemble of a different composition, and each consists of a different number and sequence of movements. The treble wind instrument in No. 2 (originally in A Minor) is variously claimed to have been an oboe or a violin, although the flute and viola parts for it are in Bach's hand on one manuscript set in Berlin. We know that Bach sometimes modified one or another aspect (e.g. key) of individual works in his instrumental collections to meld the whole into a coherent entity. This may not have been the case with the ouvertures (as the orchestral suites were originally named), but the latitude to make changes is ever-present.
Earlier full or partial versions exist for two of the works, giving latitude to arguments for alternative instrumental choices. In the case of No. 2 (possibly the latest of the group), partisan perspectives on the principal part variously favor the violin (Joshua Rifkin), the flute (Steven Zohn), or the oboe (Gonsalo Ruiz). (Copy dates in the table below do not establish date of composition.)
No. 1. BWV 1066
Movement name | Catalogue No. | Instruments | Key | Earliest copy date | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ouverture | BWV 1066 | 2Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | C Major | Leipzig, 1724-1725 | BWV 1066: Ouverture |
Courante | BWV 1066 | 2Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | C Major | Leipzig, 1724-1725 | BWV 1066: Courante |
Gavottes 1, 2 | BWV 1066 | 2Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | C Major | Leipzig, 1724-1725 | BWV 1066: Gavottes 1, 2 |
Forlane | BWV 1066 | 2Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | C Major | Leipzig, 1724-1725 | BWV 1066: Forlane |
Minuets 1, 2 | BWV 1066 | 2Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | C Major | Leipzig, 1724-1725 | BWV 1066: Minuets 1, 2 |
Bourrées 1, 2 | BWV 1066 | 2Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | C Major | Leipzig, 1724-1725 | BWV 1066: Bourrées 1, 2 |
Passepieds 1, 2 | BWV 1066 | 2Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | C Major | Leipzig, 1724-1725 | BWV 1066: Passepieds 1, 2 |
No. 2. BWV 1067
Movement name | Catalogue no. | Instruments | Key | Earliest copy | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ouverture | BWV 1067 | Fl, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | B Minor | 1738-1739 | BWV 1067: Ouverture |
Rondeau | BWV 1067 | Fl, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | B Minor | 1738-1739 | BWV 1067: Rondeau |
Sarabande | BWV 1067 | Fl, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | B Minor | 1738-1739 | BWV 1067: Sarabande |
Bourrées I, II | BWV 1067 | Fl, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | B Minor | 1738-1739 | BWV 1067: Bourrées I, II |
Polonaise | BWV 1067 | Fl, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | B Minor | 1738-1739 | BWV 1067: Polonaise, Double (Based on Polish song "Wezmę ja kontusz") |
Menuet | BWV 1067 | Fl, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | B Minor | 1738-1739 | BWV 1067: Menuet |
Badinerie | BWV 1067 | Fl, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | B Minor | 1738-1739 | BWV 1067: Badinerie |
No. 3. BWV 1068
Movement name | Catalogue no. | Instruments | Key | Earliest copy | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ouverture | BWV 1068 | 3Tr, Timp, 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1068: Ouverture |
Air | BWV 1068 | 2Vn, Va, Bc | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1068: Air |
Gavottes I, II | BWV 1068 | 3Tr, Timp, 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1068: Gavottes I, II |
Bourrée | BWV 1068 | 3Tr, Timp, 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1068: Bourrée |
Gigue | BWV 1068 | 3Tr, Timp, 2Ob, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1068: Gigue |
No. 4. BWV 1069
Movement name | Catalogue no. | Instruments | Key | Earliest copy | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ouverture | BWV 1069 | 3Tr, Timp, 3Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1069: Ouverture |
Bourrées I, II | BWV 1069 | 3Tr, Timp, 3Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1069: Bourrées I, II |
Gavotte | BWV 1069 | 3Tr, Timp, 3Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1069: Gavotte |
Menuets I, II | BWV 1069 | 3Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | BWV 1069: Menuets I, II |
Réjouissance | BWV 1069 | 3Tr, Timp, 3Ob, Bn, 2Vn, Va, Vc, Cb, Continuo | D Major | 1730 | Example |
Works for Organ
Preludes and Fugues for Organ (BWV 531-535)
These two-movement sets for organ, despite their outward resemblance to the Well-Tempered Clavier and the Inventions, share with the orchestral suites that they span quite a stretch of Bach's lifetime. They share the two-movement arrangement but were undoubtedly composed for varied circumstances. Despite the span of years they cover, these works are set apart by the brilliance of the preludes. As assembled, they begin on consecutive tones of a pentatonic cycle--C Major (c1703-c1707), D Major (1708-1712), E Minor (1703), F Minor (c1712-1717), and G Minor (post-1717). (N.B. Subscripts in the table below distinguish preludes and fugues sharing a BWV number. They do not refer to other versions of the work.)
