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J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations

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J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations By Richard Lee-Thai (30024611) Dr. Kenneth DeLong MUSI 233: Baroque Music 10 April 2017 1 | P a g e The Goldberg Variations are the last installment of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Clavierübung (Keyboard Practice) series and stands as one of the most substantial set of variations composed during the Baroque period. The historical context of its conception will be explored, followed by a detailed analysis of its musical structure. The Goldberg Variations first appeared in 1741 with the title: “Keyboard Practice, consisting of an aria with diverse variations for the two-manual harpsichord.”1 However, it came to be known as the “Goldberg Variations” due to a story passed down by Johann Nikolaus Forkel, a German music historian. In 1802, Forkel published Ueber Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst und Kunstwerke (Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work). This monograph on Bach is based on information received directly from Bach’s two eldest sons, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel, and contains the origin story of the Goldberg Variations.2 In November 1741, Bach travelled to Dresden, where he visited Count von Keyserlingk and his young resident harpsichordist, Johann Gottlieb Goldberg. Supposedly, the variations were commissioned so that Goldberg could play the piece to the Count during his sleepless nights.3 The accuracy of this story has been called into question due to the lack of formal dedication to the Count on the title page or any known copy of the variations. Moreover, the technical demands of the piece hardly fit with the playing ability of the young Goldberg, who was only 14 years old at the time.4 Overall, the evidence suggests that the work was not composed as a commission. Despite this, the association with Goldberg has stuck and it is now commonly referred to as the Goldberg Variations. 1 David Schulenberg, The keyboard music of J.S. Bach (New York: Routledge, 2006), p. 369. 2 George Stauffer, “Forkel, Johann Nicolaus,” in Grove Music Online. 3 Johann Nikolaus Forkel, Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work, trans. Charles Sanford Terry (New York: Harcourt, 1920), p. 104-105. 4 Peter Williams, Bach: The Goldberg Variations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), p. 5. 2 | P a g e Looking at J.S. Bach’s original title of “Keyboard Practice, consisting of an aria with diverse variations for the two-manual harpsichord” brings up an interesting point about what Bach meant by “practice”. At first glance, one might assume that the variations were written solely for pedagogical purposes, much like how musicians today are familiar with études. On a deeper look, there is another kind of practice, which musicologist Peter Williams explains is “the kind spoken of by lawyers and doctors as they ‘practice a profession’”.5 In context, this refers to Bach’s demonstration of compositional techniques and music theory through his Clavierübung (Keyboard Practice) series. The term Clavierübung can be traced back to Johann Kuhnau, who published two sets of harpsichord suites in 1689 and 1692, respectively.6 Both sets had the pedagogical value of instructing the buyer in keyboard dexterity, but also in the practical application of musical theory. For example, the first set contained suites in the major keys (C, D, E, F, G, A, and Bb) and the second set contained suites in the minor keys (c, d, e, f, g, a, b).7 Bach would have been familiar with Kuhnau’s works because Bach was the immediate successor of Kuhnau as the Cantor at St. Thomas in Leipzig, and he collaborated with him on some major organ-building projects.8 Therefore, when Bach published his Clavierübung series, it can be inferred that they serve both as practice for the performer and as a way for Bach to practice his profession as a composer. This can be seen through his systematic organization and exemplification of certain genre types in his four Clavierübungen. Elements from the first three Clavierübungen will be briefly discussed in order to see how commonalities between these works help inform the creation of the Goldberg Variations. 5 Williams, Bach: Goldberg Variations, p. 14. 6 George Buelow, “Kuhnau, Johann,” in Grove Music Online. 7 Williams, Bach: Goldberg Variations, p. 14-15. 8 Williams, Bach: Goldberg Variations, p. 15. 