Flanders; perhaps he obtained them from Sweelinck himself, whom he
undoubtedly knew in Amsterdam. A Fantasie by Sweelinck, edited by R.
Eitner,[89] is written wholly upon this form of the Ionic tetrachord:
[Music]
[Footnote 89: It is the third number in the volume entitled, _Drei
Phantasien, drei Toccaten und vier Variationen, nach einem Manuscript
des grauen Klosters zu Berlin aus der Orgeltabulatur übersetzt und
herausgegeben von Rob. Eitner_ (Berlin, 1870).]
We may compare the counterpoint which accompanies it with those of
Frescobaldi and of Bach:
[Music]
These characteristics of treatment found great favor with Flemish
organists, by whom they were introduced. Peter Philipps, an organist
of Soignies, makes use of them in a "_Gagliarda_," and in the
"_Pavana dolorosa_"; composed in prison, according to an addition in
a strange hand in the manuscript. S. Scheidt, a pupil of Sweelinck,
avails himself of them in various instances (_Fantaisie super "Io son
ferito casso_," "_Fuga quadruplici_," etc.).
This mannerism prevailed for some years; we again find it in the
works of Froberger (_Toccata fatto a Bruxellis Anno 1650_) and in a
fugue in _E_ flat by Christopher Bach, of which the following is the
subject:
[Music]
Finally, to illustrate the employment of this sort of theme, we will
quote the beginning of a "_Point d'orgue sur les Grands Jeux_," by
Grigny.[90]
[Footnote 90: _Livre d'orgue_ (1701).]
[Music]
In secular music composers exhibited the same fondness for this
chromatic style of progression, employed to express sorrow or dread
(it is interesting to note that at every musical epoch this or that
motive or chord, later certain instruments, express certain definite
emotions).
Thus, in the following example from G. Andrea Bontempi, taken from
the opera "_Paride_" produced at Dresden in 1662:
[Music: ERMILLO.
Già trafitto ha il mesto seno,
chi soccorso, o ciel, mi da?]
In the second _Sonate à Programme_ of Kuhnau this phrase must impress
one with the depth of Saul's melancholy:[91]
[Music]
[Footnote 91: Let it be remembered that Bach, imitating these same
Sonatas in composing the _Lamento_ of the "Capriccio upon the
departure of his most beloved brother" (1704), employs this motif
as a _basso quasi ostinato_, and that in the Easter Cantata written
in the same year the viola sorrowfully gives expression to the same
theme.]
Purcell,[92] in the "_Orpheus brittanicus_" (London, 1706) gives us
still further examples of this character. Among others, "O let me
weep" (Book I, p. 171),
[Music]
and "Here the Deities approve" (Book I, p. 206):
[Music]
[Footnote 92: His compatriot, John Bull, who died in Antwerp in 1628,
had already written a series of variations upon this subject. (See "A
General History of Music," by Charles Burney. London, 1789, p. 115.)]
We repeat, it is undoubtedly in intentional recollection of the
"_Fiori musicali_" that Bach here makes use of a mannerism which,
moreover, was so familiar to him; it is through details of this sort
that one is able to gain the mastery of a style which one desires
to imitate. As for that, we must not forget that Bach wrote after
nearly a century had elapsed. If you will, it is like an ancient
painting copied by a modern master, who, although able to correct
the perspective, would cause the picture to lose none of its archaic
charm, while he would impart to it a certain quality of warmth. Thus,
in the _canzona_, notice that progression of the soprano (beginning
at the 48th measure) which ascends like the broad sweep of violins,
then falls gracefully back upon a well-rounded line--a contrast
expressing great tenderness, compared with the austere rigidity of
the scholastic rhythm with which the countersubject at the same time
pursues its heavy course, in an obsolete style of counterpoint.
Here is truly the _cantable_,[93] as Bach called it, never hesitating
to coin French words; the second part of the _Canzona_ which follows
this species of march is written in 3/2 time, after the established
rule; it is more abstract, and not without prolixity.
[Footnote 93: This is the term which Bach employs in the preface to
his _Inventionen und Sinfonien_ compiled in 1723, that his pupils
might, through their study, acquire _un jeu cantable_.]
If all the grace, the melodic freedom of the _Canzone_ of Frescobaldi
are surpassed in this work, an _Alla Breve_[94] in _D_ major reminds
us more of the studied style, of the continuous movement of the
_Ricercare_, with some reminiscence of a piece which Pachelbel wrote
under the same title and in the same key.[95]
[Footnote 94: P. viii, 6.]