The first, third, and fifth of these pairs are thought to come from Bach's Arnstadt period (1703-1707), when he was serving as organist was at the Neue Kirche. Some of Bach's best-known chorale settings are considered to come from this period.
Work Number | Catalogue Number | Genre/instrumentation | Key | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1a | BWV 531a | Prelude/Organ | C Major | BWV 531a |
No. 1b | BWV 531b | Fugue/Organ | C Major | BWV 531b |
No. 2a | BWV 532a | Prelude/Organ | D Major | BWV 532 |
No. 2b | BWV 532b | Fugue/Organ | D Major | BWV 532 |
No. 3a | BWV 533a | Prelude/Organ | E Minor | BWV 533a |
No. 3b | BWV 533b | Fugue/Organ | E Minor | BWV 533b |
No. 4a | BWV 534a | Prelude/Organ | F Minor | BWV 534a |
No. 4b | BWV 534b | Fugue/Organ | F Minor | BWV 534b |
No. 5a | BWV 535a | Prelude/Organ | G Minor | BWV 535a |
No. 5b | BWV 535b | Fugue/Organ | G Minor | BWV 535b |
Preludes and Fugues for Organ (BWV 549-551)
In this group of three sets of organ preludes and fugues the first and third seem to come from near the start of Bach's tenure in Arnstadt. The middle set is slightly later (up to 1708) but is still likely to come from Bach's first professional position. Considering that they were composed when the composer was between 18 and 20 years of age, they show his enormous promise.
Work No. | Catalogue No. | Genre/Instrumentation | Key | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | BWV 549 | Prelude & Fugue/Organ | C Minor | BWV 549 |
No. 2 | BWV 550 | Prelude & Fugue/Organ | G Major | BWV 550 |
No. 3 | BWV 551 | Prelude & Fugue/Organ | A Minor | BWV 551 |
Miscellaneous Works for Organ
- Prelude in G Major (BWV 568)
Very little is known about the Prelude in G Major.
- Prelude in A Minor (BWV 569)
Similarly little-known, this work was composed before 1717.
Works for Harpsichord
The Well-Tempered Clavier
Bach composed two books of 24 pairs of works in each key (major and minor) of the "well-tempered" keyboard. Each pair consists of a prelude and fugue. Equal temperament, the practical virtue of which was the ability to play in any key without retuning the instrument, was emerging when Bach compiled the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Equal temperament, in which each named tone is set equidistant (in cents) from adjacent keys, was not instantly adopted everywhere. Organs were generally tuned to meantone temperament. Much of the music of Asia employs just intonation, which requires an instrument to be retuned for the next piece, unless it is in the same key as the preceding one. Bach demonstrated the use of equal temperament by compiling this cycle of short pieces. The preludes could show off the effect of equal temperament in scale passages, while the fugues' imitative processes required consonance in certain places to fulfill the work's satisfaction of the genre's requirements.
WTC: Book I (1722)
Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier was published towards the end of Bach's tenure at the Cöthen court.
Work No. | Catalogue No. | Genre/instrument | Key | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1a | BWV 846a | Prelude/keyboard | C Major | BWV 846a |
No. 1b | BWV 846b | Fugue/keyboard | C Major | BWV 846b |
No. 2a | BWV 847a | Prelude/keyboard | C Minor | BWV 847a |
No. 2b | BWV 847b | Fugue/keyboard | C Minor | BWV 847b |
No. 3a | BWV 848a | Prelude/keyboard | C# Major | BWV 848a |
No. 3b | BWV 848b | Fugue/keyboard | C# Major | BWV 848b |
No. 4a | BWV 849a | Prelude/keyboard | C# Minor | BWV 849a |
No. 4b | BWV 849b | Fugue/keyboard | C# Minor | BWV 849b |
No. 5a | BWV 850a | Prelude/keyboard | D Major | BWV 850a |
No. 5b | BWV 850b | Fugue/keyboard | D Minor | BWV 850b |
No. 6a | BWV 851a | Prelude/keyboard | D Minor | BWV 851a |
No. 6b | BWV 851b | Fugue/keyboard | D Minor | BWV 851b |
No. 7a | BWV 852a | Prelude/keyboard | Eb Major | BWV 852a |
No. 7b | BWV 852b | Fugue/keyboard | Eb Major | BWV 852b |
No. 8a | BWV 853a | Prelude/keyboard | Eb Minor | BWV 853a |
No. 8b | BWV 853b | Fugue/keyboard | D# Minor | BWV 853b |
No. 9a | BWV 854a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 9b | BWV 854b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 10a | BWV 855a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 10b | BWV 855b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 11a | BWV 856a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 11b | BWV 856b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 12a | BWV 857a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 12b | BWV 857b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 13a | BWV 858a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 13b | BWV 858b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 14a | BWV 859a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 14b | BWV 859b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 15a | BWV 860a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 15b | BWV 860b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 16a | BWV 861a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 16b | BWV 861b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 17a | BWV 862a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 17b | BWV 862b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 18a | BWV 863a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 18b | BWV 863b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 19a | BWV 864a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 19b | BWV 864b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 20a | BWV 865a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 20b | BWV 865b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 21a | BWV 866a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 21b | BWV 866b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 22a | BWV 867a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 22b | BWV 867b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 23a | BWV 868a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 23b | BWV 868b | Example | Example | Example |
No. 24a | BWV 869a | Example | Example | Example |
No. 24b | BWV 869b | Example | Example | Example |
WTC: Book II (1742)
Two-part Inventions
Bach's two-part inventions (BWV 772-786) constituted one set of several that J. S. Bach composed for his gifted son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784). The term invention is traced to the solo violin pieces Op. 10 (1713) by Francesco Antonio Bonporti (1672-1749), a Trentine composer. Bach uses the Latin title Inventio, reminding us of his command of the language, which he sometimes taught (in addition to teaching, composing, and performing music). Each three-voice work [see next section] was likewise called a Sinfonia.
