Questions tagged [j-s-bach]
For questions about the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Do not use the tag for just his works.
166 questions
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What does a natural sign mean above the note?
This is taken from the 1867 Breitkopf und Härtel's edition (1867) of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, BWV 548, (page 1, 4th system, pedal):
The key signature is E Minor, and in the second measure,...
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Which note to use with trill
Ciaccona from Partita 2 in D minor from 6 Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo by JS Bach
The second to last note on the last line has a trill. I just wanted to check which note to use with C. Sounds ...
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Bach's figured bass notation?
In this original Bach manuscript excerpt (from BWV 998), does anyone understand what he's writing along the bottom? Can it be deciphered as figured bass?
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Pure instrumental recording of Bach's St Matthew Passion [closed]
For me, Bach's St Matthew Passion is easily the greatest work of music I know. However, the more I listen to it, the more problems I have with its text.
It's not just the fact that it's a deeply ...
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Exposition in Bach's fugue repeats?
Analyzing Bachs first fugue in C major
I can't understand something.
I have colored all the subjects and answers in the picture and wrote their structure in the picture below but it seems that the ...
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Who first labelled the collection of Bach's 18 Chorale Preludes for organ (BWV 651–668) as "Great" and why?
Who first labelled the collection of Bach's 18 Chorale Preludes for organ (BWV 651–668) as "Great" and why?
Is it "Great" because of the epic scale" in contrast with the &...
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Seeking a classification of Bach's preludes (WTC, "little", "great", ...)
I know JS Bach's Well-Tempered Claviers (Books I & II) very well — on account of obsessively listening to one song at a time for hours on end. (See picture below.)
Lately I've noticed that (JS) ...
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What is up with the beat in Bach's Goldberg Variations Aria?
The time signature of Bach's Goldberg Variations Aria is 3/4. However, when you hear interpreters like Glenn Gould playing it, it sounds almost like rubato. There are pauses that aren't in the sheet ...
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BWV 851 (WTC 1 prelude in D Minor) - Different versions
I am learning the D minor prelude from book 1 of the well-tempered clavier. I had been following the Henle Verlag Urtext edition, but lost access to it and fell back to this Ricordi edition from IMSLP....
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BWV 893, London or Altnickol version?
There are 2 versions of the B minor prelude from WTC 2, BWV 893 on IMSLP:
A. 'London version' which is in cut time.
B. 'Altnickol version' which is in 4/4, the note values diminutized proportionally, ...
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What is the minimum pedal keyboard compass needed to play ALL of J.S. Bach's pipe organ music?
Simple straightforward question: What is the minimum pedal keyboard range needed to play ALL of J.S. Bach's pipe organ music?
Optional ways to embellish the answer:
Did Bach ever write a piece for ...
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What, if anything, is known about Bach's interpretation of, or emphasis on, meter?
The modern conventions for meter are, for example, that in 4/4 time, the metrical emphases are S-w+-s-w-, 3/4 is S-w-w, and so on.
Did Bach understand meter in these more-or-less strictly regulated ...
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Pile up of ornaments in J.S.Bach's BWV 935
These are bars 19-23 in J.S. Bach's BWV 935, from the Sechs kleine Präludien für Anfänger auf dem Klavier:
Can anyone spell out for me what should be played for that E in bar 23 adorned with a grace ...
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In harmonic syntax (“root progressions”), does only the root matter, or the entire chord?
I’ve read in these threads that Rameau & CPE Bach have a different opinion on wether or not more notes than the root of a chord are relevant in harmonic syntax.
Here are some stand out quotes from ...
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Nina Simone "Love me or Leave me" and Bach [closed]
When listening to Nina Simone's version of "Love me or Leave me" (this version), I have a feeling that she incorporates some classical music into her solo (around 1 minute to 2:20) - ...
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How to finger this chord Bach violin Fugue C major Violin
The chord below is from Bach' violin sonata 3, Fuga
Up until this point the chords have been easy enough to at least figure out the fingering. In this case the fingering seems to be impossible.
Ive ...
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J.S. Bach: March in C?
