Fugue Essays

Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 861 (Book 1) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Bach completed the first volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722 at the age of 37. The aim of the book was to write a prelude and fugue in all keys which are arranged in an ascending chromatic scale in pairs of major and minor scales, for example, C major, C minor, C-sharp major, C-sharp minor, et cetera, for those who wished to learn. Though written in a minor, the piece is by no means stately or solemn in tone

listen to “Toccata and Fugue” by J. S. Bach (1685-1750). The only instrument used in this piece was an organ. In the first movement, Toccata, the sound was dark, reminding me of Dracula. This movement made me feel very anxious due to its fast pace and how loud and intense the organ was. The second movement, Fugue, gave me very mixed emotions. The beginning of this movement reminds me of bees, the way the tune darts back and forth. Around the fourth minute of the song during Fugue, the sound gets lighter

ever composed. Bach’s compositions are full of intricate counterpoint. He wrote 2 volumes of the Well -Tempered Clavier in which there fugue and prelude of every key. The prelude possess a feeling of levity. This result not solely because of its tempo marking, allegro, but also the fast appreciated lines in the major key that alternate between both hands. The fugue is in 3 voices. However the are a few sections with two voices. The motive

“It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself” (brainyquote.com). This quote from Johann Sebastian Bach gives you an insight on his relationship with music. From a young age Bach was able to play the harpsichord, violin, and organ. He composed not only a massive amount of music, but an incredible variety as well. His work required him to compose for nearly every major genre of the era and his music still

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician born in 1685 of the Baroque period and is famously known for his instrumental compositions such as Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C minor, Toccato and Fugue in D minor, and Magnificat just to name a few. Since the 19th century, Bach has been generally regarded as the greatest composer of all time. Being the last of eight children to be born into the Bach family, Johann basically had his life set up for him because his father was a city musician

piece being the toccata followed by the fugue. The toccata is a virtuoso musical form that originated during the Baroque era. There is a lot of freedom for expression and emphasizes the performer’s technical abilities. There are often fast runs and free-form improvisatory-like sections, a quite drastic step in a new direction from strict musical forms common during this time, such as the sonata or cantata. Bach has been recognized as the master of the fugue, a musical form that features a primary

Toccata for clavier in E minor BWV 914 J.S. Bach (1685-1750) Slow (no specific tempo indication) Un poco Allegro Adagio Allegro Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) is born in Eisenach Germany. He skilled in violin, organ and harpsichord. And he also composed lots of famous works such as Mass in B minor, Brandenburg concertos and The Well-Tempered Clavier etc. Bach was claimed “the Father of music” Toccata means ‘to touch’, generally for keyboard instruments. It came from Renaissance and commonly

Baroque: Bach/Rembrandt van Rijn Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 and died at age 65 in 1750. His parents’ died when he was ten years old. Therefore he moved in with his brother Johann Christoph, who was older than him by fourteen years, in Ohrdruf. Now by this time J. S. Bach was already suitable to play the violin. By age fifteen, he knew how to play the clavichord; his brother, who was Pachelbel’s student, taught him. He then went on to learn Greek, Latin, arithmetic, etc.

1. A fugue is a contrapuntal composition in which a single theme pervades the entire fabric, entering in one voice (or instrumental line) and then in another. Based on the principle of imitation. An example would be Bach’s cantata Wachet auf. 2. Has three parts, exposition, development, recapitulation. And Exposition is repeated which has two parts theme one and theme two. Which goes back to the development which you could do whatever you want with it. But has to end in the tonic form instead of

Special Topic #4: J. S. Bach Ricercar This piece of music, The Musical Offering, is a set of pieces composed by J. S. Bach in 1747. King Frederick II of Prussia challenged J. S. Bach to improvise a six-voice fugue on the theme of “Regis Iussu Cantio Et Reliqua Canonica Arte Resoluta", and so he did. The first letters of each word of the theme spell out the word “Ricercar”, which was a well-known genre of that time. Throughout this piece, J.S. Bach uses many of the basic elements of music to all work