Work No. | Catalogue No. | Genre / Instrument | Key | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | BWV 772 | Invention / harpsichord | C Major | BWV 772 |
No. 1a | BWV 772a | Invention / harpsichord | C Major | |
No. 2 | BWV 773 | Invention / harpsichord | C Minor | BWV 773 |
No. 3 | BWV 774 | Invention / harpsichord | D Major | BWV 774 |
No. 4 | BWV 775 | Invention / harpsichord | D Minor | BWV 775 |
No. 5 | BWV 776 | Invention / harpsichord | E♭ Major | BWV 776 |
No. 6 | BWV 777 | Invention / harpsichord | E Major | BWV 777 |
No. 7 | BWV 778 | Invention / harpsichord | E Minor | BWV 778 |
No. 8 | BWV 779 | Invention / harpsichord | F Major | BWV 779 |
No. 9 | BWV 780 | Invention / harpsichord | F Minor | BWV 780 |
No. 10 | BWV 781 | Invention / harpsichord | G Major | BWV 781 |
No. 11 | BWV 782 | Invention / harpsichord | G Minor | BWV 782 |
No. 12 | BWV 783 | Invention / harpsichord | A Major | BWV 783 |
No. 13 | BWV 784 | Invention / harpsichord | A Minor | BWV 784 |
No. 14 | BWV 785 | Invention / harpsichord | Bb Major | BWV 785 |
No. 15 | BWV 786 | Invention / harpsichord | B Minor | BWV 786 |
The harmonic cycle that Bach has constructed in the collection as a whole foreshadows the tonally more complete cycles of the two sets of paired preludes and fugues called the Well-Tempered Clavier. They appeared in 1722 and 1744. It was not enough for young Friedemann to be able to play the pieces. He was being called to understand the cyclic possibilities that inhered in tonal relationships. This was a dominant focus in music theory of the time. Johann David Heinichen's Circle of Fifths was first formalized in 1711 and has remained the dominant scheme for rationalizing harmonic relations in Western music theory.
Three-part Inventions (Sinfonie)
The three-part inventions, or sinfonie, follow the same cyclical organization in the aggregate. It has been suggested that the intended relationship between the inventions and sinfonias was to be performed in pairs, like the prelude-fugue sets of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Given their shared cycle of keys, Invention No. 1 might be followed by Sinfonia No. 1 and so forth.
Work No. | Catalogue No. | Genre / Instrument | Key | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | BWV 787 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | C Major | BWV 787 |
No. 2 | BWV 788 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | C Minor | BWV 788 |
No. 3 | BWV 789 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | D Major | BWV 789 |
No. 4 | BWV 790 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | D Minor | BWV 790 |
No. 5 | BWV 791 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | E♭ Major | BWV 791 |
No. 6 | BWV 792 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | E Major | BWV 792 |
No. 7 | BWV 793 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | E Minor | BWV 793 |
No. 8 | BWV 794 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | F Major | BWV 794 |
No. 9 | BWV 795 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | F Minor | |
No. 10 | BWV 796 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | G Major | |
No. 11 | BWV 797 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | G Minor | BWV 797 |
No. 12 | BWV 798 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | A Major | |
No. 13 | BWV 799 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | A Minor | |
No. 14 | BWV 800 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | Bb Major | BWV 800 |
No. 15 | BWV 801 | Sinfonia / harpsichord | B Minor |