CHAPTER 39

Johann Sebastian Bach:

Instrumental Music in Weimar

and Cöthen

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Born in central Germany from a family with a long musical tradition, J.S. Bach first studied music, the humanities, and theology in private Lutheran church schools at Eisenach, Ohrdruf, and Lüneburg.

After serving as organist in Arnstadt, he moved to more promising positions in Mühlhausen and then in Weimar.

Bach in Weimar

• During his time in Weimar (1708-1717), Bach wrote most of his great works for organ.

• Among them, the Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book) is a collection of 46 choral preludes that Bach might have intended as:

– a repertory of pieces for the organist to play in church.– a demonstration on how to compose a choral prelude on a given tune.– a way to develop the organist's technique through extensive use of the pedal.

• Recall that a choral prelude is an ornamental setting of a pre-existing choral tune to be played on the organ before the singing of the choral by the congregation.

"In dulci jubilo"

Known today as the Christmas carol "Good Christian men rejoice," this choral prelude from the Orgelbüchlein sets an old Gregorian chant.

Here, the melody is in the soprano, while the other voices provide counterpoint.

Moreover, Bach adds two canons - one between soprano and bass - the other between alto and tenor.

Pedal point: a sustained or continually repeated pitch, usually placed in the bass and sounding while the harmonies change around it - so called because of its original association with the pedal of the organ. Bach often concludes his keyboard works with a pedal point.

Bach in Cöthen

• Bach was appointed Kappellmeister (chief court musician) at Cöthen in 1717, where he served until 1723.

• This position was very much a step up from that of organist in Weimar.

• Much of his chamber and orchestral music dates from this period.

Two & Three-part Inventions(Sinfonias)

• Two and Three-Part Inventions: two sets of didactic (intended to teach) pieces along the lines of simple fugues.

• Each collection contains 15 works all in separate keys.

• These mini fugues require the player to develop a lyrical playing style and use all five fingers equally (especially the thumb).

• These were primer pieces for the more demanding prelude and fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier.

The Well-Tempered Clavier

• A collection keyboard pieces by Bach in two books each containing 24 pairs of preludes and fugues arranged by key in ascending order.

• As the title suggests, Bach's "clavier" should be tuned to play in all tonalities.

• Equal temperament: a division of the octave into twelve equal half-steps (chromatic scale).

• Subject: the theme with which a fugue begins.

• Countersubject: a theme that serves as counterpoint to the subject.

• Exposition: the opening section of a fugue in which the subject is presented in imitation in each voice.

• Episode: the section(s) that follows the exposition and subsequent statements of the subject characterized by melodic sequence and modulation; (“filler” material).

• Fugue: a contrapuntal piece for two, three, or four voices:

– begins with the presentation of a subject in imitation in each voice (exposition).

– continues with modulating passages of free counterpoint (episodes).

– further appearances of the subject, and ends with a strong affirmation of the tonic key.

• Invertible counterpoint: a compositional technique in which two voices exchange motives.

• Alto motive is placed in the bass line.

• Bass motive is placed in the alto line.

• Picardy third: the sudden shift to a major chord at the end of a composition in a minor key.

• Obbligato: (literally means “obliged or mandatory.”) - a term indicating that a composer has written a specific part for an instrument and intends it to be played as written.

• Bach often wrote out obbligato accompaniment parts for the harpsichord instead of a single figured bass line – very specific as to how certain pieces were to be

realized.

• Bach's Brandenburg Concertos are a set of six concertos for "several instruments" - written for the most part in Cöthen.

• They are dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg

– whom Bach met during a visit to Berlin where he was sent

to pick up a large new harpsichord.

• It was this harpsichord that Bach himself likely played during the premier of Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.