Chromatic Fantasy And Fugue In D Minor Bmv 903 Etc

Johann Sebastian Bach most likely composed the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue during his stay in Kothen between 1717 and 1723. Originally written for the harpsichord, the work was duly recognized as a masterpiece within its own era. Néstor Ausqui has taken extraordinary measures in creating a guitar transcription of this monumental piece. The fundamental tonality of D minor was retained to preserve the work’s sonority, and the 6th string of the guitar had to be lowered to D to expand the guitar’s range and adhere to the original key. The articulation of the piece often requires the use of the slur technique to maintain and enhance the legato effect in the melodic line. As the guitar has a more percussive character than the harpsichord, various inconveniences occur in the management or execution of the legato, but the transcriber has done his best to preserve the character of the original piece. Ausqui admits that the most arduous task was the fingering of the piece. He had to familiarize himself with Bach’s intentions and avoid shortcuts and aberrations which would have depleted the original harmonies and melodies. In the process, he discovered that utilization of the open strings can subtly enhance the balance of right and left-hand duties to achieve the timbre the original score mandates. Written in standard notation only, with each line of music forming only one measure, this piece is meant for the classical guitarist willing to accept an interpretive challenge to reap enormous musical benefits.

This superbly authoratitive new work provides a comprehensive A-Z guide to some 1000 years of Western music. It explores in detail the lives and achievements of a vast range of composers, as well as looking at such key topics as music history (from medieval plainchant to contemporary minimalism), performers, theory and jargon. Throught Griffiths skilfully blends lightly worn scholarship with personal insight, whether examining the emotional colouring that different musical keys achieve or charting the rise and development of the symphony.

Interpretive and biographical essays by a major authority on Bach and Mozart probe for clues to the driving forces and experiences that shaped the character and the extraordinary artistic achievements of these iconic composers.

This volume contains contributions by nine scholars on two broad themes: the analysis of Johann Sebastian Bach?s orchestral works, especially his concertos, and the interpretation and performance of his music in general. The contributors are a diverse group, active in the fields of performance, organology, music theory, and music history. Several work in more than one of these areas, making them particularly well prepared to write on the interdisciplinary themes of the volume. ø Part 1 includes Alfred Mann?s introduction to Bach?s orchestral music as well as essays by Gregory G. Butler and Jeanne Swack on the Brandenburg Concertos. Part 2 offers ground-breaking articles by John Koster and Mary Oleskiewicz on the harpsichords and flutes of Bach?s day as well as essays by David Schulenberg and William Renwick on keyboard performance practice and the study of fugue in Bach?s circle. Paul Walker explores the relationships between rhetoric and fugue, and John Butt reviews some recent trends in Bach performance.