The "Kleines Harmonisches Labyrinth" (Little Harmonic
Labyrinth) composition is still listed in many works
lists as a composition by J.S. Bach. Many scholarsnow
recognize it as at least of spurious provenance, and
the majority of them assign the work to composer and
Bach contemporary Johann David Heinichen (1683-1729), a
man well-known in his lifetime but who faded to total
obscurity until his rediscovery in the 1990s by
conductor and musicologist Reinhard Goebel. The work
was probably originall...(+)
The "Kleines Harmonisches Labyrinth" (Little Harmonic
Labyrinth) composition is still listed in many works
lists as a composition by J.S. Bach. Many scholarsnow
recognize it as at least of spurious provenance, and
the majority of them assign the work to composer and
Bach contemporary Johann David Heinichen (1683-1729), a
man well-known in his lifetime but who faded to total
obscurity until his rediscovery in the 1990s by
conductor and musicologist Reinhard Goebel. The work
was probably originally attributed to Bach because it
contains the musical representation of his name (B
flat, A, C, B natural) near the end of the piece, a
motif that appears in some Bach pieces. Other composers
also used it to pay homage to Bach.
The piece is in three sections: Introitus, Centrum, and
Exitus, tempo Andante. It opens with a dramatic trill,
then, while initially retaining the propulsive trill in
the background, gradually moves from a festive mood to
a hymn-like solemnity. The Centrum section is livelier
and features interesting contrapuntal activity. The
final section, the Exitus, makes up about half the
length of the work. It initially harkens back to the
Introitus in mood, but builds to a resoundingly
triumphant ending, with sonorities moving higher and
higher on the registers, as if reaching to the
heavens.
Bach's authorship is doubted by Philipp Spitta and
Günter Haußwald; they suggested the piece was
possibly composed by Johann David Heinichen, but
without any substantial argument or musicological
proof. (See W. Schmieder, BWV (1990), p. 546 & 547).
However, from a stylistic point of view, the piece
sounds much more classical than baroque and could have
been composed during the late 18th c. or the beginning
of the 19th century.
Although originally written for Organ, I created this
modern interpretation of the Kleines Harmonisches
Labyrinth in C Major (BWV 591) for Brass Quartet (Bb
Trumpet, Flugelhorn, French Horn & F Tuba).
SHEET MUSIC