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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

Introduction I. Attention Getter Pop, rock, country, opera, classical; did you know that your heartbeat mimics the beat of the music you're listening to. A. How many of you listen to music on a daily basis? B. Whether to or from school, or just whenever you get the chance. II. Reason to listen: I think it’s safe to say that all of you have listened to or heard music at one point of your life, but did you know music influences and manipulates us more than we know? III. Thesis Statement: Today I am

Both J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel use different aspects of music to compose important pieces of music. The baroque period is often known as the time when artists exaggerated their motion and produced drama through interpreted detail. Both of these composers used this baroque style to convey messages through their music. The similarity in their music was that it is in a spiritual manner. J.S. Bach’s style was a harmonic and motivation manner, which Handel’s is more of a narrative. A cantana is a piece

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

In Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes, Ginny, mother to Elliot, suffers from PTSD, and maintains a garden as a means of possessing a sense of stability. In 4/Prelude, she recalls her purpose for bringing the garden to life, and the memories it brings back when she spends time there. Through elements of style such as diction, figurative language, and imagery, Hudes establishes Ginny’s garden as a symbol of healing. In this scene, Hudes establishes Ginny’s garden as a symbol of healing

In 10/Fugue of Quiara Alegría Hudes’s Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, Hudes conveys the disconnect between Elliot and his family members during his desperate time of need for their help (Hudes). Throughout the scene, Elliot is gravely injured and falls apart. By using short, simple sentences, Hudes expresses the urgency of Elliot’s situation. Grandpop, Ginny, and Pop take turn stating these different sentences, almost like the waves of an ocean. Pop says, “The boy was standing guard;” Grandpop says, “He

Dissociative Fugue." Cleveland Clinic. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2015 Psychogenic Fugue or dissociative fugue is a “group of conditions called dissociative disorders” (“Dissociative Fugue”). People diagnosed with this disorder lose their sense of personal identity and may wander or travel away from their homes or work. They often become confused about who they are and might create new identities about themselves. Dissociative Disorders is a type of mental illness that involves