Bible beside 2 Chronicles 5:14, that belonged to one of the greatest musical composers of all time… Johann Sebastian Bach! Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician, during the Baroque period. Bach’s compositions include: the Toccata & Fugue in D minor, 2 passions, the magnificent Mass in B minor, as well as over three hundred cantatas. His music is known for its artistic beauty, its intellectual depth, and its technical command. Bach was not widely recognized as a great composer until

“I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well.” Johann Sebastian Bach was the first in 1780 to be a professional organist. J.Bach was the most legendary important outstanding musicianship with creative power that for controlled a perfect balance. His genius created this art that's surmounting the techniques and general achievements of his own and also lead on to A New Perspective in the earlier generations. Bach was the first to play an organ in 1703

flageolet as it was popular during the first 20 years of the 18th century. He also assumed that bird flageolets in G sounding an octave higher than written it would eliminate problems of balance in the orchestra and “add brilliant high entries to the fugue” (Dart,

Johann Pachelbel was a very important composer of the Baroque time period, especially middle Baroque. Pachelbel 's exact birthday is unfortunately not documented, but, the day he was baptised was. He was baptised the first of September of 1653. Pachelbel later died at 52 on March 3 of 1706. Pachelbel was born in Nuremberg, Germany to his father, Johann Pachelbel and his father 's second wife, Anna Maria Mair. This family was middle­class. Pachelbel started to be trained in music at a fairly young

imperceptible process of healing starts. His healing is done by Julia herself in the form of ‘Art of Fugue’. Her music brings a positive change in Michael. He attends her concert and is uplifted by her music. He now understands the true love in him. He thus says: Music, such music; is a sufficient gift why ask for happiness; why hope not to grieve ? It is enough; it is to be blessed enough to live from day to day and to hear such music- not too much, or the soul could not sustain it-from time to

Before the difference between a canon and fugue can be discussed in any detail it is necessary to address the main difference between the two forms, their imitative styles. Both the canon and fugue fall under the category of imitative counterpoint compositions. They use imitative polyphony to create a complex texture within the piece of music. Imitative polyphony consists of several melodic parts, that are virtually the same or similar to one another, that are sung or played at different time intervals

“The Rite of Spring” was certainly the most controversial piece of orchestral music of its time. The piece, composed by the Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky, included a great deal of uncommon musical elements. But was it really that uncommon? The world-changing ballet, “The Rite of Spring” was so controversial when it debuted in 1913, because it completely contradicted the common rhythmic and harmonic languages of the music at the time. The choreography and costumes were a main part of the reason

Within the Renaissance period there were many outstanding composers of sacred chorale music. Two of the most noticeable were Johannes Ockeghem and Jacob Obrecht. It appeared that they had somewhat similar paths through their lives and they may have met. Johannes Ockeghem, born around 1410-20 A.D in Saint-Ghislian, Belgium. He received an early education in music but the whereabouts of where he was educated is not known. It has been suggested that there were two functioning music schools in the

G. F. Handel and J.S Bach were both composers who were born in Germany. Bach came from a family with a rich musical background, while Handel did not (Kamien, pg 143). The compositions of Handel and Bach, Messiah and Wachet Auf, both have a religious context and include the ritornello technique. As for the texture of these compositions, both are characterized by a polyphonic and imitative texture. Additionally, string instruments are used in Messiah and Wachet Auf. Handel is famous for his English

Gloria from Pope Marcellus Mass was composed by Palestrina as a sacred choral work performed purely in 6-part choirs including a soprano, an alto, two tenors, and a bass. Its texture is mixed mostly by homorhythmic and particular parts of polyphony. Compared to that of Cantata No.140 of Bach, its pure a cappella medium provides audience a deeper sense of holiness than 4-part choir with orchestra in the former. Beginning solely by an tenor singing in Latin with haunting echoes from the open space