The Clavier-Übung III, sometimes referred to as the
German Organ Mass, is a collection of compositions for
organ by Johann Sebastian Bach, started in 1735–36
and published in 1739. It is considered Bach's most
significant and extensive work for organ, containing
some of his musically most complex and technically most
demanding compositions for that instrument.
In its use of modal forms, motet-style and canons, it
looks back to the religious music of masters of the
stile antico, such ...(+)
The Clavier-Übung III, sometimes referred to as the
German Organ Mass, is a collection of compositions for
organ by Johann Sebastian Bach, started in 1735–36
and published in 1739. It is considered Bach's most
significant and extensive work for organ, containing
some of his musically most complex and technically most
demanding compositions for that instrument.
In its use of modal forms, motet-style and canons, it
looks back to the religious music of masters of the
stile antico, such as Frescobaldi, Palestrina, Lotti
and Caldara. At the same time, Bach was
forward-looking, incorporating and distilling modern
baroque musical forms, such as the French-style
chorale.
The work has the form of an Organ Mass: between its
opening and closing movements—the prelude and "St
Anne" fugue in E-flat, BWV 552—are 21 chorale
preludes, BWV 669–689, setting parts of the Lutheran
mass and catechisms, followed by four duets, BWV
802–805. The chorale preludes range from compositions
for single keyboard to a six-part fugal prelude with
two parts in the pedal.
The purpose of the collection was fourfold: an
idealized organ programme, taking as its starting point
the organ recitals given by Bach himself in Leipzig; a
practical translation of Lutheran doctrine into musical
terms for devotional use in the church or the home; a
compendium of organ music in all possible styles and
idioms, both ancient and modern, and properly
internationalised; and as a didactic work presenting
examples of all possible forms of contrapuntal
composition, going far beyond previous treatises on
musical theory.
Bach's three settings of the German Gloria/Trinity hymn
Allein Gott in der Höh' again make allusion to the
Trinity: in the succession of keys—F, G and
A—possibly echoed in the opening notes of the first
setting BWV 675; in the time signatures; and in the
number of bars allocated to various sections of
movements. The three chorale preludes give three
completely different treatments: the first a manualiter
trio with the cantus firmus in the alto; the second a
pedaliter trio sonata with hints of the cantus firmus
in the pedal, similar in style to Bach's six trio
sonatas for organ BWV 525–530; and the last a
three-part manualiter fughetta with themes derived from
the first two lines of the melody. Earlier commentators
considered some of the settings to be "not quite
worthy" of their place in Clavier-Übung III,
particularly the "much-maligned" BWV 675, which Hermann
Keller considered could have been written during Bach's
period in Weimar. More recent commentators have
confirmed that all three pieces conform to the general
principles Bach adopted for the collection, in
particular their unconventionality and the
"strangeness" of the counterpoint. Williams (2003) and
Butt (2006) have pointed out the possible influence of
Bach's contemporaries on his musical language. Bach was
familiar with the eight versions of Allein Gott by his
cousin Johann Gottfried Walther as well as the
Harmonische Seelenlust of Georg Friedrich Kauffmann,
posthumously printed by Bach's Leipzig printer
Krügner. In BWV 675 and 677 there are similarities
with some of Kauffmann's galant innovations: triplets
against duplets in the former; and explicit
articulation by detached quavers in the latter. The
overall style of BWV 675 has been compared to
Kauffmann's setting of Nun ruhen alle Wälder; that of
BWV 676 to the fifth of Walther's own settings of
Allein Gott; and BWV 677 has many details in common
with Kauffmann's fughetta on Wir glauben all an einen
Gott.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavier-%C3%9Cbung_III).
Although originally created for Organ, I created this
Interpretation of the Trio (BWV 677) "Allein Gott in
der Höh'" (All glory be to God on high) for Oboe,
Viola & Cello.