I found a copy of the notes to "March in C" by J.S. Bach, see image attached. I’d like to learn more about it, but surprisingly, I can't find information or recordings online.
Can anyone ...
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How to identify this Bach Fugue [closed]
I'm trying to identify this fugue subject attributed to J.S. Bach in "Treatise on the Fugue" by Andre Gedalge (page 363 here: https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/5/59/IMSLP243942-...
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On the ninth bar in Bach's BWV 940
This is bar 9 in J.S.Bach's BWV 940 in the Henle edition, which is in common time:
Is the initial upper D in the bass staff too long?
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Bach BWV 817: what do the slashes between the notes of a chord mean?
In this Henle edition of BWV817 there are slashes between the notes of the chords in bars 1, 2, 3. What does this signify? I don't think I've seen this symbol anywhere else in the book. The editorial ...
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Why does Bach not resolve this chordal seventh down by step?
I was reading this chorale by Bach (#130, "Meine Seele erhebet den Herrn", BWV 324) and discovered something curious. It starts in Em and modulates to G. In the last beat of the third bar, ...
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What type of dissonant voice leading is this Bach example?
Dissonances have to be resolved in Bach's style. If you don't resolve dissonance, you're writing is out of style for the period.
Bach's WTC I Fugue in C# minor, BWV 849, has a passage with unresolved ...
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Bach prelude in C major: unresolved suspension?
I know that in the common practice style, even in free composition where guidelines don't apply strictly, a dissonant suspension must resolve. In the WTC 1 prelude in C major, bar 20 is a C dominant ...
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Opening of Bach's mass in b minor: why does it make sense?
The opening harmonic progression of the B minor mass:
Bm moves to a C# half-diminished 7th — a ii7 chord, nothing unusual yet. To put it in root position is a bit unconventional for the style, but the ...
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Voice leading errors in Bach's WTC 1 fugue in C major?
Bach is supposed to be the master of all things music, but in the first fugue of the WTC (BWV 846), there seem to be a lot of counterpoint errors and voice leading errors. In the Urtext edition, there ...
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Help understand Bach's Preludium 10 in e minor [duplicate]
I am a pretty basic beginner and my teacher got me started with this Bach song and I’m getting kind of confused in the first measure. I don’t think it adds up to 4 beats and I don’t know how to play ...
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Bach BWV 812 Menuet I: do(can) ornaments presage the accidental?
In Bach BWV 812 Menuet I bar 6 we have a trill preceding an accidental — the thrust of the bar is to B(natural), therefore in the preceding trill do(would) you trill on B(natural)-A or B(flat)-A?
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Bach BWV 812 Allemande: Fingering for this semiquaver passage over held note
Bach BWV 812 Allemande : bar 3 - any suggested fingerings to play the descending D6 - A5 while holding G5 - starting from the 2nd beat
The suggested fingering with 4 on D6 suggests to shorten the full ...
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In JS Bach's lifetime who listened to any of his organ preludes and fugues and when? [duplicate]
The related thread from Feb. 1, 2021 initiated by Aaron (Who was listening to Bach's compositions in his lifetime?) was informative, but I have a more precise question. Who heard Bach's preludes and ...
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Harmonic analysis of J.S. Bach's Prelude in Cm (BWV 847)
I sometimes try to analyze the harmony of a Bach prelude to understand how chords change, and how he manages to shift from one key to another. Here is the prelude in Cm BWV 847 (source image, MP3 here)...
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"Eli Eli Lama Asabthani" in Bach's Matthew Passion
In Bach's Matthew Passion, Jesus cries "Eli Eli Lama Asabthani". The text I'm most familiar with says "sabachthani" instead. Where does this difference come from?
user82379
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Inconsistency in mood between music and libretto
In Bach's St. Matthew Passion there a bass aria named "Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder". The situation and the libretto are distressful, but the music doesn't seem to reflect this feeling. What ...
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Why was Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor (Bach) composed?
I'm doing an assignment on a baroque period composition, and I chose Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor by J.S. Bach. One of the things I need to do is explain why it was actually composed. I'm having a ...
