Dietrich Buxtehude is probably most familiar to modern
classical music audiences as the man who inspired the
young Johann Sebastian Bach to make a lengthy
pilgrimage to Lubeck, Buxtehude's place of employment
and residence for most of his life, just to hear
Buxtehude play the organ. But Buxtehude was a major
figure among German Baroque composers in his own right.
Though we do not have copies of much of the work that
most impressed his contemporaries, Buxtehude
nonetheless left behind a body of v...(+)
Dietrich Buxtehude is probably most familiar to modern
classical music audiences as the man who inspired the
young Johann Sebastian Bach to make a lengthy
pilgrimage to Lubeck, Buxtehude's place of employment
and residence for most of his life, just to hear
Buxtehude play the organ. But Buxtehude was a major
figure among German Baroque composers in his own right.
Though we do not have copies of much of the work that
most impressed his contemporaries, Buxtehude
nonetheless left behind a body of vocal and
instrumental music which is distinguished by its
contrapuntal skill, devotional atmosphere, and raw
intensity. He helped develop the form of the church
cantata, later perfected by Bach, and he was just as
famous a virtuoso on the organ.
This Praeludium, or Prelude, shares a common structure
with other organ preludes in Buxtehude's output: it
begins with a brief introduction in free form, then
goes on to two related fugal sections. Other preludes
by this composer, however, like BuxWV 142, have three
such sections. The introduction to this A minor effort
also follows a pattern established by the composer: it
begins with a single line and then takes on thicker
textures that feature highly imaginative
ornamentation.
The opening here begins modestly and imparts a somber
sense, the music having a mostly ascending contour to
effect a mood of expectation or preparation. Soon the
atmosphere turns brighter and takes on a regal, almost
bombastic air. The first fugal section then follows,
beginning as well with a single but more delicate
voice, the pacing moderately lively. The music quickly
accrues competing lines and secondary voices, although
the mood remains mostly subdued throughout this
section. The second fugue, in contrast, has a more epic
character in its similarly restrained pacing and
features heftier chords and meatier textures, in many
ways hearkening back to the generally regal and
imposing character of the introduction.
SHEET MUSIC