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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

Date:______

I, ______, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in:

It is entitled:

This work and its defense approved by:

Chair: ______

FORMAL COHERENCE IN J. S. BACH’S THREE SONATAS FOR SOLO VIOLIN, BWV 1001, 1003, AND 1005

A thesis submitted to the

Division of Graduate Studies of the University of Cincinnati

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Music in Music Theory

in the Division of Composition, Musicology, and Theory of the College-Conservatory of Music

Eun-ho Kim

1600 Thompson Heights Ave. #501 Cincinnati, OH 45223 [email protected]

B.M. Seoul National University (Seoul, Korea), 1995 M.M., College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, 1997 D.M.A. College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, 2002

Committee Chair: Robert Zierolf, Ph.D. ABSTRACT

J. S. Bach’s Three Sonatas for Solo Violin exhibits formal coherence on three levels: first, through every movement; second, through the four movements in every Sonata; and third, through the three Sonatas in the set. The first issue has been treated in my previous thesis1 concerning the first statement and its development throughout the movement; this thesis will discuss the latter two subjects.

The Fuga in each Sonata becomes the central movement due to its exceptional musical weight. The other movements surround the Fuga functionally: the first movement as a prelude, the third as a tension-reliever, and the fourth as a brilliant finale. Not only do the general figures on the surface support the function, the formal activities in each movement do as well. At the same time, the formal congruity between the four movements is observed in the choice of tonality, sectionalization, uses of motives, etc. After an analysis of each

Sonata’s formal character based on the coherent compositional scheme, a meta-analysis is possible to determine the characteristics that shape the Three Sonatas as a whole.

This thesis provides analyses of each movement, each sonata, and the entire set of

Three Sonatas, concentrating on how the set is bound closely together through formal correspondences. Its chapter arrangements are: I. Introduction, II. Position and Function of

1Eun-ho Kim, “Form and Function in the Slow Movements of J. S. Bach's Three Sonatas for Solo Violin, BVW 1001, 1003, and 1005” (D.M.A. thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2002). ii

Each Movement, III. Coherence and Individuality of Each Sonata, IV. Musical

Characteristics of the Set of Three Sonatas as a Whole, and V. Summary and Conclusion.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In completing this thesis, I would like to thank Dr. Robert Zierolf for being a masterful and sincere advisor even during his busy schedule.

My appreciation goes out to Professors Miguel Roig-Francoli, Steven Cahn, and again Robert Zierolf of the Music Theory Department at the University of Cincinnati’s

College-Conservatory of Music for their inspiration and invaluable advice throughout my studies, both in the classroom and in person.

I also wish to gratefully acknowledge Dr. Won-Bin Yim not only for his review as a committee member, but for his personal support throughout my years in Cincinnati.

My pursuit of this degree would not have been possible without the loving care of my family. I wish to thank my father, mother, brother, and in-law family in Korea for their support in many ways from afar. Finally, I deeply appreciate the trust and patience of my beloved husband Jungho and our precious son Teo.

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv

LIST OF MUSIC EXAMPLES 2

I. INTRODUCTION 4

II. FUNCTION OF EACH MOVEMENT 8

II-1. Movement Arrangement of the Sonata Genre 8 II-2. First Movement: Prelude 10 II-3. Second Movement (Fugue): Central Movement 18 II-4. Third Movement: Tension Relief 20 II-5. Fourth Movement: Brilliant Finale 26

III. COHERENCE AND INDIVIDUALITY OF EACH SONATA 28

III-1. G-minor Sonata, BWV 1001 28 III-2. A-minor Sonata, BWV 1003 37 III-3. C-major Sonata, BWV 1005 53

IV. BACH’S THREE SONATAS AS A SET 66

IV-1. Interrelationship among the Three Sonatas 66 IV-2. Characteristics of the Whole Series 70

V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 73

BIBLIOGRAPHY 77

LIST OF MUSIC EXAMPLES

Chapter Example Page

II-2. 1. First movements’ endings and fugues’ beginnings 15 a. G-minor Sonata b. A-minor Sonata c. C-major Sonata II-4. 2. Beginnings of third movements 24 a. B-flat major Siciliana b. C-major Andante c. F-major Largo 3. B-flat major Siciliana 25 a. Mm.1, sigh motives b. Mm. 2 and 10-11 c. Coda (mm. 19-20) III-1 4. G-minor Fuga 31 a. Mm. 56-57 b. Mm. 56-57, stretto suggested by author 5. G-minor Sonata 33 a. G-minor Adagio, mm. 12-14 b. G-minor Fuga, mm. 51-55 6. B flat-major Siciliana 36 a. Mm. 3-4 b. Mm. 8-9 c. Mm. 14-15 d. Mm. 18-19 III-2 7. A-minor Fuga, mm. 18-30 39 8. A-minor Fuga, with implied-rhythm versions 40 a. Mm. 101-03 b. Mm. 230-32 9. A-minor Fuga, mm. 122-27 41 10. A-minor Fuga, mm. 136-45 42 11. A-minor Fuga, mm. 219-23, mm. 230-32 43 12. A-minor Grave, mm. 13-14 45 13. A-minor Sonata 46 a. A-minor Grave, mm. 21-23, with a reduction

