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.
The chorale prelude is a four-part fugue in the Dorian
mode of D based on the first line of the Luther's hymn.
It is written in the Italian style, apparent both in
the instrumental trio-sonata style and in the ingenious
use of the full range of Italianate semiquaver motifs.
The five notes in the original hymn for the opening
melisma on Wir are expanded in the first two bars and
the remaining notes are used for the countersubject.
There is exceptionally no cantus firmus, probably
because of the exceptional length of the hymn. Features
of the remainder of the hymn, however, suffuse the
writing, in particular the scale-like passages and the
melodic leaps. The fugue subject is adapted to the
pedal as a vigorous striding bass with alternate
footwork; its quasi-ostinato character has been
consistently interpreted as representing a "firm faith
in God": a striding bass line was often used by Bach
for Credo movements, for example in the Credo and
Confiteor of the Mass in B Minor. During each
occurrence of the semiquaver part of the subject in the
pedal, the music modulates into a different key while
the three upper parts play in invertible counterpoint,
so that the three different melodic lines can be freely
interchanged between the three voices. These highly
original transitional passages punctuate the work and
give a coherence to the whole movement. Although the
added G sharp makes it difficult to recognize the
chorale melody, it can be heard more clearly later on,
singing out in the tenor part. In the final manualiter
episode the ostinato pedal figures are taken up briefly
by the tenor part before the movement draws to a close
over a final extended restatement of the fugue subject
in the pedal.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavier-%C3%9Cbung_III).
Although originally created for Organ, I created this
Interpretation of the Chorale Prelude (BWV 680) "Wir
glauben all' an einen Gott" (We all believe in one God)
for Woodwind Quartet (Flute, Oboe, English Horn &
Bassoon).