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Is there an analysis of Bach, Violin Concerto in A minor (BWV 1041) - 2nd Movement?
I was trying to recognize various sections in the second movement.
Is there an analysis of this movement?
I recognize the Ostinato in the bass line.
(not sure if I am right) but I think the 2nd & ...
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How to study Bach's harmony? [closed]
I'm interested in studying the music of J.S. Bach, but I don't know where to start. The main reason I'm studying it because I'm very interested in Bach's harmony, so that would by my main objective as ...
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About the rules of inversion in BWV 1087 (14 canons)
Basically, I'm a bit confused about how to interpret the idea of "inversion" in a mirror canon.
For example, consider the sixth canon of BWV 1087.
So I simply took the inverted image of ...
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Did Bach call for male countertenor for the Alto solo part for his cantatas / passion oratorios?
I see a recent trend for countertenors to sing the alto parts for Bach's cantata / passion oratorios such as Maarten Engeltjes in Magnificat and Tim Mead in St. Matthew Passion.
Is this recent trend ...
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Author of this piano solo arrangement of Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring [closed]
From the little I know, it seems that the Hess arrangement is seen as the most common reference when it comes to Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring for piano solo.
I stumbled upon another arrangement which ...
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The last note in Bach's Chaconne for Solo Violin
When playing the final note in Bach's Chaconne for solo violin, at least the way Arthur Grumiaux performed it during the 1960s (heard on a recording), it's an open D string and then a fingered D on ...
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Did Bach name his pieces?
I was listening "Brandenburg Concerto N° 4" and "Concerto for 2 Harpsichords in C minor, BWV 1062", and wondered: aside from the catalog number (that came later), did Bach name his ...
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How did Glenn Gould know, in 1955, the proper ornamentation for Bach's "Goldberg Variations"?
This question has its origin in Why does the Open Goldberg score have a G rather than A in bar 9 of variation 25?. See that Q&A for background information.
At what time, and on what basis, was ...
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Why didn't Bach sign his manuscripts?
From what I can tell when looking up images of Bach's manuscripts, he often didn't sign them. Is there any specific reason for this?
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Who was listening to Bach's compositions in his lifetime?
Who ever encountered his work? Was his music played somewhere else in Europe, or only where he lived? What strata of society had any chance of coming into contact with his music? What might be the ...
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Can an offbeat note be loudest when playing Bach?
My primitive understanding of Bach's music tells me that an offbeat note cannot be the most accented or the most important note in a phrase. But in the last gesture of the ubiquitous C major prelude, ...
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What is Bach doing in these pieces?
Is this a certain progression in both pieces?
Both parts are here slowed down: https://sndup.net/7w6t
The first part is from that piece
(2:18)
The second piece:
...
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Fitting chords to the opening phrase of the Toccata (and Fugue) in D Minor BWV 565?
What are some of the acceptable ways to harmonize the first one and a half bars of BWV 565? In particular, what are some of the chords that would fit on the the opening A? Neither i nor V seems to fit ...
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Name of style of piece inside the G Minor BWV915 toccata of Bach?
In Bach's Toccatas for keyboard works (BWV 911-916), I would like to know if there is a name for the style of music that is sometimes put in the middle of the toccata.
For example: in the G minor ...
user3500
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Obscure markings in BWV 814 I. Allemande, Bach, Henle edition
I am looking at Bach's French Suite #3, BWV 814, Allemande, and the ornamentation typesetting is confusing me.
I am familiar with mordant vs. trill, and the standard description of ornaments for Bach. ...
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How does one maintain voice integrity when longer and shorter notes of the same pitch occur in two voices
Here is an excerpt from Bach's BWV 796, measures 8–9. (Unfortunately, ABCjs renders the ties in exactly the wrong direction!)
X:1
T:Sinfonia No. 10 in G Major, BWV 796
M:3/4
C:J.S. Bach
%%staves [(1 ...
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How to think about this moment from BWV 816
I've been tasked by a textbook I'm going through to make a harmonic analysis of the G major "Gavotte" from BWV816, "The French Suite" specifically minding a handful of questions ...
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