[Footnote 95: Commer. _Musica Sacra_ (Vol. I, No. 123, p. 137).]
The _Passacaglia_[96] again exemplifies the discreet cleverness which
Bach henceforth displays in his imitations; he realizes that he has
risen above his models, and he now chooses his colors with a critical
eye. In this instance he takes us back to Buxtehude.
[Footnote 96: P. i, 2. B.-G. xv, p. 289. [M. Pirro writes me: "You
may state that the theme of the Passacaglia was the composition of
the French organist André Raison." To which M. Widor adds: "André
Raison, organist of St.-Étienne du Mont in Paris at the time of
Louis XIV, left a volume of organ works, now very rare, which I have
presented to the library of the Conservatoire. Raison's collection
is interesting, in that it gives indications of the registration of
his time; the chorale is usually found in the pedal, treated as the
tenor, the real bass being played by the left hand. The melody of the
chorale is performed upon a reed stop in the pedal, while upon the
manuals only mixtures are drawn." Tr.]]
Among the works of the latter are various pieces of this same order,
Passacaglias or Chaconnes, written over an _ostinato_; which is not
necessarily confined to the bass in its original form, but which
modulates here and there into closely related keys, or appears in
other parts.
The seriousness of the beginning of the Bach _Passacaglia_ cannot
cause us to forget that calm entrance, in its very reserve so sad, of
the Passacaglio (_sic_) of Buxtehude (ed. Spitta, No. I, p. 1):
[Music]
or the profound melancholy of the commencement of the _Ciacona_
(ibid., No. II, p. 6):
[Music]
The majority of the details of the Passacaglia, moreover, establish
its relationship to the two works which we have just cited.
For example, the broken chords (beginning with the 113th measure),
which remind us of the following (_Ciacona_, p. 10):
[Music]
Also the rapid progressions accompanied by solid chords (_Ciacona_,
p. 11):
[Music]
finally the sixteenth-notes in triplets (_Passacaglio_, p. 4).
The idea of joining a fugue to the Passacaglias was also derived from
Buxtehude, who united a _chaconne_ and a fugue (_ibid._, No. V).
All this is only incidental, it is true; and we recognize Bach in
the length of the work (293 measures) and especially in the skilful
counterpoint of the fugue.
From our point of view, the _Passacaglio_ and the _Canzone_ express
the whole philosophy of this second period. Bach attains, in these
two works, the highest point which it was then possible for him to
reach; he comes into his first maturity in treating, it is true,
established forms, through which he acquires the necessary mastership
for the exploration of new fields.
From this moment progress is manifest. Take the prelude and fugue in
_F_ minor;[97] no more superfluous ornaments in the prelude, and,
what is especially noteworthy, it is founded entirely, not yet upon
a clearly defined subject, but still upon a figure which affects the
whole ensemble, imparting to it added coherency.
[Footnote 97: P. ii, 5. B.-G. xv, p. 104.]
Up to this time Bach had not achieved such unity, such directness of
meaning; and the rapid, stormy passage at the end is more than a mere
brilliant cadence: it bears the musical distinction of adding to the
dignity of the peroration by emphasizing the tonality, the threads of
which are thus united.
In the two preludes in _C_ minor which bear the title of
_Fantaisies_[98] these characteristics are still more pronounced; it
is from a veritable subject that they derive the somewhat elegiac
character common to both, as well as certain details and even the
general outlines; the one is, nevertheless, somewhat more individual
because of the use of two themes. Less varied, the character of the
other is more intimate, although more uniform.
[Footnote 98: P. iii, 6. B.-G. xv, p. 129, and P. iv, 12 (_a 5
voci_). Accompanying the latter Fantasia is a fugue of which,
unfortunately, only the first twenty-seven measures are extant.]
To the three fugues which we have mentioned must undoubtedly be
added two others, from a chronological point of view, belonging to
preludes of a later date; they are the fugues of the Toccata in _F_
major,[99] and of a prelude in _C_ minor.[100] There is truly a
remarkable analogy between these five fugues, both in the character
of their themes--no longer agitated in movement, but approaching in
a slight degree the melodious seriousness of the chorale--and in
their treatment. In each of them the interest increases with the
development, and the introduction of an accessory subject toward the
middle portion (afterwards related to the principal theme), either as
a countersubject or for the purpose of preparing the reëntrance of
the principal theme, is common to them all.