Chapter Example Page

b. A-minor Fuga, mm. 285-90 14. A-minor Sonata 47 a. A-minor Grave, mm. 1-2, reduction b. A-minor Fuga, mm. 1-5 c. C-major Andante, mm. 1-4, reduction 15. A-minor Allegro, mm. 1-3, with and without 32nd notes 52 III-3 16. C-major Fuga 53 a. Mm 1-4, as is b. Mm. 1-4, with different bar-lines 17. C-major Fuga, mm. 200-05 with C and G implications 54 18. C-major Fuga, mm. 185-90 55 19. C-major Fuga, mm. 200-01, 277-78, 342-44 56 20. C-major Sonata 57 a. Fuga, mm. 4-8 b. Adagio, mm. 1-15, reduction 21. C-major Sonata 58 a. C-major Adagio, mm. 10-15 b. C-major Fuga, mm. 60-66 22. C-major Allegro assai, reduction 58 a. Mm. 38-42 b. Mm. 98-102 23. C-major Sonata 60 a. C-major Adagio, mm. 32-34 b. F-major Largo, mm. 12-13 24. C-major Adagio, mm. 1-15 61 25. F-major Largo, mm. 1-3, with reduction 62 26. F-major Largo 63 a. Mm. 1-4 b. Mm. 14-18 27. Beginnings of fourth movements 64 a. G-minor Presto, mm. 1-2 b. A-minor Allegro, m. 1 c. C-major Allegro assai, mm. 1-2 28. C-major Allegro assai 65 a. Mm. 88- 94 b. Mm. 101-02

INTRODUCTION

In his Three Sonatas for Solo Violin (BWV 1001, 1003, and 1005; Köthen, 1720),

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) explored the utmost musical possibilities and effects

within the limited compositional range of the solo violin idiom. Even though these sonatas

are known to be intended as performance study material rather than public concert pieces,

they have drawn the attention of theorists for their polyphonic, harmonic, and formal values.2

Written in the Köthen period when Bach was most active in composing instrumental chamber works, the Three Sonatas are a set of the composer’s representative sonatas exhibiting his mature style for the genre.

Each of the Three Sonatas consists of four movements in the order slow-fast-slow- fast following the tradition set by Arcangello Corelli (1653-1713). This is an effective arrangement, because contrast between adjacent movements was crucial in the Baroque era.3

However, since the second movement in every Sonata is a fully developed fugue in which the

2 Hans Vogt, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chamber Music: Backgraound, Analyses, Individual Works, ed. Reinhard G. Pauly, trans. Kenn Johnson (Portland, Oreg.: Amadeus Press, 1981), 167.

3 William Newman, The Sonata in the Baroque Era, 4th ed. (New York: W. W. Norton, 1983), 73.

utmost compositional and musical intensity cannot be overlooked, the tempo scheme appears

to indicate more than a mere alternation of contrasting movements.

In Bach’s time the fugue was one of the most serious and complicated genres, and a

prelude often preceded it in order to prepare the listeners for a highly sophisticated

contrapuntal work.4 Regarding the musical weight of the genre, presenting a fugue within a

four-movement sonata format gives certain function to each movement as the fugue itself

becomes the musical center of the piece. As Joel Lester claimed in his analysis of the G-

minor Sonata, the first slow movement serves as a prelude to the fugue, the other slow

movement relaxes the tension built through the fugue, and the last, fast movement works as a

brilliant finale.5

Indeed, each movement’s general character works according to its function within

the given tempo. In addition, its formal aspects seem to coincide with the functional character.

I have discussed the function and form of the slow movements that surround the fugue in my previous thesis.6

4 Joel Lester, Bach’s Works for Solo Violin: Style, Structure, Performance (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 25-26.

5 Ibid.

6 Eun-ho Kim, “Form and Function in the Slow Movements of J. S. Bach's Three Sonatas for Solo Violin, BVW 1001, 1003, and 1005” (D.M.A. thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2002).

Furthermore, though the movements’ characters and forms work according to their

position around the weighty fugue, there are firm relationships between them in each piece.

In other words, it strongly seems that the first movement of one sonata cannot be arranged

with the fugue movement of another sonata. This applies to all movements.

