!
!!!!!!!!A chromatic journey through Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier
!!!!Prepared for: Prof. Robert ShollPrepared by: Ryan Fowler, 21108189
40 Credit Independent Research ProjectBA (Hons) Music Performance with Music Technology, Level 6
!Word Count: 9544
!May 2014!
London College of Music, University of West London
Abstract !!Bach’s 48 preludes and fugues are often considered a keyboardist’s first insight into the world
of complex counterpoint and intricate hand balance. What one often misses during their initial
intensive study of the famous 48 is the foreign yet so familiar chromaticism used, some
obviously noticeable, but much more of it hidden deep inside the countered lines. This paper
aims to give a tour of some of the more interesting and developed techniques of species
counterpoint used in Bach’s fugues and compare the implications of having such interesting
harmonic dialect hidden beneath other stylistically alluring content so as to draw attention
away from the chromaticism; be it through compositional techniques, popular styles of the
time, tuning differences or hidden inner-voice swapping.
!
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Acknowledgments !!The paper has involved many others, without some of whom this project would have been a
struggle. My first acknowledgement goes to the London College of Music’s own subject
librarian, Julia Randall, who has been more than helpful and patient with me in finding rare
online sources with the journal memberships of the University of West London. I would also
like to thank my close colleague and partner Emily Myles, along with my mother, for their
continued support and motivation through the past year and proof reading abilities. I would
also like to express my gratitude towards my supervisor, Robert Sholl for his gentle nudges
and ideas which have pushed this project in a more refined direction.
!
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Contents
Prelude Introduction 4
Contextualising the WTC Origins behind the WTC and temperament considerations 8
Bach, the chromatic Chromatic appearances within the WTC 15
Dissonance caused by pedal tones 16
Bach and the 7th chord 21
Appoggiatura dissonance 23
Bach’s use of cambiata and echappée 27
Alternative solutions to a disobedient Bach 29
Fugue Conclusion 33
References Reference List 36
Bibliography Bibliography 38
Discography Discography 41
Appendices Appendix I - Bach’s temperament 42
Appendix II - Interval Tuning 43
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Prelude
Introduction !
J.S. Bach’s two volume keyboard masterpiece, the Well-tempered Clavier (hereafter referred
to as WTC) is quite often a pianist’s first insight into not only Bach but also the complex study
of fugues and counterpoint. Within these two volumes there is a heavy use of chromaticism
and dissonance which appear for the first time, historically speaking, in it’s age of
composition. This stands to great importance to comprehend the development of western
tonal harmony, though much Bach scholarship has largely ignored these aspects in favour of
a more contextual and historical view. As such, there has been no taxonomy of Bach’s
dissonance which clearly states what techniques he used and within what context; though
authors have touched delicately around the edges on what could be classed as this.
Laurence Dreyfus in ‘Bach and the patterns of invention’ begins to touch on this during his *
schenkerian analysis on the C minor figure from WTC I, though takes the narrative on a
journey of implied notes and form instead of the much more questionable dissonant phrases.
Even the essays of Christophe Wolff ignore this area all together, leaving need for a clear
explantation as to where these chromatic ideas came from and to what extend Bach used
them.
There are many different perspectives that musicologists have taken whilst studying
dissonance - one of a pedagogical, historical, contextual or analytical view; which all make for
very interesting discoveries amongst themselves. This study is therefore restricted to a
pedagogical view to show how the following selected pieces from the WTC grew and
Page ! of !4 43 See ‘Figments of the Organicist Imagination’ (Dreyfus, 1996)*
developed from works and systems before Bach. Almost all of the fugues (not so much the
preludes as these are after all just embellished chord progressions) are ripe with yielding
dissonance, of which the study into what is expected of counterpoint in Bach’s time is often
both used and ignored all within same piece. Bach was quite rightly one of the first
composers to fully utilise chromaticism within his works en masse in a tonal mediation,
certainly surpassing other composers of the period by expanding heavily on the models of
Dietrich Buxtehude and Nicolas de Grigny, of whose works Bach often copied out as a young
child and most likely influenced not only the larger structures of works but also the inner
harmonic structures (Snyder, 1987). This is not to say Bach was the first and only composer
to use dissonance in a tonal construct, but since 19th and 20th century theorists placed such
a heavy musical centre on Bach, it seems fitting that his volume of work stands consistent in
this area. What is apparent to us is that although very primitive in a structure which resembles
western tonal harmony, the works for example from de Grigny’s Livre d’Orgue often do not
expand beyond the compass of tonic, relative major/minor and the dominant in terms of
entering subjects in the contrapuntal works (Stauffer, 1993). This form is then far surpassed
by J.S. Bach whose subject entries in the WTC often pick even the most daring of intervals
such as the tritone to enter on (see Fugue no. 22 from WTC II).
The likes of Bach’s chromaticism is wildly compared to that of Don Carlo Gesualdo by the
pianist Glenn Gould. However, what Mr. Gould fails to note though, is that Bach would not
have known the works of this composer, certainly not to the extent where he would have
copied them as a child (the most promising form of composition practice), nor does the
smooth voice-leading in Bach follow the sporadic approach of Gesualdo. Further to this
argument, one must consider that Gesualdo was not composing in a tonal system, much too
astray from the strict 24 key system which Bach was so devout to, enough to create the
WTC to show off each and every one of them. It is for these reasons we must presume that
Bach’s chromatic influences came from other areas, despite the correct claim that the most
extreme examples of chromatic Bach stand up in dissonant proportion to the works of
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Gesualdo. With the structures of Bach’s works adopting those of Buxtehude and de Grigny
so devoutly, one must consider to whom was Bach’s master in chromaticism, or is it safe to
assume that Bach was the master of all chromaticism and dissonance to come in the
following 300 years? It is quite possible that Bach was not aware, and through a misreading
or misunderstanding of the rules, formed his compositional technique.
Scott Burnham’s book ‘Mozart’s Grace’ (Burnham, 2013) takes the intricate details of certain
works by Mozart and decomposes them to reveal the hidden techniques which branded
Mozart’s music with his signature. Although somewhat sporadic in approach, the jumping
and diving between pieces and musical examples makes for a very thorough overview for a
good proportion of Mozart’s catalogue. For Bach though, there is not quite a clear cut
adventure through his music, especially when studying such a broad subject as dissonance
treatment in counterpoint. There are, besides the WTC, many other Bach works which are
heavily based around chromatic motifs and encompass the dissonance techniques as set out
below in this paper; take for example the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue BWV 903, the Art of
Fugue BWV 1080, the Musical Offering BWV 1079 or a plethora of the organ fugues such as
BWV 548 (Em) or BWV 582 (Cm). The WTC though covers many of the techniques
encompassed within these works, some of which are from entirely different periods of Bach’s
life, showing how this was a key compositional technique of his which stands consistently
throughout his works.