[Footnote 99: P. iii, 2. B.-G. xv, p. 155.]
[Footnote 100: P. ii, 6. B.-G. xv, p. 218.]
The Toccata[101] in the Dorian mode and the accompanying fugue
are perhaps contemporary; this imposing composition still partakes
of that character of studied virtuosity which Bach was destined
completely to abandon in his later years.
[Footnote 101: P. iii, 3. B.-G. xv, p. 136.
[At the time of Bach it was a frequent usage to omit an accidental
from the signature; in the above case the omission of the only flat
undoubtedly suggested the appellation frequently given "_in modo
dorico_," although otherwise the composition bears hardly a trace of
the Dorian mode. Tr.]]
III
After resigning his post at the palace in Weimar, Bach never again
occupied an official position as organist. Not that he renounced the
instrument which he so loved to play, but he was no longer obliged to
fulfil the requirements of regular service; his earlier compositions
he could gather together and correct at his ease, and finally bring
out no new ones that were not thoroughly in accordance with his
ideals.
The number of these new organ compositions also diminished in an
extraordinary degree; for from all the thirty-three years embraced in
this last period, but about twenty works exist for our study.
Although Bach no longer bore the title of organist while at Cöthen,
it must not be inferred that access to the organs of the town was
denied him; for instance, to the instrument in the _St. Agnuskirche_,
the pedal of which was unusually extended in compass. We learn, in
fact, from a work of C.F. Hartmann's,[102] published at the beginning
of this century, that the pedal of this organ was two and a half
octaves in range, extending up to _f'_[sharp][103] inclusive, while
the organs of that period usually possessed but two octaves in the
pedal, from _C_ to _c'_, with sometimes _c'_[sharp] and _d'_ in
addition.
[Footnote 102: _Geschichte der evangelisch-lutherischen St.
Agnuskirche in Köthen. Herausgegeben von C.F. Hartmann, Köthen,
in der Commission der Huschen Buchhandlung_ (1802). The organ is
described on pages 19 and 20.]
[Footnote 103: [The pedal, even of modern organs, extends upwards
only to _f'_. Since the middle of the last decade, the house of
Cavaillé-Coll in Paris, has applied to the larger instruments
constructed by it the compass of _C_ to _g'_. This range was
recommended by the translator and adopted for an organ now in process
of construction in Boston; it is also a feature of the large organ
for Yale University, recently contracted for.]]
This instrument, although of modest dimensions, responded to the
touch with remarkable precision and promptness. And we have good
reason for believing that Bach had it in mind when he wrote the
Toccata in _F_ major;[104] this piece has always been played,
traditionally, at a very rapid tempo; and one encounters at various
points high _f's_ and _e's_ in the pedal part. If Bach, who was
continually seeking new instruments or improvements hitherto ignored,
had not had at his disposition a _pedalier_ upon which he could play
this pedal part, he undoubtedly would have so written it as to make
it generally practicable for performance. It seems evident, on the
contrary, that he composed this work only in order to take advantage
of a resource which he had not encountered before; thus the date
of this Toccata appears to be between the years 1717 and 1723, the
period of Bach's residence in Cöthen.
[Footnote 104: P. iii, 2. B.-G. xv, p. 155.]
While remarkably brilliant, this work bears the stamp of a certain
dryness; it is somewhat too much of a "show-piece,"[105] perhaps
the best one of this type which Bach wrote; quite different, in so
far, from the fugue in _A_ major joined to the prelude in the same
key.[106]
[Footnote 105: The beginning, at least; while the conclusion is
characterized by repetitions, this part of the work is not its least
imposing portion.]
[Footnote 106: P. ii, 3. B.-G. xv, p. 120.]
This fugue (also from the Cöthen period, as well as the prelude,
to judge them by the pedal, which extends to _e'_) occupies an
entirely individual position among the works of Bach--one which is
shared by no other work. One would say that in writing this fugue he
had relaxed from the severity which the grandeur of the instrument
inspired in him, lending to the work the intimate charm of a somewhat
effeminate grace of movement.
The elusive rhythm of the subject, and even the theme in its entirety
(though a different way), bear a strange resemblance to this fugue
subject:
[Music]
given out by the oboe, repeated first by the flute, then by the
_viola d'amore_, and finally by the _viola da gamba_, above the
_continuo_ in the cantata "_Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn_."[107]
[Footnote 107: This cantata, written for soloists, was first
performed December 29, 1715. B.-G. xxx, 2.]
