Questions tagged [j-s-bach]

For questions about the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Do not use the tag for just his works.

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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) - ...
Maverick Meerkat's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
51 views

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 ...
xerotolerant's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
112 views

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 ...
Markus's user avatar
  • 121
2 votes
1 answer
108 views

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-...
lrouleau's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
468 views

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?
Mariano Suárez-Álvarez's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
282 views

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 ...
Anthony Alba's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

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, ...
John05's user avatar
  • 155
3 votes
2 answers
158 views

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 ...
OprenStein's user avatar
  • 1,606
5 votes
5 answers
687 views

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 ...
OprenStein's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
905 views

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 ...
OprenStein's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
420 views

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 ...
OprenStein's user avatar
  • 1,606
2 votes
0 answers
78 views

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 ...
Big boy 5647 9's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
193 views

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? ...
Anthony Alba's user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
582 views

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 ...
Anthony Alba's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

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 ...
Charles Packer's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

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)...
Basj's user avatar
  • 471
3 votes
1 answer
222 views

"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?
Felix Fourcolor's user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
154 views

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 ...
Behzad's user avatar
  • 525
-1 votes
1 answer
278 views

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 ...
Cohen's user avatar
  • 27
2 votes
1 answer
795 views

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 & ...
hba's user avatar
  • 283
0 votes
1 answer
286 views

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 ...
Arsan Ezzat's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
98 views

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 ...
Kevin.S's user avatar
  • 163
15 votes
1 answer
1k views

What does "super" in title of organ pieces mean?

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a couple of Trio Supers and Fantasia Supers, e.g.: Trio super 'Herr Jesu Christ dich zu uns wend', BWV 655 Trio super 'Nun komm der Heiden Heiland', BWV 660 (Bach, Johann ...
Jack L.'s user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
391 views

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 ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
52 views

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 ...
Jivan's user avatar
  • 163
2 votes
2 answers
206 views

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 ...
Stanley Zoobris's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
211 views

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 ...
F. Zer's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
325 views

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 ...
Aaron's user avatar
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18 votes
2 answers
4k views

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?
Pabble Goobs's user avatar
19 votes
4 answers
3k views

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 ...
aaron's user avatar
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5 votes
5 answers
155 views

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, ...
Wynne's user avatar
  • 399
0 votes
1 answer
103 views

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: ...
lambshop's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
394 views

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 ...
Wynne's user avatar
  • 399
0 votes
1 answer
106 views

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 ...
Jason Polak's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
737 views

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. ...
Jonathan Protzenko's user avatar
18 votes
3 answers
946 views

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 ...
200_success's user avatar
  • 1,643
2 votes
2 answers
560 views

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 ...
Valarien's user avatar
  • 341
3 votes
2 answers
171 views

What does a prime mean in figured bass?

What does a prime symbol after a bass figure mean? For example 6' or 6 4' 2? I came across this in a 1956 edition of J.S. Bach's BWV 1035, by Otto Heinrich Noetzel. Looking at the written right hand, ...
Ralph Giles's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
583 views

Extra notes (triplets) in a Bach manuscript?

My question relates to an answer by @Peter to this earlier question Different versions of mordents in Bach Invention No. 1 In C Major, BWV 772 Here's what we usually see However, in Peter's answer, ...
chasly - supports Monica's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
283 views

What do these arrows mean?

I've noticed on Edson Lopes pieces he highlights (I think) certain phrases. Not sure what he is trying to tell us when he puts a section between these arrows. Notice arrow pointing left and down, then ...
Ivan's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
0 answers
81 views

Does Bach's lute partita BWV 997 Sarabande also appear as an orchestral piece?

I am practicing the Bach lute suites and I am aware that a few of them also appear as works for other instruments (BWV 1000 is also the fugue from the first violin sonata, for example). My question is ...
danieljkahn's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
348 views

How to "fix" Toccata and fugue?

Disclaimer: I know Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (BWV 565) is a classic, and a very good piece for many musicians. It's just that it's not right for me, for the reasons below. So I really like a lot of ...
The Nuckster's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
279 views

How do you play a lower or upper mordent with two notes like in Bach D minor prelude 926? [duplicate]

How do you play these two mordents shown
Rene's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes
2 answers
735 views

Harmony analysis of Bach's first prelude of the "Well tempered clavier", book I BWV 846?

I am currently trying to analyze the harmony in Bach's first prelude from the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier. To do this, I identify the chords, the inversions, borrowed chords, the melody, ...
Michael Baudin's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
384 views

Bach's WTC Edition; Fugues with Separated Voices [closed]

I know that there is an edition of Bach's WTC, in which every voice in the fugues is written in a seperate voice. This edition makes it easier to understand and practice the polyphony in the fugues. ...
Behzad's user avatar
  • 525
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

What is the preferred order of practicing Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin? [closed]

As a violinist, it's always been hard for me to come up with an order of practicing Bach Sonatas and Partitas (BWV 1001-1006). I also know that it's not all about playing, and expression is the key ...
Amir Maleki's user avatar
25 votes
11 answers
7k views

Why does Bach sometimes end with flat 7ths?

I've been studying the Bach inventions, and I see a common patterns in the first 3 inventions: They tend to include the flat 7ths in the very end. Examples: C major: D major: E♭ major: From a ...
Karamell's user avatar
  • 353
5 votes
2 answers
598 views

What is Echo (a type of dance)?

This question is about a type of Baroque dance called Echo. For example, Bach: Overture in the French Style in B Minor, BWV 831 - VIII. Echo. Why it is called Echo? I searched in wikipdiea, but out ...
Ma Joad's user avatar
  • 1,184
1 vote
1 answer
360 views

Did J.S.Bach know the categories *major* and minor* when he wrote his WTC?

Something interesting: I've read the other day that Bach when he wrote his WTC there he didn't know the terms *major" and "minor". I can't find the source again but may be someone can help me. May ...
Albrecht Hügli's user avatar
10 votes
5 answers
4k views

Enharmonic key signatures in Bach's Well Tempered Clavier

I have been listening to Bach's Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 and have noticed something intriguing. I have two (related) questions about it. The work consists of 24 preludes and fugues in each major ...
Pedro G. Mattos's user avatar