Regarding the Three Sonatas as a set, each Sonata suggests a resemblance to the

others in movement scheme, forms, general figures, and so forth. Along with the Three

Partitas (BWV 1002, 1004, and 1006) that are combined with the Three Sonatas, the key

choices form a hexachord from G to E (G minor, A minor, B minor, C major, D minor, and E

major). This reveals Bach’s plan for a closely bound set of pieces, as exemplified by his Well-

Tempered Clavier in which the major and minor keys of all 24 prelude-fugue sets make a complete chromatic scale. It is worth observing how the Three Sonatas are related besides the choice of key and what characteristics they produce altogether.

The purpose of this thesis is three-fold and will be organized in three main chapters.

First, Lester’s opinion on the fugue-centered arrangement of the four movements in the G-

minor Sonata will be applied and discussed with references to all three Sonatas. Its formal

aspects will be emphasized, whereas Lester’s book does not elaborate on the issue of formal

support for each movement’s function. Second, formal/characteristic coherence will be

examined to discover how the four movements are interdependent in what characters or

distinctive qualities. Then it will be possible to determine the musically individual characters

7 of each Sonata as a whole. Under the hypothesis that the fugue movement is the center of the piece and its character, the analysis of each Sonata will begin with that movement followed by the others. Third, a comparison and meta-analysis of the three Sonatas will follow to see how they form a compositional group. This step will show common tendencies and the

Sonatas’ interrelationships as members of one set of pieces, thereby defining the character on the whole.

II.

FUNCTION OF EACH MOVEMENT

II-1. Movement Arrangement of the Sonata Genre

Three-Movement Scheme vs. Four-Movement Scheme

In Bach’s time there were largely two choices of the number of movements for a multi-movement instrumental sonata in the sonata da chiesa tradition. One is the three- movement scheme, mostly in a slow-fast-fast arrangement. Among Bach’s contemporaries

Giovanni Battista Somis (1686-1763) and Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) wrote most of their sonatas for violin and basso continuo with this movement scheme. The other is the four- movement scheme that was more in fashion during Bach’s time. In addition to Bach, the major sonata composers who preferred this scheme are George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) and Jean Marie Leclair (1697-1764). For the tempo arrangement, Corelli’s model of slow- fast-slow-fast was predominant.

Even though there were models that became standard for both three- and four- movement sonatas, there were also rather free variations and modifications. For a three- movement piece, other possibilities were fast-slow-fast or slow-slow-fast, though those were relatively rare. The diversity is even more obvious in the four-movement sonatas, some of

which have one or more movements replaced by dance movements such as gavotte and

minuet.

Bach’s Characteristic Movement Arrangement

Among the late Baroque composers who freely adopted the sonata tradition, one can find Bach’s uniqueness in two aspects. First, he employed a fugue movement in most of his instrumental sonatas. It was a dramatic choice to insert a fugue in place of the fast—second, fourth, or even both—movements. The fugue could be lengthy and heavy or short and light depending on the character of the whole sonata. Second, he used slow dance movements such as siciliana and allamanda as well as fast ones. The choice of these dances is not so common

among other sonata composers, whose works often include a fast gigue or minuet as the final

movement.

Both characteristics are observed in the Three Sonatas for Solo Violin: The first

Sonata includes a Siciliana as the third movement, and all three have fugue movements.

Although many of Bach’s other sonatas include fugues as the fourth movement, the

placement of the fugue as the second in all three Violin Sonatas suggests the composer’s

intention to maintain the tradition of Corelli’s model: I. slow; II. contrapuntal and fast; III.

slow, homophonic, and mostly in triple meter; and IV. fast.7 The unified movement

7 Homer Ulrich, Chamber Music: The Growth & Practice of an Intimate Art (New York: Columbia University Press, 1948), 99.

arrangement gives coherence to the three pieces as one set, and furthermore offers a way to

define the characteristics of the whole three-sonata set.

Fugue-Centered Arrangement

The fugue is a sophisticated genre requiring a high level of compositional skill from

the composer and a trained ear from the listeners. The decision on its position involves subjective yet plausible reasons to plan a multi-movement piece.

Because of its dynamic contrapuntal activities, a fugue replaces a fast movement in

a slow-fast-slow-fast scheme. When placed as the final fast movement, the fugue is

responsible for creating a certain kind of brilliance for closure of the entire piece. Thus, it is

hard to wholly concentrate on the procedural weight and musical seriousness as a fugue itself.

On the other hand, the second-movement position is more stable as one of the middle

movements symmetrically surrounded by two slow movements. In this case a fugue can exist

independently with less functional burden. Therefore, it can work as the musical center of the

sonata even by using other movements—especially the surrounding slow movements—as

support. This arrangement is what Bach chose for his remarkable Three Sonatas.