Certain portions of the fugue in _A_ major, further, produce the
effect of concerted music, conceived for different tone-colors,
rather than that of a polyphony of like sounds, especially where
broken chords occur in the counterpoint. At other times, when the
pedal is silent, a trio-sonata is suggested. This does not surprise
us; Bach was still preoccupied with the forms of Italian chamber
music. We have noted the transformation which his preludes underwent
under this influence, they now being constructed upon distinct
subjects; and we have seen in the Toccata in _C_ how Bach sought to
write a work in three movements, each one of a different character
and tempo, in imitation of the concertos and sonatas. Here and there
again, as in this instance, we find attempts at three-part writing
clearly defined;[108] not merely because the pedal remains silent,
but by reason of a plainly indicated design.
[Footnote 108: For example, in the fugue in _G_ minor (P. iv, 7).]
Bach aligned these endeavors in definite order, classified their
essentials, and embodied them in the sonatas, or rather trios, for
two manuals and pedal.[109]
[Footnote 109: P. i, 1. B.-G. xv.]
Play these trios upon the organ, and you will divert them from their
original destination. Bach composed them for the clavecin with two
manuals and pedal, between the years 1722 and 1727,[110] for the
purpose, Forkel tells us, of instructing his eldest son, Wilhelm
Friedemann, in organ-playing, through their use in home practice.
[Footnote 110: The first part of the sonata in _D_ minor undoubtedly
dates from the year 1722; the _adagio_ and _vivace_ of the sonata
in _E_ minor are transcribed from the cantata _Die Himmel erzählen_
(1723), B.-G. xviii. The last movement of this sonata was originally
intended to serve as an interlude between the prelude and the fugue
in _G_ major (P. ii, 2. B.-G. xv, p. 169. The theme of the fugue
is, in major, that of the first chorus in the cantata _Ich hatte
viel Bekümmerniss_, performed in 1714), composed, according to the
water-mark of the autograph, in 1724 or 1725.]
The structure of these sonatas is analogous to that of the six
violin sonatas of Bach with clavecin accompaniment; they still lack
the definite form of the modern sonata;[111] they are more, as has
been said, "lyric pieces."
[Footnote 111: See S. Bagge: _Die geschichtliche Entwickelung der
Sonate_.]
If Bach wrote these trios to accustom his son to the technical
difficulties of the organ, perchance considering them only a set
of studies, and for himself an interesting occupation by which he
might profit, his motives in writing the Fantasie and Fugue in _G_
minor[112] were, apparently, very different, and may be definitely
connected with the journey which he made to Hamburg in 1720. This is
an hypothesis which is sustained by a whole chain of circumstances.
[Footnote 112: P. ii, 4. B.-G. xv, p. 177.]
First of all, Mattheson, in his treatise upon thorough-bass,[113]
furnishes the ground for our premise; he cites the following fugue
subject as having been given to a candidate who was undergoing an
examination for an organ position:
[Music]
with this countersubject:
[Music]
[Footnote 113: _Grosse General-Bass-Schule, oder Exemplarische
Organistenprobe_ (Hamburg, 1731), p. 34. "The subject of this fugue
was produced by a facile pen, and, in 1725, presented to a candidate
for the position of organist."]
He adds that this theme was well known, and that it had been chosen
to assist the candidate in his task, since he would already have had
an opportunity of hearing it treated; he says, further, that its
origin was not unknown, and that it was well known who had been the
first to make use of it with success.
Mattheson, who wrote this about 1725, seems to be speaking of
a theme unusually familiar. Was it not from Bach himself--the
examination took place at Hamburg--that the candidate, who was from
that city or a neighboring locality, would probably have heard a
fugue composed upon this same subject?
Moreover, an examination of the prelude will confirm this opinion.
Through his study of the works of Buxtehude and of Reinken, the
venerable organist, Bach had possessed himself of all their secrets.
The opportunity had come for him to demonstrate to the organists of
Hamburg how, in imitating them, he could surpass them on their own
ground.
