Johann Sebastian Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor: Concert Band: Score &

SKU: C4.9790902257176

ISBN 9790902257176. 8.27 x 11.7 inches.

Eugen d'Albert (1864-1932) enjoyed an illustrious and colourful career as both concert pianist and composer. He wished to include J.S. Bach's music in his concerts and sought the grandeur of some of the large secular organ works. The transcriptions he made for this purpose are arguably better than the numerous Bach transcriptions made by his contemporaries. D'Albert's versions of eight secular masterworks present them remarkably close to their original form, yet perfectly matched to the modern piano. At times, they make very considerable technical demands, but the effort to master them is amply rewarded.

This 116-page volume marks their first appearance since they were first issued over a century ago. Many errors and inaccuracies have been remedied and English translations of his musical terms have been provided.

SKU: HL.4008644

ISBN 9798350115024. UPC: 196288189695.

The Passacaglia is a set of instrumental variations based on an ostinato bass. Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C-minor for organ represents the pinnacle of what had been achieved in this compositional form at that time. In Franco Cesarini’s arrangement for large wind orchestra, the particularly careful interpretation of the original piece enables him to exploit all the sound colors at his disposal, and in this sumptuous guise Bach's work also takes on a grandiose dimension, albeit tinged with late-Romanticism. The exposition of the beautiful theme begins in the bass part, immediately creating a solemn and serious atmosphere which is accentuated by the intensely pathetic character of the first variations. Up to the tenth variation it remains confined to the bass, but in subsequent ones it also passes to the soprano and alto register. The integrity of the theme is also embellished with elegant arpeggios, in whose lower and higher extensions the theme can be distinguished. Towards the end it returns to the bass in an impressive thickening of the polyphonic texture that swiftly re-establishes the key of C-minor. The “Thema fugatum” which follows immediately does not constitute a Fugue in its own right, rather it is nothing but the twenty-first and most extensive variation of the Passacaglia. This time Bach uses only the first half of the theme, superimposing a rhythmic countersubject that considerably enlivens the entire development of the composition. The polyphonic discourse becomes increasingly dense, until the building tension peaks in a powerful “Neapolitan sixth” chord, followed by a sudden pause. This culminating moment then leads to the coda and final cadence on a bright C-major chord.