II-2. First Movement: Prelude

In Bach’s time a fugue was customarily preceded by a shorter piece as a kind of

preparation to the intensive fugue.8 The fugue begins with a subject that ought to be

impressively perceived by the listeners. However, since the subject is first presented in a thin-

textured single line, it will be not so convincing to the listeners if the theme enters without

any signal to articulate the beginning of the piece. A preceding prelude solves this problem,

for the listeners are able to ready themselves for the fugue subject after the final note or chord

of the prelude. In other words, the listeners hear the fugue subject while the reverberation of

the prelude continues. Therefore, the prelude is responsible for attracting the listeners’

attention and establishing a proper mood. To satisfy this two-fold role, the prelude exhibits

certain musical suggestions that deserve a thorough observation.

Focusing Listeners’ Attention

To draw listeners there should be some dramatic quality in the beginning. The first movements of the G-minor and A-minor Sonatas begin with a presentation of the full tonic chord in a wide-range four-voice texture. This is perhaps the most direct way to establish the tonality in the first moment. On the other hand, the beginning of the C-major Sonata sneaks into the tonality, beginning with a repeated dotted-rhythm figure as though it started long ago and came from far away. This effect is enriched by the texture, which starts from a single line then gradually builds up to two, three, and finally to four voices. Either from the very first chord as found in the first two Sonatas, or delayed several measures to reach the tonic

8 Lester, 25-26.

12 declaration as found in the last one, the first movements exuberantly fulfill their role by presenting the tonality and leading listeners to the following fugue subject without any tonal ambiguity.

When a prelude is functioning as preparation for the upcoming greater musical event, it would not be wise to write a lengthy one; the more compact the better, and the more immediate the better in setting a certain musical impression. It must be dramatic enough to draw attention, but better not to include too many musical activities in overly developed forms, since the attention should eventually be brought to the following fugue rather than residing in the prelude itself. All the first movements of the Three Sonatas meet this need with their non-sectional, quasi-through-composed forms with a single character. The lengths of the first movements do not exceed that of the fugue movements, and even the actual playing time is only about half of the fugue in the A-minor and C-major Sonatas.

In terms of form, however, “quasi-through-composed” does not necessarily mean that the form is merely “simple.” On the contrary, a close observation in the case of the Three

Sonatas reveals that the first-movements’ formal plan is rather intriguing in its seemingly formless design. The formal complexity will be discussed later in this chapter.

Setting the Musical Mood

All first movements of the Three Sonatas have quasi-improvisatory qualities in certain ways. Both the G-minor Adagio and A-minor Grave consist of a skeletal chord

progression and running figures between the chords almost in a manner of ornamentation.

Those two movements share the same musical shape, but the C-major Adagio exhibits an

additional possibility for improvisation. A dotted-rhythm figure with slow harmonic changes

is repeated throughout the movement. Those two features are actually opposites. The most

active motions of the G-minor and A-minor first movements are the scalar lines. On the other

hand, there is no distinctive melodic activity in the C-major first movement, resulting in an

emphasis of the rhythmic figure and the harmonic motion. Either way, the improvisatory

nature is obvious.

Improvisation was the core idea of the genre “prelude.” From the earliest examples

a typical prelude for keyboard contained sustaining notes for the left hand and a freely moving line for the right.9 Bach realized this in a violin score for the G-minor and A-minor

first movements, placing both sustaining and running lines horizontally in one staff. In other

words, it would perfectly work if one tries to hold the chords on the keyboard with the left

hand and play the running notes with the right. As for the C-major Adagio with the small repetitive figures, similar features are shown frequently among other preludes by the composer, acclaimed for achieving the highest point of the genre’s development.10 Joel Lester

9 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed., s.v. “Prelude.”

10 Ibid.

defines this repeating-pattern type as “pattern-prelude.”11 A well-known example is the first

prelude in C major from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier I.

Improvisatory qualities of the first movement not only meet the characteristic of the

prelude, but also give a clear contrast against the strictly ruled fugue. This renders the

prelude-fugue combination even more interesting, while the two movements are similar in

terms of level of elaboration as they illuminate the concept of contrast.12 Furthermore, the contrast makes the initial entrance of the fugue subject more prominent in effect, since strictness suddenly begins after the end of the prelude’s expressive freedom. The musical motion gets even freer toward the end in all the first movements of the Three Sonatas. Then, the following single-lined, square-rhythmic declaration of the fugue subject immediately draws the attention of the listeners, who were enjoying the prelude movement’s dramatic ending with wide-ranged melodic and rhythmic activity.