3 | P a g e The first installment of the Clavierübung series contains Bach’s six Partitas (CU1), which were first published separately, but then collected and re-published in a second edition under the title of Clavierübung in 1731.9 The partita was the most popular harpsichord genre at the time and comprised of a suite of dance movements and galanteries. The galanteries, such as burlesca and capriccio, are optional dances that fall outside of the core dances of the allemande, courante, sarabande and gigue.10 As in the earlier English Suites, each partita begins with a large-scale movement, each differently titled and each in a different style, such as a praeludium, sinfonia, fantasia, overture or toccata. Furthermore, the order of keys (Bb-c-a-D-G-e) is systematic in that the keys form a sequence of intervals going up and down by increasing amounts. Bb to c is an ascending 2nd, c to a is a descending 3rd, and so on until the leap of major 6th from G to e.11 This wedge-like pattern continues in Bach’s Clavierübung II (CU2) in 1735, which consists of an Italian Concerto in F major (down a major 7th from e minor) and finishes with a French Overture in B minor (up an augmented 4th from F). The Italian Concerto and French Overture were written to be representative of the most prominent styles at the time, as well as demonstrative of his ability to write music that is characteristic of the two national styles.12 The third part of the Clavierübung (CU3) was published in 1739 and consisted of a diverse group of organ works that are framed by a Prelude and Fugue in Eb. This is followed by nine chorale arrangements for Mass, twelve for the catechism, and four duets.13 Bach’s encyclopedic intentions are clearly seen through the range of styles, both archaic and contemporary, present in this work. This includes examples of stile antico, quasi-galant chamber 9 Schulenberg, Keyboard Music, p. 321. 10 Daniel Heartz and Bruce Alan Brown, “Galant,” in Grove Music Online. 11 Schulenberg, Keyboard Music, p. 324. 12 Christoph Wolff, “Bach,” in Grove Music Online. 13 Christoph Wolff, “Bach,” in Grove Music Online. 4 | P a g e trios, French and Italian idioms, as well as traditional German-Lutheran counterpoint.14 Thus, this work serves as a practical and extensive anthology of pieces for the organ. Bach displays a systematic organization in these three Clavierübungen, such as through organization by keys or by framing a larger collection of works with a prelude and fugue, as seen in CU3. Furthermore, he exemplifies certain genre types in each Clavierübungen: dance suites in CU1, the Italian concerto and French overture in CU2, and a comprehensive range of styles found in CU3. The idea of systematic construction and focusing on certain genre types is further developed in the last installment of the Clavierübung series, the Goldberg Variations. Variation sets had been composed by other composers such as Corelli, Handel and Rameau, but Bach’s Goldberg Variations pushes the boundary on the tradition of writing in variation form.15 Bach demonstrates how to write in a multitude of styles over the same fundamental bass line, similar in a sense to a chaconne or passacaglia. Example 1: Fundamental bass of the Goldberg Variations16 14 Williams, Bach: Goldberg Variations, p. 26. 15 Schulenberg, Keyboard Music, p. 370. 16 Williams, Bach: Goldberg Variations, p. 36. 5 | P a g e However, the ostinato bass patterns in a chaconne or passacaglia are relatively short, ranging from a 2 to 8 bar pattern, whereas the fundamental bass of the Goldberg Variations is 32 bars long. Due to its extended length, any element of ostinato it may have had is removed and full and independent movements can be created.17 In terms of tonal organization, the 32 bars can be split into four 8 bar lines. The first and last lines are in the tonic (G), while the second line modulates to the dominant (D), and the third line modulates to the relative minor (E). The extracted fundamental bass shown above never occurs in this pure form, not even in the opening aria which first presents this bass pattern. Despite this, it is this fundamental bass that acts as the harmonic framework for thirty variations. Paralleling Bach’s encyclopedic intentions in CU3, the variations encompass many genres and they all have their own distinct character. Furthermore, in Bach’s Handexemplar (the author’s copy) of the Goldberg Variations, he writes an additional fourteen perpetual canons based on the first eight notes of the fundamental bass.18 Rather than concluding with the word Fine (end) after the 14th canon, Bach writes Etc., indicating that the series could potentially continue forever if he had wanted it to.19 The systematic construction found in CU1-3 are even more evident in the Goldberg Variations. The overall form of the work consists of the opening aria, thirty variations, and the aria da capo. According to musicologist Peter Williams, the thirty variations can be broken down into ten smaller groups of three. Each contains a dance or clear genre-piece, followed by an arabesque-like movement (bright, usually requiring crossed hands on two manuals) and ending 17 Williams, Bach: Goldberg Variations, p. 38.
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