This paper aims to split the journey down into three main sections - first, a contextual section
which describes the motivations behind the WTC and careful temperament considerations
one must account for; secondly, a section akin to the likes of those of Scott Burnham, where
particular examples are picked from the WTC and analysed at depth to fully show the extent
of how Bach used dissonant devices in his fugues; finishing with a section which discusses
the issues with chromaticism in Bach’s work, primarily how it follows the delicate rules of
species counterpoint but often breaks all of these rules; whilst all the time still working in the
Bachian context. I hope to layout an appealing and alluring argument before you for the
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purpose of Bach delving into the chromatic language and why it was perhaps hidden
beneath other musical ideas. The suggestion of Bach being the first composer to harness
this new musical language in his works begs more questions such as why was it Bach who
was first to exploit it; is it important that Bach was the first, even more so when 19th century
theorists placed Bach at the apex of western tonal harmony ; or whether Bach was fully †
aware of whose style he had developed to create such musical developments?
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I suspect those 19th century theorists praised Bach not only for his musical greatness, but also for the reason that it was †
through Bach’s chromatic model that the later composers could compare their chromatic and dissonant passages to, cer-tainly to an higher extent than they could with other historical composers.
Contextualising the WTC
Origins behind the WTC and temperament considerations !WTC Book I which was thought to be completed in 1722 in the last period of Bach’s time at
Cöthen is believed to have began its compositional life in the late days of the Weimar period
(1708-17), quite possibly during his month in prison, though little is really known about the
true origins. David Ledbetter in his book on the 48, points out that the reason behind the
composition of book I is quite the opposite from demonstrating invention in all the keys, with
evidence of some preludes being written in the old fashioned Dorian key signatures and
others transposed (D# minor and G# minor in WTC I); as a measure of recycling from earlier
stocks, it is unlikely that Bach originally set out to compose an original set of compositions for
this purpose (Ledbetter, 2002, pp. 4-7). It is widely regarded amongst the general populace
of performers that Bach wrote the WTC to demonstrate each and everyone of the keys,
though the recycling perhaps shows how pieces were forced to fit into this framework.
The origins of WTC II are slightly more ambiguous compared to those of the first volume with
no real known date for the start of composition. It is likely, as this was reaching the peak of
Bach’s teaching career, that he composed a newer version of book I to sustain interest and
introduce new musical ideas which were more fashionable. These compositions are a little
more sustainable in origin, but more sporadically sourced than those of book I, with 13
sources linking to pieces from book II, some copies of originals have been dated back to
1720 - before Bach even began WTC I. Ledbetter continues to state how book II is compiled
in “two campaigns for covering the chromatic octave” (Ledbetter, 2002, pp. 7-9). These two
campaigns split down to the following keys, the first being: Cm, Dm, E♭, E, Em, F, F#m, G,
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Gm, A, Am and B; the simpler keys, which were the most regular keys to utilise on a
keyboard instrument. What further persuaded or enticed him to write for the ‘advanced’
remaining keys I suspect now stands as to the whole pivotal point and reason behind the
composition of not only book II but also book I of the WTC. Peter Williams argues in his text
that the key structure of the WTC is irrational with it being rare for keys to be ordered
chromatically with their minor immediately after the major; indeed the format of his colleague
at the time, Friedrichh Suppig, followed the more localised format of C-a-F-d-Bb-g-Eb-c,
etc..
…both books begin in C major, but why? For organists the classic first
key had been D minor, which traditionally also had neither flats nor
sharps… Even if Bach was following recent convention in starting with C
major as the first key for a set of secular keyboard fugues, as he was, it
was not inevitable that it would be followed by the minor version…
(Williams, 2000)
This leaves the WTC open for criticism in the fact that it is illogical in order, both in ways of
explaining temperament and tuning, along with demonstrating the ability of playing in all of its
24 keys on one well-tuned instrument (Williams, 2000, pp. 762-3). This historical form of
analysis perhaps shows the larger image of systematic chromatic programming on Bach’s
behalf which makes up one half of the chromatic narrative - that of the composition of a piece
major and minor based from all 12 keys of an instrument. There are however, many works
amongst the WTC whose chromaticism exceeds that of normal diatonic counterpoint. That is
to say, the realisation of counterpoint through the likes of Buxtehude and Froberger, which
often explore no further than standard modulations and progressions, are built upon by Bach
to exceed these general rules as confirmed by Fux.
Other considerations one must take into account whilst listening to the WTC as modern day
listeners is the matter of temperament. We often take the tuning system for granted, but this
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was not always the case as argued in Duffin’s ‘How equal temperament ruined harmony (and
why we should care)’ (Duffin, 2008). The temperament which we are now so used to was not
fully concert standardised until around 1917, some 200 years after the composition of the
WTC, which was meant to be so elegantly playable on one keyboard instrument without the
need for retuning; so how was this achieved? Many have presumed that Bach was the early
adopter of Werckmeister’s ideal equal temperament and thus composed the WTC to prove ‡
it’s worthiness; however, it is widely regarded that Bach did not allow other’s to tune his
instruments as drawn to our attention by his first biographer, Forkel.
“He [Bach] also tuned both his harpsichord… when he played from his
fancy, all the 24 keys were in his power; he did with them what he
pleased… even his transitions in the chromatic style were as soft and
flowing as if he had wholly confined himself to the diatonic scale. (…)”
(Forkel as cited in The New Bach Reader, David et al., 1998)
The ambiguous scrawl of a tuning diagram at the top of the title page of WTC I (see fig. 1.1)
was decoded in 2005 by the academic and performer Bradley Lehman. So what was this
magical keyboard tuning system that
Bach had invented and why was it not
exactly equal temperament as used
today? How did it work with all the keys
and how different did chromatic intervals and passages sound than they would in equal
temperament? All these questions are important, springing from a very much disregarded
area when analysing Bach’s harmony and chromaticism. What we as modern day 21st
century listeners hear was not the same to what Bach heard with his own ears as a result of
the temperament; granted the vague shapes stick through the centuries but even a slight
change such as a 1/6th comma will make a difference whilst listening to a chromatic
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Much to the fault of C. Wolff in my opinion, who consistently refers to both Bach and Andreas Werckmeister’s tuning as ‡
almost synonymous in his various discussions on Bach.