For the characteristics of the prelude resemble those of the works
of these men; recitatives, rapid passages which cover the entire
compass of the manuals; chord progressions with bold, unforeseen
modulations; subjects treated in imitation. But the recitatives
are of an expressive, declamatory character which was then unheard
of; the rapid passages are the forerunners of "those scales, those
tremendous ascending and descending scales which rise and fall like
the waves of the sea in a storm,"[114] which Mozart wrote in the
overture to _Don Giovanni_; the chord progressions, with a daring
which had never been exceeded, leading to that gigantic passage
(measures 31 to 40), a veritable orchestral crescendo, where all
resources of sonority deploy themselves in radiation, taking on new
force with each strong beat; it serves also as an example of the
crescendo which may be obtained upon the organ without recourse to
modern appliances. Finally, the motive treated in imitation (measures
9 to 13) vouchsafes us a period of repose, corresponding to a point
of temporary rest in the midst of chaotic agitation; it is the
calm supplication of prayer which alternates with the power of the
elements freed from their fetters.
[Footnote 114: Charles Gounod: _Le Don Juan de Mozart_, p. 5.]
The opposition of these varied means of expression imparts to this
piece a value which the works of Buxtehude, despite their valuable
qualities, will never possess. I refer to those designs, in the
absence of which music stifles, giving the impression of a drawing
without perspective; such qualities are essential, especially in
music composed for the organ, whose manuals, of different intensity,
so easily accomplish the display of the various phases, emphasizing
one subject while leaving another in the background.
Pölchau, in the 18th century, declared that the fugue accompanying
this prelude was the "best work with pedal ever written by Bach." It
is rarely allowable to pronounce such absolute judgments, or even to
subscribe to them; that it is one of the best, however, there can be
no doubt; still greater through that unity of opposition, through the
effect of continuity which it produces, like the uninterrupted course
of a great river, contrasted with the boiling torrent which terrifies
our imagination.
It now remains for us to speak only of the prelude and fugue in
_E_ flat major, and of the six preludes and fugues which have been
surnamed "the great." These latter, which are found together in the
manuscript, were, perhaps, assembled by Bach for publication; that
was not, however, accomplished.
Of all the compositions which we have cited thus far, only the
prelude and fugue in _E_ flat were published during the composer's
life.
The prelude stands at the head of the third part of the
_Clavierübung_[115] and the fugue ends that volume. In any case,
there is no doubt that these two pieces belong together. Griepenkerl,
who in his edition[116] united them for the first time, declares that
he did not do so arbitrarily, but that he was justified by Forkel,
who in turn derived his authority from Bach's sons.
[Footnote 115: _Clavierübung.--Dritter Theil der Clavierübung
bestehend in verschiedenen Vorspielen über den Catechismus und
andere Gesänge vor die Orgel: denen Liebhabern und besonders denen
Kennern von dergleichen Arbeit, zur Gemüths-Ergötzung verfertiget
von J.S. Bach, königl. Pohlnischen, und Churfürstlich Sächsischen
Hof-Compositeur, Capellmeister, und Directore Chori Musici in
Leipzig. In Verlegung des Authoris._]
[Footnote 116: P. iii, 1. B.-G. iii, pp. 173 and 254.]
Moreover, a comparison of these two pieces will show their
similarity; while the prelude is more grandiose, the character of
the fugued portions is quite the same in the one as in the other;
moreover, the polyphony, in each case in five parts, indicates an
evident unity of composition.[117]
[Footnote 117: It is worthy of note that the fugue, a last
reminiscence of Buxtehude, is in three movements of different
rhythms.]
The publication of the _Clavierübung_ may be fixed at about the year
1739. The prelude and fugue in _E_ minor[118] are probably anterior
to this work; a minute study of the autographs has given Ph. Spitta
reason to place the composition between 1727 and 1736.
[Footnote 118: P. ii, 9. B.-G. xv, p. 236.]
In the strict succession broadly established by a prelude developed
at length (137 measures), follows the fugue, of still greater
dimensions (231). It is the longest of all the Bach fugues, but,
despite its proportions, the interest does not flag for a moment.
Here again Bach constructed his subject upon that same chromatic
progression to which he already owed so many expressive combinations;
but the theme soon retires into the background of this fugue; it is
but the excuse for a counter-theme of singular pathos, which assumes
the importance of a symphonic subject, freely treated.
We should place by the side of this masterpiece the prelude and
fugue in _B_ minor.[119] The beauties of this composition are of a
character quite as lofty, to which no analysis can do justice. It is
a sort of soul-language, of which Hegel says, in his _Aesthetik_:
"If we consider all intercourse of the soul with the beautiful as a
deliverance, as a release from all trouble, it is in music that we
must seek the completeness of that liberation."
[Footnote 119: P. ii, 10. B.-G. xv, p. 199.]