Music Example 1 First movements’ endings and fugues’ beginnings

a. G-minor Sonata

11 Lester, 26.

12 David Ledbetter, Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier: The 48 Preludes and Fugues (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002), 51.

b. A-minor Sonata

c. C-major Sonata

Improvisation and Formal Issue

As mentioned before, the formal aspect is not so simple for the first movements of the Three Sonatas. One may say the fantasia-like effect from the improvisatory mood does not actually depend on the kind of formal design. However, the concept of improvisation goes somewhat well with that of a non-planned, non-systematic form. If a composer has some type of large formal frame when improvising—or pretending to improvise—the frame would be better off as a loose one. Otherwise, the piece would sound too well-planned and organized.

Indeed, the first movements of the Three Sonatas have some level of obscurity, not

fitted into any traditional formal category. It almost seems that Bach intentionally avoided

any formal inclinations in those movements. A detailed discussion of each first movement’s

complexity is done in my previous thesis.13 Since the issue of formal complexity is a major point of this thesis, a summary for each movement is provided.

G-minor Adagio

The form of the G-minor Adagio is a combination and a blur between binary and ternary formal types. Its overall scheme suggests a rounded-binary form, modulating to the minor-dominant key at the second part and restating the beginning motive at the end of the movement. However, the more detailed modulations and thematic recurrences show a three- section structure as i—v—iv (—V—i) with appropriate proportional balance.14 The second section plays like a developmental version of the first, and the third is a modified reprise on the subdominant level.

A-minor Grave

This movement is even more complicated in form than the previous G-minor Adagio,

13 Kim, 10-43.

14 The structural V is omitted in the modulation structure, occurring only at the penultimate measure preceding the final arrival to I.

although the two movements resemble each other in many ways. The distinct cadences show

four key areas, i—III—v—iv (—V—i—V), a design similar to that of the G-minor Adagio. It is the thematic activity, however, that makes this movement highly puzzling and complex.

The recurrences are not exact repetitions, unlike in the G-minor Adagio. In addition, they do not match the pace of modulation. Furthermore, in some places parts of the thematic line are eliminated. Since both modulations and thematic reprises count for drawing sectional boundaries, it is hard to make a clear sectionalization associating the two elements. Yet, with a larger view the movement has a binary aspect, binding the first two and the last two key areas.

C-major Adagio

Unlike the previous two first movements, the C-major Adagio does not have a thematic line with which one can consider a reprise. Thus, the only aspect regarding structural observation is modulation with properly treated cadences. This fact makes it relatively comfortable to sectionalize the movement in two, where a modulation to the dominant level is completed with an interrupted, thus emphasized, cadence. Although the formal scheme is rather clear, this Adagio does not lose the formal tension as much as its figural intensity. For example, even though the cadence of the first section goes apparently to

G minor, the beginning of the second part momentarily implies G major. Then it continues to explore various tonicizations, which blur the tonality around the boundary between the two

18 sections.

Another example of creating tension is the lengthy phrases. Each phrase has extensive structure within the movement’s general lack of melody and repetitive rhythm. As a result, the first phrase is fifteen measures long and comprises the whole first section, and the second phrase stretches to twenty measures.

II-3. Second Movement (Fuga): Central Movement

Following the free-spirited prelude movement, the fugue subject enters with solemnity due to its rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic stability. Although the subject starts with notes other than the tonic in all Three Sonatas, the tonality is already firm from the very beginning thanks to the tonal preparation of the preceding prelude. The last chords of the preludes are either the full tonic in four-voice texture (G-minor Sonata) or the dominant that strongly anticipates the tonic of the upcoming fugue (A-minor and C-major Sonatas).

With his mastery of the genre, Bach wrote three-voice fugues in full scale despite the violin’s limited technique as a melodic instrument. Furthermore, he took advantage of single-line passagework as brisk episodes between the contrapuntal textures, rendering dynamic contrasts. For the contrapuntal texture, even when it is not possible to hold all the notes for their written values, the three-voice counterpoint projects a secure, successful effect

19 on the violin with appropriate performance discretion.15

All the fugue subjects of the Three Sonatas are generally simple: Their diatonic harmony involves only the tonic and dominant; the rhythm is not complex; and they are short in the G-minor and A-minor Fugas. Regarding the compositional limitation for the solo- violin idiom, the subject’s simplicity is a natural choice. However, the fugue subjects by no means lack richness. The mixture of stepwise, repeating, and leaping motions, harmonic balance, and rhythmic spices such as the beginning with a rest or an upbeat, altogether make the subjects compact yet interesting.

The fugues of the Three Sonatas exhibit typical features, but no stretto is employed in the G-minor and A-minor Sonatas. The possible reason is that the subject is too short to be piled up through different voices with timely distance. Nevertheless, Bach kept musical tension through other means. In the G-minor fugue the subject enters in each voice in turn without any time interval in almost every incident. In other words, there is no bridge between the subject and answer entrances, resulting in a chain of three subject (or answer) lines in one long breath. This process helps the brief subject to present itself in a more impressive way.

The intense moment of the A-minor fugue is made by the surprising entrance of the inverted subject. Bach’s careful consideration of presenting only two voices makes the part even more

15 There have been debates on the playing techniques of Bach’s time: it was possible to play a three- or four-voice chord without arpeggiation, because the Baroque violin had a relatively flat-curved bridge and a looser tension on the bow. However, an actual performance on the Baroque violin did not prove this hypothesis.

20 conspicuous.

Textural changes are unavoidable since the violin is a melodic instrument with only four strings, and at the same time they become a major factor for tension control. The perpetual single-line episodes are inserted for moments of relaxation between the busy contrapuntal passages. For the climactic point, Bach freely employed a four-voice texture with full chords in a wide range, yielding one of the most dramatic sound effects possible from the solo violin.

A detailed analysis of each fugue will be presented in the next chapter.

II-4. Third Movement: Tension Relief

After the prelude movement raises expectation and the fugue achieves the highest point of the musical energy as the central event of the whole piece, an effective function of the third movement is to relieve the tension and give a moment of relaxation—like a vacation after completing two graduate degrees. Accordingly, this is the only movement whose tonality moves away from the tonic to a related key.

Choice of Key

It was a Baroque tradition to insert a movement in a key other than the tonic—but close to it—in a multi-movement work. Employing a related-key movement adds contrast and interest between movements while maintaining a unified tonal mood. The conventional

position of this movement is as the third one in a four-movement scheme, after the firm

establishment of the tonic through the first two movements and before the secure tonic ending.

When the second movement is a weighty fugue, the choice of a relative key for the third movement carries another tonal meaning: taking a rest somewhere other than the tonic key that governed the previous two intensive movements.

All third movements in the Three Sonatas meet this tonal need. Tonal tension is

already presented through the minor modes for the first two Sonatas, so the third movements’

relative major keys offer a sweet relief. For the C-major Sonata the key choice is again

traditional as the subdominant key. If one chose the dominant, the most closely related, it

would double the secondary key area of the tonic movement as well as strongly anticipate the

tonic key. In this case it would spoil the concept of “being away” from the tonic. Thus, the

second-closest, subdominant, key avoids these problems while keeping the close relation to

the tonic.

The way the third movement introduces the new key is clarified from the very

beginning with tonal stability to help with the sense of tonal relief. This is realized through

the firm establishment of the tonic bass. In the B-flat major Siciliana, the first three notes

arpeggiate the B-flat major triad starting from the tonic note followed by stepwise descending

motion back to the tonic. Launching the tonic through the pulse-like repetition on C in the C-

major Andante could not be clearer. The F-major Largo also presents the tonic bass from the

first note, while the melody outlines the tonic triad through the first beat.

Choice of Form

Following the custom without any deviation naturally helps the relaxing function

without creating any additional tension. All the third movements are comfortably built in a

simple binary design, being either continuous (B-flat major Siciliana and F-major Largo) or divided by a repetition mark (C-major Andante). Unlike the prelude movements, there is no arguable formal deviation tonally or thematically.

The only exception is the modulation of the B-flat major Siciliana, which goes not to the dominant but to the vi level. There is a good reason, however, since the vi (G minor) refers to the tonic of the whole Sonata. It does not accord with the hypothesis of “being away from the tonic” that was discussed above, and it creates tension by presenting a minor mode in the course of the major-key dance movement as well. Bach seemed to want to bind the four movements even tighter than the usual practice by sticking to the tonic for the first piece of the three-sonata set.

Melodiousness

Melodiousness is perhaps the most salient surface feature of the third movement, with its relaxing function. Unlike the other movements that are purely instrumental with either the fast motions or the complex contrapuntal activities, the third movement has a main melody that is easily singable or hummable. This means that the musical content is

“physically experienceable”16 with the human voice without difficulties. Therefore, listeners can instantly feel comfortable and even familiar with what they hear. The movement’s three- voice polyphony resembles that of a trio sonata—two melodic instruments and a basso continuo—emphasizing the melody-centered nature.17

The natural beauty of the third movements’ melodies seems to come mainly from the comfortable balance and relatively easy-going gestures in every aspect immediately from the very beginning.18 In all three third movements, the mostly stepwise motions in every voice make the melody more singable. The stepwise descending lines of the bass in all three movements add variety to the harmonic activity, which is otherwise simple around the tonic and dominant (Music Example 2).

Music Examples 2 Beginnings of third movements

a. B-flat major Siciliana

16 John Kirkpatrick, Interpreting Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier: A Performer’s Discourse of Method (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984), 50.

17 Hans Vogt, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chamber Music: Backgraound, Analyses, Individual Works, ed. Reinhard G. Pauly, trans. Ken Johnson (Portland, Oreg.: Amadeus Press, 1988), 172.

18 The “melody” here specifically refers to the first phrase of each third movement: mm.1-4, seventh beat, in Siciliana; mm. 1-4, first beat, in Andante; and mm.1-4, third beat, in Largo.

b. C-major Andante

c. F-major Largo

Rhythmic stability is set up by a simple, solid motion of the bass—the siciliano dotted rhythm repeated in Siciliana, the eight-note pulsation in Andante, and the slow but regular steps in Largo.

Other Features

In the B-flat major Siciliana, a specific motive is worth an observation—a “sigh”

motive that appears frequently to characterize the top melody throughout the movement.

Example 3a shows the first one in the beginning measure, which is not merely a melodic line

of a descending second, but also either a suspension or an accented-upper-neighbor-tone (or

anticipation) figure. In any case, the sigh motive represents a tension-resolution set. These

25 non-harmonic treatments recur in many places afterwards, and many of them involve a tritone-resolution relationship, following the one in m. 2. This feature is even developed sequentially and emphasized in the middle of the movement (Example 3b). Furthermore, the top melody of the Coda summarizes the movement’s main melodic activity (Example 3c).

Music Example 3 B flat-major Siciliana

a. M. 1, sigh motives

b. M. 2 and mm. 10-11

c. Coda (mm. 19-20)

Bach succeeded in implying the tension-relieving atmosphere through the constant use of one motive, even the smallest possible one.

II-5. Fourth Movement: Brilliant Finale

A variety of tempo arrangements was used for multi-movement sonatas by late

Baroque composers, but with few exceptions they typically finished with a brilliant fast movement. Even in some of Bach’s sonatas that incorporate movements from the dance suite, the last movement is a dynamic gigue as exemplified in BWV 1023. Another example of

Bach’s finale is a fugue movement, which is not a solemn and dignified one but rather a lively and brisk one as in BWV 1021, 1034, and 1039.

Bach’s choice for the finale for each of the Three Sonatas was a fast single-line work. This feature not only presents a brilliant finale with its rapid motion, but also contrasts with the first fast movement of the sonata, the fugue. The fugue involves the most serious counterpoint in a thick three- or four-voice texture, but the finale is based on speedy passagework from beginning to end.

All musical elements are simple to emphasize the sweeping atmosphere. The form is

27 a clear binary with appropriate repeats and I—V—I key areas. The rhythm is repetitive with only a few patterns used throughout the movement. Most activities are sequential, in which the patterns are not longer than one or two rapid bars. The tempo is naturally fast with indications of Presto (G minor) and Allegro assai (C major), while the A-minor finale is the only one with a mere Allegro indication, seemingly for an effective performing of thirty- second note values in the sixteenth-note-based context.

III.

COHERENCE AND INDIVIDUALITY OF EACH SONATA

When each movement of a sonata contributes to the entire piece, some sort of coherence runs through the movements. Based on that coherence it is possible to find characteristics of each Sonata as a whole. The coherence is achieved not only in superficial character, but also in formal aspects on different levels. Those formal aspects include tonal plans, phrasing, sectionalization, etc.

After defining the coherence it is possible to consider musical individuality in each piece as a whole. The fugue movement is the musical center of the piece, so it becomes the major force in determining the characteristics of the entire work. In this thesis the analysis will begin with that movement.

III-1. G-minor Sonata, BWV 1001

Compact Fuga

The subject is one measure long, simple with a harmonic balance I-V-I. Its countersubject is merely a rhythmic and harmonic articulation at every beat, helping the simple main subject to stand out. The subject melody is basically a descending line D—C—

B-flat with a few embellishing notes, while the tonic note (G) never appears until the first

29 note of the answer. For this reason the first introduction of the subject is not stable yet in a tonal sense. However, as mentioned before, the full G-minor chord that ends the preceding movement tonally clarifies the subject beginning. Thus, the fugue is able to gain solemnity from the beginning note without any ambiguity. The subject first appears in all three voices in turn, but there is no conventional bridge between them. This chain-like presentation of the subject naturally results in a short exposition, even including the fourth [redundant] entry of the top voice. Also, it remains as the characteristic for later subject entrances, namely mm.

14-17, mm. 24-27, and mm. 55-57.

The sectionalization can be drawn from the definite cadences: on i (G minor) in m.

14; on v (D minor) in m. 24; on iv (C minor) in m. 55; and back to i in m. 87, after which ensues a coda-like episode towards the end. Each cadence is followed by a new subject entrance within a single-line texture, giving a clear articulation around the section boundaries.19 Among the cadences, the iv cadence in m. 55 gets the most attention, being prepared by V/iv chord (m. 52), which consists of four voices for the first time. In addition, the movement’s climactic moment (mm. 58-61, first beat) occurs right after this cadence.