Figure 1.1
passage. Duffin introduces some quite astonishing facts about historical temperaments in his
book, such as string players raising the leading tone and not be restrained by the likes of
having enharmonic notes as the same pitch, ie. A♭ is not the same pitch as G#.
Another hugely argued area by Duffin using examples from the likes as Joseph Joachim with
his major and minor semitones being again another alternative to the harshness of the raised
major third in equal temperament. The WTC hosts a few examples where Bach wittingly
acknowledges the enharmonic spellings of some keys to not only allow a more acceptable
key signature but also as a way in which a major and minor semitone must be compromised
to meet in the middle and act as one note on the keyboard. The D# minor in both books is a
fine example of Bach’s acceptance to enharmonic spellings. This is further supported by
Lehman who describes the process of tuning to compensate for a compromise of syntonic
comma and lesser diesis temperament systems resulting in D# being a different note to E♭,
making it impossible for Bach to write an E♭ major prelude and fugue followed by a D# minor
prelude and fugue unless they were absolutely the same note (Lehman, feb., 2005, pg. 5).
Wohltemperirt is the term Bach writes on the title cover, but ‘equal-tempered’ does not
translate into equal temperament and to a degree this is where many musicians make a
premature assumption. This equally tempered system refers to an irregular cycling
temperament, one in which all keys can be played in but each is coloured slightly differently.
As Duffin explains this was a strong era for where keys began to develop certain
characteristics with the likes of Francesci Galeazzi describing B♭ major as “tender, soft,
sweet, effeminate, fit to express transports of love, charm and grace” in 1796 (as cited in
Duffin, 2008, pg. 44). Where it heavily links in with one’s perception of harmony and
chromaticism is how the chromatic colours are entirely different in each key with intervals
often falling short of their equally tempered equivalent (sometimes sharper too). We are now
at the luxury of having technology which allows one to do a side by side comparison of the
WTC, one in equal temperament and the other in the temperament decoded by Lehman
(from such recording artists as Egarr, Beausejour and Watchorn). When comparing selected
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movements from the WTC with particular chromatic interest such as Book I: C#, E, F and B
minor fugues and Book II: C#, D, G# and B♭ minor fugues with the A minor prelude, one only
has to sing/play along with a score to notice the truly dramatic difference in pitch. §
To what real effect does this alternate temperament have on the chromatic elements of the
fugues in question? Certainly the beginnings of key characteristics begins to shine through
here, as Lehman discusses on several occasions in various publications. In the preface to
Watchorn’s recording of the 48 he writes the following:
In the minor keys from one flat to three sharps, the dominant triad (V) is
much stronger/brighter than the tonic, creating forward motion for relaxed
resolution. In the minor keys with two or more flats, that relationship is
reversed, with a dominant that is calmer than the tonic: making a gentle
effect overall, yet leading into intense or troubling conclusions.
(Lehman in the preface to Watchorn’s WTC recordings, Nov., 2005)
Original ideas raised whilst planning this research questions just quite why all of the
chromaticism was appearing in the minor key fugues and not really the majors. This noted
unbalance certainly begins the explanation as to why modulations in the minor keys are
perhaps a little easier to the ear, this could also be the reason behind Forkel stating that
transitions of the chromatics were so “soft and flowing” in Bach’s tuning system.
With use of appendix II, one can quite easily see where some intervals which are quite harsh
sounding are now actually narrower intervals in Bach’s system. In equal temperament the
octave of 12 semitones are assigned 100 cents each (the cents is a logarithmic scale used to
compared tuning accurately in multiple octaves). Taking the C# minor fugue from book I, one
can see those first few notes of the subject which are based on two semi-tonal movements
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Perhaps this is more apparent to a well trained ear. After learning to tune my own harpsichords and pianos in the past 4 §
years my once equally tempered fatigued ears were brought into the light of what pure fifths really sound like and it is now that I find a majority of music listened to is recorded in its rightful historic temperament and thus the harshness of equally tempered music stands out even more. Please see appendix I for Lehman’s tuning chart for Bach’s temperament.
separated by a diminished fourth leap are significantly narrower than their equally tempered
equivalents (see fig 1.2). Most interesting is the narrow 6 cents on the final step from E down
to D# which is the narrowest (caused by the higher D#). This easing off in sonic difference is
really quite astonishing, yet even more so when one studies the harmonic modulations
throughout the fugue. The modulation to the dominant on various transitions further backs up
the strong tonic dominant relationship in Bach’s temperament. One only has to realise that
this fugue explores very few keys, hardly features episodes, and does not finish with a coda.
It is purely theme after theme exploring a mere 3 differing keys - C#m, G#m and E, the same
key structure as explored by Bach’s influential composer, Buxtehude.
The delay of the bitonal cadence at the end of the C# minor fugue is preceded by a
sidestepped diminished-seventh chord (see bars 107-109 in fig 1.3) as pointed out by Siglind
Bruhn in her analysis of the 48 (Bruhn, 2014), but the actual tonal makeup of a diminished
chord further adds to the argument of being a world away from the intentions of Bach. This
seventh as seen opening bar 108 totals 1200 cents as it should. However, this is split up of 3
minor thirds of 298 cents and one augmented second between A and B# at 306 cents - Page ! of !13 43
Figure 1.2
Figure 1.3
much sharper than anticipated. This wider interval which includes the leading tone (B#) harks
back to that of the discussions of Duffin in his book about instrumentalists raising the leading
tone. Furthering the debate that this diminished-seventh chord in the context of where it is,
moving towards the tonic (interrupted by a soprano E) is geared towards modulation and not
dissonance.
It is with these considerations one must look at the WTC as not only being a monumental
work which stands out from the Bach catalogue, but also one in which many ambiguities
arise with multiple solutions. We must always consider the disagreement in temperament
throughout the chromatic analysis in the following sections, but also understand that Bach’s
intentions behind the set of works was perhaps not quite as simple and clear cut as is made
out at present. Although chromaticism is more dissonant in equal temperament, the ‘relatively
dissonant’ tones in Bach’s temperament still endure the same musical subsequences - i.e. no
matter what temperament a diminished seventh chord is played in, it will still maintain the
same function. Whether or not the chromaticism is based on the temperament of the time is
also a very interesting perspective to take. Lehman states now thirds and fifths stand out in
particular keys due to the coloration of Bach’s tuning system, and it stands quite possible
that particular keys favoured particular forms of dissonance. However, one must also
consider that where the same chromatic techniques occur consistently through a larger body
of works in different keys, then the characteristic of dissonant tones in one key stand to the
same degree as they would in another.
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Bach, the chromatic
Chromatic appearances within the WTC !This following section aims to point out the uses and appearances of chromaticism and
dissonance through selected techniques within the WTC. Before delving into this form of
analysis it is important that one understands the implications of what is being used via the
rule book from which from Bach was thought to be using and building upon. The Fuxian
realisation of the contrapuntal works of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina is perhaps the best
model to take when comparing Bach’s work; more often known as species counterpoint it
covers the basic rules as bulleted bellow. It is from this model in which Bach took instruction
for his own compositional works; as it was Buxtehude and de Grigny that were both heavily
influenced from Fux’s leading text: Gradus ad Parnassum; and it is their works which Bach
copied down as a child. The general rules of first and second species counterpoint are listed
below as cited from John Rothgeb (Rothgeb, 1975):
The leading tone must be raised in a minor key.
A skip or leap must be followed with step motion in the opposite direction.
The tritone should be avoided on all counts between voices.
Climax of a line must be reached on a strong beat in the bar.
In first species, avoid dissonance by major or minor 2nd, major or minor 7th, any
augmented or diminished interval along with the perfect fourth.
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In second species, the accented beats must only have consonance with the weaker beat
containing dissonance only as a passing tone.
What is most interesting to us as modern academics is the disobedience/obedience of Bach
to this general set of rules, with Bach often showing appreciation by abiding to these rules,
yet still containing movements in the WTC which break so many of them that they appear to
have stemmed from another form of contrapuntal instruction.
For the sake of not having any ambiguity, let us reflect briefly on what dissonance in
counterpoint really is. A note is dissonant if it creates an unstable interval with that of the
other note sounding at the same time. Most unstable intervals are seconds, sevenths and
diminished and augmented chords (as raised in first species counterpoint). The perfect fourth
is also classed as dissonant as it is an unstable tone - it wants to resolve down to the third or
rise to the fifth. Within the WTC there are some consistent techniques used by Bach to
integrate dissonance. To really question the meaning of its presence, one must remember
that in fugues the purpose of dissonance is to create a sense of instability so that the
following subject entry stands firm amongst the other voices. This certainly correlates
positively to the approach of a final cadence at the end of a work too in Bach. The following
sections discuss at depth a handful of these techniques, exploring origins and consequences
appropriately, creating a taxonomy of dissonance in the context of Bach.
!Dissonance caused by pedal tones !The idea of pedal tones is not really introduced until fourth species counterpoint via
suspensions but embellished further in fifth species counterpoint with the acceptance of
rhythmic augmentation on dissonant notes. Bach uses this in the two primary forms - the first
having the pedal note hold harmonic stability (almost always in approach to a cadential point)
with the tonic being held as a pedal; or the second where the pedal note is the dominant
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note (although this form is less common). Thomas Benjamin in his book on counterpoint
states:
‘[a] pedal point may occur anywhere in a fugue, but it is most often used
towards the end, settling the tonality and providing, like augmentation, a
broadening effect… The only commonly used pedal notes are tonic and
dominant, and they nearly always occur in the lowest voice.’
(Benjamin, 2003)
This idea of using a pedal tone to stabilise harmonies certainly bodes well with Bach’s body
of work, most noticeably in the fugues where an ending might seem near impossible without
the use of a pedal tone to halt the momentum. The C minor fugue from WTC I is a fine
example of this with the final two and a half bars holding a tonic pedal (see figure 2.1) above
which the upper voices come to an eventual standstill through tonal retardation. The fugue
would come to an abrupt end should it stop at the end of bar 29 on the E natural, which in
this case does not act as a tierce de picardi, but as a member of the secondary dominant to
the subdominant (F minor) which prepares the fugue for a tonal unraveling. This is an
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Figure 2.1
essential form of chromaticism for tonal music which prepares for the subdominant (on a
weak beat) and also reiterates the importance of the unflattened note.
Let us for a moment delve slightly deeper into the harmonic language contained within this
final section as it holds a fair amount of dissonance which is otherwise unseen when masked
by the repetitive subject, the hook of which is the repeated C, B-natural, C motif, acting as a
final cry at the end of the fugue. The E-natural leads on to the F minor in second inversion
(who’s dominant is the C tonic in the pedal note) which is abruptly interrupted by a diminished
seventh on F whose A♭ recoiled down a semitone to G to create a G seventh chord to return
the movement to the tonic of C minor. This is shown in figure 2.2 where the harmonies have
been vericalised. The alteration between diminished seventh and dominant seventh (only a
semitone difference) allows Bach to easily confirm that C is the home key, despite the
introduction of new harmonies in the end section. However, that analysis ignores the fact that
these changes are all suspended against a tonic pedal, to which the Cm, C major and F
major chords easily work, but the diminished chords cause an almighty clash with. After the
diminished interruption midway through bar 30, Bach could have quite easily ended on that C
minor, but he takes it a step further by introducing another discordant dominant and tonic
pattern in the final bar, this time with a tierce de picardi (as raised by Anson-Cartwright in a
text about elision of Bach’s final cadence, more often than not aided and caused by a tonic
pedal tone (Anson-Carwright, 2008)). This elision of the cadence certainly aids in reiterating
the tonic, with the weakening dissonance creating a greater contrast to the pure home key.
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Figure 2.2
This may not be fully noticeable on the piano where the pedal note naturally decays to a low
enough volume to not be fully heard by that time, but on the organ, these diminished chords
make a mighty statement in conjunction with the pedal tone (particularly when considering
temperament considerations), thus we can derive that the pedal has two purposes. The first
of these is to maintain harmonic stability with the listener firmly planting themselves in the key
of C. In contrast to that purpose, the second is to upset the harmonic apple cart, to create a
particular amount of discomfort in a listener that they strive for the tonic which sounds even
more fitting, meaning that when the upper voices do land of a harmonious note in C (major or
minor in this instance) it is like two interlocking pieces of a jigsaw, there is a release of tension,
despite all that is going on around. Thus Bach has used dissonance to for a consonant
solution via means of enhancing the consonance.
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Figure 2.3
A much grander example of this from the WTC is not far from the first, fugue number 4 in C#
minor from book I, whose pedal notes create a very similar harmonic structure is taken further
to match the scale of the this grand 5 voice work. The pedal tones start eleven bars from the
end on a dominant pedal (G#) and despite a non pedal tone for one bar (bar 109), it
continues to a tonic pedal for the final four bars but eliminates the use of the diminished
chord (as seen in figure 2.3)- Bach resolves it naturally via a plagal cadence, although this is
not heavily discussed in species counterpoint due to the lack of the leading note which
makes it difficult to confirm tonality in a cadence. The resemblance of this fugue to the older
school of fugue writing of Frecobaldi is pointed out by Ladewig although he does not treat
the pedal tone as anything of significance, an issue found quite often when comparing Bach’s
fugal writing to that of the older composers (Ladewig, 2003).
Dissonance is caused here in the dominant pedal, which, naturally by itself is an unstable
note awaiting return to the tonic, it is in essence a prolongation of the dominant seventh
chord, but Bach resolved this dominant pedal in an unusual way. The use of a deceptive
cadence is, according to Benjamin, a very dramatically effective way in which to resolve a
dominant pedal note, but is rarely used by Bach. However, it is this very cadence in bar 112
which is of the most important dissonant interest to us in this example. After a long period of
the dominant seventh being held, the chord resolves correctly to the C# chord (with a major
third) in a perfect cadence fashion, but is clashed against an A in the tenor part (the sixth
degree) and it is this clash of tonic/subdominant harmony which forces the fugue to continue
ticking over for the final section as it works its way back to C# in mostly consonant terms,
besides the third beat of bar 113 which hosts an accented passing tone in the tenor line (the
dissonant tenor) as one final chromatic outbreak before resolving harmoniously.
From these two seemingly innocent examples, one can see the plethora of dissonance
caused by pedal notes, not only in upper voice harmonies but also in the resolution of a pedal
tone. The heavy integration of secondary dominants of the subdominant often leads naturally
to dissonant passages due to the particular combinations of these alongside the tonic notes.
Page ! of !20 43
Bach and the 7th chord !The third inversion of the 7th chord is often Bach’s escape from what may otherwise appear
to be impossible fugal crosswords. The chord which has already appeared in the example of
pedal tones in the C minor fugue from WTC I is favoured heavily by Bach as a form of escape
into new and old harmonies. Benjamin states on the mater:
‘He [Bach] is especially fond of secondary fully diminished seventh chords.
In this style, any diatonic major or minor triad may be preceded by any of
its secondary dominants…Progressions around the circle of fifths may
involves series of secondary dominants, but more often alternate [with]
diatonic triads.’
(Benjamin, 2003)
The seventh chord is an easy escape route for Bach to work the harmonic direction into new
areas. The dissonance caused by this chord is perhaps why it has not occurred to earlier
composers, although the idea of modulation to particular keys is also a certain factor. The
likes of Frescobaldi, Buxtehude and de Grigny often never explored beyond tonic, dominant
and relative major/minor; but here (such as book I, C major which explores in passing the
supertonic, E♭ minor which explores the mediant G♭ etc.) we see Bach reaching further into
new keys, not necessarily for whole episode but in brief passing to help achieve tonal interest
for his listeners.
The unbalance of the diminished seventh chord makes it suitable for a magnitude of
resolutions, putting it as a key transitional and pivotal chord in contrapuntal writing. It can just
as easily return a fugue back to the subject for the final section as it could carry it off in
another key for further episodical writing. As an adaptable chord, it appears in one form or
another in a majority of works in the WTC, both preludes and fugues. The famous C major
prelude is based on diminished chords at the end to bring it back to the correct key; the D# Page ! of !21 43
minor prelude features diminished chords in the bass recitative section towards the end (on
beat one of each bar) which creates the harmonic structure, again before returning back to
the correct key; and in the penultimate bars of WTC II’s C minor fugue where it is built up over
a larger arpeggiando. So versatile is this chord that Bach seems more often than not to
reserve its use until the end of a fugue to help bring racing tonal changes to a standstill with a
chord which stands out as a dissonant sore thumb.
The G minor fugue from WTC I is a fine example of how Bach plays on the use of implied
dominant seventh and diminished seventh harmonies. Figure 3.1 shows the final three bars of
this fugue where descending voices allow for an easy interruption from the diminished
seventh chord, which in turn leads onto the dominant in the final bar. This seemingly gentle
and innocent fugue opens the door to understanding how Bach truly gets away with stark
harmonies and progressions in slower moving works, quite possibly from no real strong beat
being felt (particularly true in variation 25 of the Goldberg variations). Besides the implied
diminished sevenths throughout this piece, one chord stands out in particular - the
penultimate bar with a C diminished seventh chord. This stands as a dissonance on a strong
beat of the bar but is quickly resolved using an appoggiatura-like motif (as discussed in the
following section) to resolve the top note down to a D, and the bass C down to a B♭,
although this creates a rather unwanted chord in species counterpoint - an augmented,
caused only by the raised leading tone in the thematic motif. Bach often uses the secondary
form of dissonance to allow the voices to move in a way that suits well, often with passing
dissonance caused from a voice that is being suspended over from a main beat on to the
more dissonant weaker beat. Page ! of !22 43
Figure 3.1
Appoggiatura dissonance !Perhaps the most obvious appearances of dissonance via chromatic notes is through the use
of an appoggiatura (or ‘musical sigh’ as it is often referred to). The appoggiatura is in essence
an accented passing note which resolves to a consonant note for the second half of the
measured accompanying note. Its embellishment is in turn classed as an ornament to
introduce non-harmony notes into a work (perhaps best saved for another discussion) but in
Bach are often written out in instances like those outlined below whose purpose is not just
ornamental but makes up a strong area in his fugue subjects.
The WTC is ripe with different forms of examples; figure 4.1 shows the A minor prelude from
WTC II, which beyond its other chromatic appearances such as the tone row (as pointed out
by Alschuler and Elkies, 2009) and linear chromaticism, consists of inner part appoggiaturas
which alternate in direction. The appoggiaturas as seen in the weaving parts (treble bar 1,
bass bar 2) follow the general consensus that chromatic notes are reserved for weaker beats
as is the case in normal species counterpoint. The feeling of these appoggiaturas being on
strong beats is achieved by Bach from the delayed beginning which pushes the motif out by
a semiquaver, meaning that the rule of chromatic notes appearing only on weak beats is
obeyed, whilst still maintaining the feeling that the first note of the appoggiatura falls on the
Page ! of !23 43
Figure 4.1
stronger part of the bar despite that being where the texture is at its thinnest. Thomas
Benjamin fails to see the appoggiatura figure sustaining throughout the section, calling some
of them ‘incomplete neighbour tones’ which are what we refer to here as appoggiaturas but
then goes on to treat the B♭ in bar 1 as a passing tone when it clearly leads into the A below.
In a situation like this where the motif is clearly thematic, all must be treated equally to fully
understand what Bach has done. What is perhaps more interesting in this case is accented
chromatic notes in the alternate parts (bass m. 1, treble m. 2) whose notes fall on strong
beats, particularly the pattern of A, G#, F# and E which all fall on main beats of the bar and
via extension of the chromatic tetrachord is extending to the higher voice in the next bar.
However, this has been pointed out to be an extension of the i-V progression with a
chromatic bass line with appropriate unbalanced 1st inversion chords (see figure 4.2) as
noted in many other works of not only Bach but other Baroque composers (Didos lament
from Purcell’s Dido and Æneas springs to mind). Looking beyond these intricacies one can
see the linear intervalic progression (ignoring compound intervals) ends up as a simple
3-6-3-6-3 etc. progression (figure 4.2) which is often found in a deeper harmonic progression
in contrapuntal works showing how it is a heavily
structured work, despite all of its non-harmony
notes. The A minor is quite a peculiar work in terms
of the WTC, and is in this instance the only prelude
worth mentioning in the chromatic debate as it is
formed of so many different elements.
The form of alternating appoggiatura motif happens again in the F minor fugue from WTC I
(figure 4.3) although on a greatly augmented rhythmic scale. Again, the grouping of two notes
just a semitone apart and always in alternate directions is a recurring theme in Bach’s
adoption to appoggiaturas in thematic exploration in the following pattern: C raises up to a
D♭, followed by a C resolving down to a B, an E to an F, a B♭ to an A, etc.. The rest at the
beginning of this fugue allows the resolved note to land on the main beats of the bar, with the
Page ! of !24 43
Figure 4.2
first semi-tonal note of the appoggiatura always appearing on the weaker beat. Often when a
piece does not start on the first beat, we class it as an anacrusis and the remainder is
accounted for in the final bar, but this is not the case here for Bach. The first crotchet beat
rest is classed as part of the subject and occurs correctly in all of the proceeding subject
entries. This rhythmic offset was again used in the A minor prelude, which allowed the
chromatic non-harmony notes to fall on weak beats (as dictated in the rule book of species
counterpoint) leaving the primary harmonies to remain on strong beats. Despite this work
around on Bach’s behalf, the subject is still peculiar in terms of its harmonic structure - when
its solo first entry is heard, there is no indication of in which direction this fugue is to travel. So
ambitious is it that it is not until the last bar that it confirms the F minor shape on beats 1, 2
and 3 in bar 4.
Another example from the WTC where the appoggiaturas actually fall on the main beats is the
B minor fugue from WTC I (figure 4.4) who’s theme is entirely made up of appoggiaturas on
the main beats which all fall by one semitone, as in the F minor fugue. What one must be
careful of here is to note that the dissonant note is the note of which the appoggiatura
resolves to, in contrast to the appoggiatura beginning on the stronger beats of the bar helped
by the quaver rest at the beginning to offset the dissonance, much like in the A minor prelude
and the F minor fugue. Contrary to the F minor fugue, the B minor spells out a B minor chord Page ! of !25 43
Figure 4.3
first before going on a chromatic path which continues to spell out important harmonies
which are later to follow, such as the raised A# which helps confirm the dominant chord in
the second half of bar 1. From a species counterpoint view, this is perfectly acceptable as the
notes quickly resolve, but from a verticalised
harmonic viewpoint the implied harmonies go beyond
those of a normal simple subject. Siglind Bhruhn
removes the appoggiatura by taking only the second
note (as shown in figure 4.5), showing how the
subject hosts a dominant modulation in the middle. The implied sevenths and inversions add
to the complexity of the harmonic accompaniment, enhanced only more by the accented
chromatic passing tones.
Through rhythmic displacement Bach has managed to use this idea to integrate chromatic
and dissonant notes into his fugues through either notes the appoggiaturas resolve into, or
from chromatic notes which often resolve onto consonant notes. Although approved in
counterpoint, the adoption of this motif to create subjects is taken to the extreme by Bach,
whose most chromatic works integrate this idea.
Page ! of !26 43
Figure 4.4
Figure 4.5
(Bruhn, 2006)
Bach’s use of cambiata and echappée !Cambiata is perhaps the best way to describe some of Bach’s dissonant sections, although
does not provide a fitting solution for much of it that has been discussed thus far. In species
counterpoint, where it is introduced at the third stage, dissonant cambiata is a way of
labelling an acceptable pattern of notes which would otherwise break rules. It is approached
by step in a descending direction and allows a skip from a dissonant note by a third and
must be proceeded by a step in the opposite direction. Steven Rings points out on his book
on tonality that in Bach’s E major fugue from WTC II there is an inverted cambiata figure
which so elegantly ‘echos passages from Froberger’s fantasies and ricercares and Fux’s
Gradus’ (Rings, 2011). This figure can be seen in the bass voice in bar one both the leap
from the F# up to the A, which then resolves down to the G# as it rightly so should (see figure
5.1). Rings continues to mention that of Bach’s countersubject:
‘Bach’s countersubject, nowhere to be found in Fischer’s fugue, appears
literally in Froberger’s Fantasia II and is hinted at in his Ricercare IV, both of
which are based on the cambiata subject. Bach’s countersubject is also
present in three of Fux’s fugues…’
(Rings, 2011, pg. 151, footnote 2)
From this we can see how the greats before Bach worked these dissonant notes into the
fugues, and this is perhaps one of the few examples where Bach willingly follows the rule
book on dissonant counterpoint without developing it much further. The leaping third is a
popular motif employed by Bach, and one which seemed to fair well for Buxtehude, Fux and
Froberger - the likes of whom Bach copied and undoubtably developed this from. It was
certainly Fux who was at the forefront of developing this technique, taking the leap from not
only a dissonant note, but also from counterpoint convention.
Page ! of !27 43
Echappée or escape tone, leads on from cambiata in the form that it must move up a step
against a harmony but then leap in an opposite direction back to the next harmony note. In
her analysis of the complete 48, Siglind Bruhn points to a plethora of escape notes and how
they became much more popular in use since Bach’s adoption of them. From a performance
aspect she takes the G# minor prelude from book II and points how bar 5 G#, 6 F# and 7 E#
are often likely to be accented in performance, but care should be taken as they are merely
escape notes and act as a decoration to the music; particularly allowing more room for Bach
to work in a secondary melody such as in the C minor prelude in WTC I, without the need for
extra voices (Bruhn, 2006). Escape notes may not feel like they cause dissonance, but the
introduction of a non-tonal note to a chord is the biggest presumptions one can take for
granted in the realms of species counterpoint. Without this, much of Bach’s cadential work
would not have developed into the largely embellished sections that they are, and as such,
should not have spurred on further dissonant progressions.
As modern day listeners we do not class cambiata and echappée as dissonance worth
mentioning because they simply do not sound like dissonant passages. When comparing
Bach’s work however, to that of his predecessors, it is clear that even such minute rules
which often abide by the strict rules of species counterpoint can then be extended upon by
Page ! of !28 43
Figure 5.1
Bach to suit his own compositional style and this is one of the instances where species
counterpoint lends itself for dissonant notes to be integrated in future works.
!Alternative solutions to a disobedient Bach !Thus far we have looked at the rules of species counterpoint being a firm system of which to
compare Bach’s to. He often follows the general rules which make for a convincing fit to the
system but also further develops the methods to allow for the new stylistic harmonies and
motivic material of the fashionable Baroque period. There are, however, many instances
within the WTC where Bach not only takes the rules of species counterpoint as a form of
extended technique, but breaks all rules possibly known to the rule book when there are clear
abiding alternatives which would suit better. This causes a programmatic issue as the
consistency of this rule breaking is so irregular; often a fugue which begins by following all the
rules will end with a clash of almighty dissonance and drop all that was invested at the
beginning, with some fugues simply just following the rules with a few anomalies in small
sections. As the compositional background of both books is so ambiguous, it is impossible to
understand any factor which may have fully contributed to Bach's witting disobedience to the Gradus ad Parnassum.
Joel Lester touches ever so slightly on this area when tracing chromaticism through voice
crossing in the C minor fugue from book I (Lester, 2001) although misses the point that
chromaticism caused by this is from an apparent disobedience to the rules. Such is the Page ! of !29 43
Figure 6.1
(Lester, 2001)
extent that there is not just one solution, but multiple solutions Bach could have taken to
abide by the rules. Bar 17 from that C minor fugue is taken as an example of how Bach could
have used alternative passages to work the fugue. Figure 6.1 shows the original Bachian
solution in Lester’s diagram and points to the chromatic voice passages which track the
semi-tonal movement throughout the phrase.
To fully understand how this does not agree with species counterpoint, but does work in the
contact of Bach, one must recapitulate the rules of first and second species counterpoint as
that is all that appears in bar 17 (bar 18 is included for further contextual purposes).
Relevant rules to reconsider:
The climax of a line must be reached on a strong beat.
In first species avoid dissonance by major or minor 2nd, major or minor 7th, any
augmented or diminished interval and the perfect fourth.
In second species the accented beats must only have consonance with the weaker beat
containing dissonance only as a passing tone.
Point one suggests that the climatic point of a phrase should be reached on a strong beat -
but in Bach’s case everything is offset by one crotchet, taking the end of each soprano voice
snippet as the primary point of each phrase. Because of this, all the important climatic
phrases end up on either beats two or four, although this is very much dictated in this
instance by the pattern of the fugue’s subject which is based upon the lower mordent shape
as the second part of the phrase. The realignment of this is shown in figure 6.2 where the
phrase has been pushed back by one crotchet to allow the climax of each phrase to land on
the main beat. This delayed climax will prove importance once the following species rules are
taken into consideration.
The first species counterpoint intervals are all abided in this instance, with all intervals moving
together in thirds with the exception of the B♭ (belonging to second species counterpoint) on
Page ! of !30 43
beat two and a half in bar 17. This B♭ making up the dominant seventh in C major is
introduced on a weaker offbeat, but is still sounding on the stronger main accent of beat 3 in
bar 17, which species counterpoint forbids as it is an interval of a flattened seventh above the
lower voice’s C (this would be an acceptable suspension if it were to resolve in the following
beat). Again, this same motif happens when the C is tied over to the first beat of bar 18 to
create the dominant seventh in D, leaving an open diminished fifth between the upper voices.
It is corrected by simply resolving down to the fifth, which is acceptable in this case as the
tonic and mediant is always sounded at the same time, i.e. the interval is not left as an open
fifth.
An underlying issue that was present before the rhythmic realignment was the classing of the
D natural against the E in middle and lower voice which rapidly resolves up to the F#. This
dissonance is permitted in species counterpoint but is usually the other way round, i.e. the
consonant note falls on the beat and then the dissonance is caused after as a passing tone
to the next consonant interval. The raising of the E and the F# points that Bach is heading
towards G major but it is quickly turned around with the introduction of the C chord, and
Page ! of !31 43
Figure 6.2
Figure 6.3
further works towards D major and G major again during this sequential pattern. Rewriting
this to avoid dissonance as Bach uses results in the following possibility, shown in figure 6.4.
Other considerations to take into account is that tied notes and repeated notes are not
permitted in second species counterpoint, but these begin to take away from the rhythmic
devices Bach employs throughout this phrase. There is something very dissatisfying with the
above solution, it is not Bach. Nor is it even half way there. Such an elaborate rule breaking
episode to simply modulate from a phrase in G minor to C minor contains so much
dissonance that without, it is simply not what one expects from a Bach fugue. The flirtations
with other keys in such a short space of just a bar and a half unbalances the whole act that
when the subject does once again enter it stands out as a secure and tonal base of which
the listener can firmly plant their feet again. The rhythmic offset by a crotchet as seen in
previous works with the appoggiatura motif allows the dissonant notes to fall on weaker
beats of the bar despite them sounding like strong beats. This device is used consistently by
Bach, and is perhaps one of the many work-arounds he found to deal with rules of species
counterpoint.
This is just one of many examples in Bach’s writing where alternatives can be found, and acts
as a good exercise to rewrite them following the rules of species counterpoint to fully
appreciate and understand just how far Bach moves, say from the general consensus of
tonality and counterpoint.
Page ! of !32 43
Figure 6.4
Fugue
Conclusion !!It may seem from this distance that these distinct areas do not really add up to much in the
grand argument of Bach as the first chromatic composer (in a tonal context) who littered his
work with so much dissonance. Certainly quite a few questions arise from these areas in the
way of how they all integrate to form an argument which succinctly proves Bach as a witting
composer who grasped the power of chromaticism earlier and more confidently than his
colleagues, who’s contrapuntal works often strictly abided by Fux’s rationalisation of
Palestrina. Although the evidence strongly hints to Bach using Gradus ad Parnassum as a
rule book, there is no such real evidence that Bach willingly shares his thoughts on it,
certainly no source to hint that these were the models he adopted. The general academic
consensus that the easiest way to analyse Bach’s contrapuntal works via comparison to
species counterpoint is indeed the correct way forward. However, I feel there are often many
passages which are overlooked in Bach. The rewriting of the small passage from book I’s C
minor fugue may appear at the surface to be a tenuous link to the chromatic argument, but it
opens up for discussion many non-musical factors which could have made Bach to decide to
use his solution and not those that followed those of the species rule book. Despite need and
lust for musical expansion, my theorem is that this is the essence of Bach’s style, the one
thing an academic could pinpoint to be the signature of Bach.
This paper has looked at only a handful of works from the WTC, most of book II has not been
touched as the examples from book I stand strong for the study of the second book. As
Page ! of !33 43
discussed in the contextual section, book II was a newer and much needed more fashionable
keyboard learning book, and although new styles and forms were adopted, Bach’s
dissonance use is consistent between the two. It is this that leads me to believe that the
chromatic choices made are the signature of his style, much more than the adoption of
musical styles such as the French overture or the modern Italian Galant style (Heartz, 2003).
What is clear though, is that Bach, knowingly or unknowingly, influenced the chromatic
development of the following three centuries to such a degree that we can now appreciate
him for his capabilities. Many composers began with Bach - and the case shows clear for
young Mozart, who’s own symphony no. 40 in Gm has a section with all the chromatic notes
except the tonic; this could only be the witty interest of Bach shining through as an influence.
For Bach and his mathematical compositional technique, the time seemed to be only more
than ‘ripe for the picking’ at this moment in history as stated by Phillip Clapp:
He [Bach] happened to be born in time to epitomise the contrapuntal and
coloristic achievements of over two centuries of cumulative effort; sacred,
secular, and dramatic technique was ripe, and waited only for a great
man. So far as social influence was concerned, Bach was fortunate in
coming of a family in which music was second only to religion and in living
in communities where at least music was respected and esteemed; if his
education was not remarkably broad or far-reaching according to modern
standards… his intelligence was keen, as is shown by his preoccupation
with such mathematical problems as that of equal temperament in tuning,
which he was almost the first important composer to understand at its
true value.
(Clapp, 1916)
This paper was in no means a way to doubt the power and ability of Bach as a composer -
and although some points of this paper have been a mere brief passing, their inclusion is
Page ! of !34 43
important to understand the complete picture of Bach’s ability in various moments of his life.
It is hopefully quite clear now that throughout his career, he became more daring with his
chromatic inclusion and developed techniques from the old counterpoint school to suit
modern demand with the integration of the latest fashion. Although one can not be sure of
the reaction he received to this, it is clear that his students reacted maturely and respected
the composer to the degree that such techniques were passed down through history and
continue to influence us still to this very day.
The western world of music owes almost the entirety of itself to the work of J.S. Bach, who's
inclusion of the dissonant notes has dramatically changed the course of western tonal history
through both melody and harmony. It therefore seems fitting to end this paper with a quote
which sums up the importance of J.S. Bach in the grand scheme of western tonal music of
which the forefather has to be classed as Bach for his brave delving into newer, more exciting
and exotic musical languages. The following quote by the writer Theodor W. Adorno therefore
sums up the importance of Bach:
!What sets him apart from the practices of his age, far from being grasped
as the contradiction of his substance with them, is made a pretext for
glorifying the nimbus of provincial craftsmanship as a classical quality.
(Adorno, 1982)
Page ! of !35 43
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Discography
Discography !Beauséjour, L., (2007) ‘J.S. Bach The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I (24 Preludes and Fugues)’ [CD] Canada: Naxos: 8.557625-26
Gould, G., (2013) ‘Glenn Gould Plays Bach Vol. 2: Goldberg Variations | The Well-Tempered Clavier I & II’ [CD] U.S.A: Sony Classical: 886443991972
Guillot, S., (2006) ‘BACH, J.S.: Kunst der Fuge (Die) (The Art of Fugue), BWV 1080a’, [CD] Canada: Naxos: 8.557796
Lippincott, J., (2002) ‘BACH, J.S.: Organ Music (Preludes and Fugues)’ [CD] U.S.A.: Gothic Records: G-49202
Martins, J.C., (1995) ‘BACH, J.S.: English Suites Nos. 1-3 / Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, BWV 903’ [CD] Bulgaria: Labor Records: LAB7025
Shiina, Y., (2005) ‘BACH, J.S.: Organ Music (2+1+3+8= BACH)’, [CD] Japan: ALM Records: ALCD-1071
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra (1955) ‘BACH, J.S.: Musical Offering, BWV 1079 (Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Munchinger)’, [CD] Naxos Classical Archives: 9.80766
Watchorn, P., (2006) ‘Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Das Wohltemperierte Clavier Book I (1722), BWV 846-869’, [CD] U.S.A: Musica Omnia: MO-0201
Watchorn, P., (2009) ‘Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Das Wohltemperierte Clavier Book II (1742-1744), BWV 870-893’, [CD] U.S.A: Musica Omnia: MO-0202
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Appendices
Appendix I - Bach’s temperament
(Lehman, feb., 2005) **
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A commendable table which allowed me to set up my own instrument (a flemish single manual) in Bach’s temperament **
and experience the chromatic dialect for what it was truly meant to be.