Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist,
harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and
secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo
instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque
period and brought it to its ultimate maturity.
Although he did not introduce new forms, he enriched
the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal
technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and
motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms,
forms and textures from abroad, p...(+)
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist,
harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and
secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo
instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque
period and brought it to its ultimate maturity.
Although he did not introduce new forms, he enriched
the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal
technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and
motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms,
forms and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy
and France.
Bach employed thematic material from certain trio
sonatas by Albinoni and Corelli to fashion the
following keyboard fugues:
- BWV 946: Albinoni, Op. 1 No. 12, 4th movement,
Presto
- BWV 950: Albinoni, Op. 1 No. 3, 2nd movement,
Allegro
- BWV 951a: Albinoni, Op. 1 No. 8, 2nd movement,
Allegro
- BWV 579: Corelli, Op. 3 No. 4, 2nd movement,
Vivace
All four fugues seem to have been composed during
Bach's early period—probably before about 1707. The
earliest source of the B minor Albinoni Fugue is in the
hand of Bach's eldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach of
Ohrdruf, who also copied the first two sonatas from
Albinoni's Op. 1 into the Moller Manuscript around
1704-7. This date (or even earlier still) would accord
with the early style of all three Albinoni fugues, with
the B minor perhaps the last to have been composed.61
In the case of the Corelli fugue, it is perhaps at
least suggestive that the earliest source also contains
the D major Sonata, BWV 963, for the fugal procedure in
both works is anomalous. While the central fugue of the
sonata employs variant intervallic forms of the subject
(beyond the customary tonal answer), the Corelli fugue
opens with two dux (leading) entries rather than the
orthodox dux–comes (subject–answer) pair, and lacks
a treble entry in its opening exposition. The
restriction of all subject entries to the tonic or
dominant, and the occurrence of the anticipatory-note
mannerism in bb. 53 and 82, likewise point to an early
date.
Although the young Bach had no doubt already
encountered the Italian sonata style indirectly via
such German intermediaries as Kuhnau, Bohm, and
Buxtehude, it is safe to assume that exposure to
Albinoni's Op. 1 and Corelli's Op. 3 brought with it
new insights and a fuller opportunity to assimilate the
style into his own creative work. In his adaptations of
their music, as in the overtures (BM 82o and 8n) and
sonatas (BWV 963 and 967), he was engaged in creating
keyboard music out of ensemble genres. In this case,
however, he employed the actual thematic material of
the Italian composers' ensemble works. While this
material is not restricted to the fugue subject (and
hence the modern formulation 'Fugue on a Theme of
Albinoni/Corelli' is inaccurate), the subject must have
been by far the most important factor in Bach's choice.
Consequently, it is worth asking what, if anything,
these subjects have in common that might have
especially appealed to the young composer. As it
happens, they are all characterized by a well-balanced
arch shape, a rise (by step or by leap) from the tonic
through a 6th octave or loth, which is then countered
by a corresponding stepwise fall through the same
interval back to the tonic (Ex. 6a–d, below). Bach
was beginning to develop a strong feeling for line
around this time, and several fugue subjects of his own
invention (those of BWV 551, bb. 39ff., and BWV 588,
for instance) suggest that he might have been
predisposed to take an interest in such satisfying
arch-shaped themes.
Source: The Creative Development of JSB by By Richard
D. P. Jones.
Although originally written for Harpsichord. I created
this Interpretation of the Fugue in C Major (BWV 946)
for String Quartet (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION