The repetitiveness of this substantial work has led
scholars to doubt that it's actually by Bach, although
it could well be an immature composition of his. In any
case, it begins with a canzona-style fugue arising from
a static, Morse Code-like dot-dash figure that chugs
bar by bar up a few steps of the scale, then flows all
over the staff in a shower of counterpoint. The fugue
culminates in a brief cadenza. After a pause, the music
continues with a meditative Adagio, whose melody
struggles upwa...(+)
The repetitiveness of this substantial work has led
scholars to doubt that it's actually by Bach, although
it could well be an immature composition of his. In any
case, it begins with a canzona-style fugue arising from
a static, Morse Code-like dot-dash figure that chugs
bar by bar up a few steps of the scale, then flows all
over the staff in a shower of counterpoint. The fugue
culminates in a brief cadenza. After a pause, the music
continues with a meditative Adagio, whose melody
struggles upward in the last few bars. After another
brief pause, the Fantasia concludes with a gentle
Allegro that again gives an impression of upward
mobility, even though it is based on a descending
hexachord.
Although originally composed for Organ, I created this
modern interpretation of the Fantasia in G Major (BWV
571) for String Quartet (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION