Johann Sebastian Bach

Jacques van Oortmerssen Johann Sebastian Bach ORGAN WORKS Vol.2 The Historic Organ at Roskilde Cathedral JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750) church musician) of St Blasius, Mühlhausen AND THE ORGAN followed in 1707. From 1708 to 1717 Bach Although Bach was not occupied exclu- was employed as the court organist at sively as an organist, his name and his Weimar, where he wrote the majority of his works are clearly associated with the works for organ. Subsequently he served organ. He was acquainted with the instru- as Kapellmeister to the court at Cöthen ment from his earliest years. At around (1717-23). In his capacity as Kapellmeister ten years of age (following the death of he was expected to write church cantatas his parents), he was taken in by his elder for specific occasions. Although it is uncer- brother, Johann Christoph, the organist of tain whether Bach had to fulfil duties as an Ohrdruf, and his family, and from 1700-2 organist, various organ works date from he was a pupil at the Michaelis School in this period. Lüneburg, where he probably came into His last appointment was as Kantor at St contact with Georg Böhm (organist of Thomas’s Church, Leipzig (1723-50). There St Johannis) and with the organ-builder he was responsible for the church’s music Johann Balthasar Held (a pupil of the (both as composer and director), but, as at famous Arp Schnitger). From Lüneburg Cöthen, there was no specific task for him he journied to Hamburg where he heard as an organist; this seemed to be no obsta- Johann Adam Reincken (organist of St cle to his composing numerous works for Catherinen) play; he later met Reincken (in the instrument. 1720) when he applied for the organist’s In earlier centuries it was the norm for position at St Jacobi, Hamburg. composers to write functional music. Bach At the end of 1705 Bach travelled on foot was no exception to this. Not only the cho- to Lübeck to hear Dietrich Buxtehude, the rale-based works, clearly written for spe- renowned organist, play; he remained cific times in the Church Year, but also most there for three months! Bach received his of the ‘free’ organ works can be accorded a first appointment in 1703 at St Bonifacius place in the liturgy. Research on this point in Arnstadt, and his nomination to the must undoubtedly be considered both organistship (which included duties as a speculative and challenging; through such 2 3 inquiry, however, unexpected perspec- formance on organs of different traditions or, as the German Baroque commentator and compares them with similar composi- tives can be gained. not only possible but even desirable. would have rendered it, different Affekten. tions from the time before Bach, it must be According to contemporaneous thinking, acknowledged that Bach brought this form THE ‘BACH ORGAN’ REGISTRATIONS the composer had to concern himself with to a synthesis from northern and southern Many authors have considered questions In choosing registrations for his Bach inducing a specific state of mind in the lis- German preludial and fugal idioms. In about the type of organ that is most ideal recordings, Jacques van Oortmerssen is tener through his music. North Germany preludes and fugues were for the interpretation of Bach’s organ following exactly Bach’s (infrequent) One can distinguish different Affekten. multisectional pieces, in which ‘free’ sec- works. The notion of a ‘Bach Organ’ quickly indications for the use of one or more Simply, they can be separated into two tions alternated with fugal sections, and in established itself. All things considered, manual(s) and forte/piano dynamics. main categories: joy and sadness. Affekten South Germany preludes and fugues were the conclusion can only be that the ‘Bach Moreover, he is basing his interpretations can also be intense or less intense, positive separate, individual movements (or works). Organ’ is an unattainable and utopian on that which is known about registrational or negative. A composer relied on a variety With his synthesis Bach is recognised ideal. Bach had extensive know ledge of practices in Bach’s time and region; in of means to evoke Affekten: different keys, as having brought this compositional organ-building and came into contact with this respect the surviving prescriptions a specific tempo and rhythm, harsh or less form to a (new) culmination; since Bach’s builders from differing German organ- of Georg Friedrich Kauffmann (1733-6) harshly dissonant intervals, etc. death these works have enjoyed an almost building traditions. His own sphere was and Jacob Adlung (1758) are particularly The rules of Classical rhetoric formed, for unbroken popularity. Over the long period Thuringia and Saxony, a region where a useful. For the plena of the large ‘free’ the Baroque composer, a departure point in which the works in this form were written, multitude of influences from other areas works, he is following conventions that are for the design of a piece. With the help an exciting development can be traced. can be observed, and which possessed its rooted in older traditions. Trio textures are of comprehensive Figurenlehre (musical We can distinguish six different types, own indigenous types of organ. registered with timbres that correspond figurations and formulae) he could subse- from a continuous form in the early works Bach became acquainted with, and to instruments commonly used in trio quently fill in the details. to a convincing concerto-like form in the played on, instruments of all traditions, compositions. A colourful spectrum is thus later compositions. In the early works we and undoubtedly thought about these brought to life, and the player is therefore THE PRELUDES AND FUGUES find successive influences from South Ger- types of instrument in course of writing able to illustrate the diverse Affekten of For nearly forty years Bach was occupied many, France, and North Germany, and in down his compositions. The eclectic Bach’s music more effectively. with the writing (or revision) of ‘free’ works the later works, the application of Italianate nature of Bach’s works for organ equates, under the titles of ‘Prelude’, ‘Prelude et/ influences (including many string-playing as it were, with the diversity of the organ THE DoCTRINES OF AFFECTIONS con Fuga’, ‘Fuga’, ‘Toccata’, ‘Toccata con styles) resulted in forms imitating con- timbres he encountered. The versatil- (AFFEKTENLEHRE) AND MUSICAL Fuga’, ‘Fantasia’ and ‘Fantasia con Fuga’. certos (in which the tutti and soli sections ity of his organ compositions, with their FIGURES (FIGURENLEHRE) When one summarises these categories converse with one another), or the use of immense stylistic palette, makes for per- Music can evoke different states of mind, under the name ‘Preludes and Fugues’, ritornelli (refrain-like sections). 4 5 THE CoNCERTOS of these works (from the years 1713-4) is simple settings to long, freely worked trios; sion, rapid passagework drives the move- Various arrangements by Bach are known quite certain. an output which knew no limits! ment towards its end. as ‘concerti’. They are works that other composers wrote for orchestra: six for organ THE CHORALE SETTINGS PRELUDE AND FUGUE IN C MAjoR TRIO IN G MAjoR BWV 1027A (BWV 592-596) and 16 for a keyboard instru- Bach’s chorale settings for organ have BWV 531 Bach wrote much chamber music as ment without pedal (BWV 972-987). (In addi- survived mainly in collections: the ’Neu- This Prelude and Fugue can be consid- Kapellmeister to the court at Cöthen (1717- tion to BWV 592, there also exists a version meister-Sammlung’ - discovered in 1985 ered as an early work (dating from the 1723). Among other works, three Sonatas without pedal, BWV 592a.) Among the com- - containing BWV 714, 719, 742, 957, 1090- period 1700-1703) and it shows many for Harpsichord and Viola da Gamba (BWV posers of the original works for orchestra 1120; the ’Orgel-Büchlein’ (BWV 599-644); similarities with the Prelude and Fugue in 1027-1029) belong to this period. A version are Vivaldi, Telemann, Marcello, and Prince the ’Schübler-Choräle’ (BWV 645-650); C major by Georg Böhm (1661-1733), with of the first Sonata in G major exists for Johann-Ernst of Sachsen-Weimar. and the ’Leipziger-Choräle’ (BWV 651-668). whom he was probably in contact at that transverse flute and continuo (BWV 1039) Interestingly, the motive for writing such The third part of the ’Clavier-Übung’ (a time. Influences from other North German but with other tempo/character indica- arrangements - probably at the behest self-contained work) comprises 21 chorale composers are also discernable. tions. The suspicion is that this last version of Prince Johann Ernst - is to be found in settings. Finally, there are more than 40 The Prelude, which begins with a long is the original composition which Bach a Dutch practice. The Prince (1696-1715) settings which may be divided into two solo for the pedal (a head motif, many later reworked for harpsichord and gamba. studied, from 1711 to 1713, at Utrecht Uni- groups: BWV 690-713 (from the ’Kirnberger broken chords, and passagework), effer- The fourth movement of the Sonata, which versity. During his residence in The Neth- Collection’) and BWV 714-764 (works surviv- vesces with youthful impetuosity. Even survives in the so-called ‘Mempell-Preller erlands he travelled to (amongst other ing separately in a number of diverse manu- the last few bars of the Prelude – a chain Collection’ in Leipzig, is also arranged places) Amsterdam; it is most probable scripts). In these last two groups are works of chords to prepare the ending – are for organ (BWV 1027a). The author of the that whilst there he heard the blind organ- which in the past have been either wrongly worked out virtuosically with interlocking transcription is unknown, but it is doubt- ist of the Nieuwe Kerk, Jan Jacob de Graaf attributed to Bach or are of doubtful author- chords and passagework.

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