This climax, happening on the Golden Section of the whole movement, is worth a close

19 For this reason, the cadence on III (B-flat major) in m. 64 does not count as a main cadence. It is not followed by a middle entry of the subject, thus is weak compared with other cadences in the movement.

observation.20

After the textural change into four voices in m. 52, the second note of m. 58 is the

first and only moment to present repeating full chords, not once but twice consecutively (m.

59) in a sequential process. Then, the top-voice line that reached c’ falls abruptly to B1-flat

through mm. 60-61, first beat.21 Even though the falling line at the end of m. 60 is not the actual melody, rather connecting different voices the linear effect moving quickly within more than two octaves is obviously dramatic. Ironically, the harmony of the arriving point is

III (B-flat major) that is not regarded as a main key area as explained in footnote 18.

However, one still can find the meaning of this arrival as tension built through the climactic moment is resolved into the relative major key of the whole Sonata. The result is an insertion of the relative key as an important point of the movement, yet still not detracting from the basic scheme i—v—iv—i.

The climax is even more emphasized by a preceding stretto-like motion (mm. 56-

57), though the movement lacks a true stretto. It seems that a full stretto is carefully avoided here, where it could have happened with an easy addition of several notes. Also, it would have been a good position for a stretto around the midway of the whole movement and would

20 Total 94 measures x 0.618 = approximately 58th measure

21 The pitch designations are: C1-B1 (one octave lower than middle C); C-B (from middle C); c-b (one octave higher); and c’-b’ (two octaves higher)

31 not have been problematic for performers. A suggested stretto is shown in Example 4b.

Music Example 4 G-minor Fuga

a. Mm. 56-57

b. Mm. 56-57, stretto suggested by author

An effect of this avoidance is a reservation of the climax for m. 58. Although it is not a true stretto, it still gives a complex impression through four-voice counterpoint, thus articulating the following homorhythmic motion in m. 58. If it was a real stretto the attention would have been drawn there, and the climax and its resolution to B-flat major would have been less focused.

As a summary, the overall impression of the G-minor Fuga is simplicity and compactness both formally and characteristically. The subject is short, and its presentation is also compressed; the sectionalization is quite simple with appropriate articulations; the harmonic motion through the sections is as plain as i—v—iv—i; strettos are omitted; and the total length is not extensive.

Tonal and Figural Interrelationships between Movements

The musical connection between the prelude and fugue movements is evident in

their tonal scheme. In Adagio the tonal design is simple as i—v—iv—i. This works as a

foreshadower of the Fuga’s tonal plan, which is exactly the same. Although their genre and

compositional method are totally different, their general resemblance of harmonic flow is

crucial enough to bond the two movements.

Among the modulations, the one toward iv is especially highlighted through

emphatic secondary chords in both movements. In m. 13 of Adagio a diminished chord that is not particularly functional in the harmonic context is embellished by the preceding trill and lengthened by the fermata. Then, the chord moves one step higher to reach vii°7/iv, which is presented as a wide-range upward arpeggiation (Example 5a). In the Fuga, before the firm cadence on iv in mm. 54-55 the V/iv chord initiates a subject entrance after a lengthy episode of single-line passagework. In addition to the textural change and subject entrance, the four- voice presentation that is infrequent in this movement emphasizes the V/iv chord and the modulation process into iv (Example 5b).

Music Example 5 G-minor Sonata

a. Adagio, mm. 12-14

b. Fuga, mm. 51-55

Besides the overall tonal progression, it is worth comparing the Adagio’s first phrase and the Fuga’s subject, since the initiating statement bears the most significance for being the basis of the whole movement as well as providing the very first impression. Thus, common aspects between the two first statements provide coherence between the two movements. One is found in the harmonic structures, as both statements clearly articulate i—V—i. This looks like a simple and commonplace progression, but the coherence is notable.

Another tonal association is found in Siciliana in B-flat major. The fact that this relative major key of the whole Sonata has already been used in the Fuga is not peculiar.

However, the Siciliana’s backward reference of the original key is interesting. The second

part of a conventional binary movement would begin on V, but here the highlighted harmony

is vi (G minor). The dominant articulation is delayed until the re-modulation to the tonic

toward the end of the movement as shown in Diagram 1. A minor-key piece generally

modulates to the relative major, but a major key modulating to the relative minor (vi) as

found in this movement is highly rare in the Baroque era. The result is a tonic reference in the

third movement, which is the only non-tonic one, thus an intentional tonal congruity through

the whole Sonata.

Diagram 1 Form of B-flat Major Siciliana

parts First part Second part Coda measures 1 9 15 19 20 harmonies I vi ! V I V I

Coherence in Character

The general simplicity that characterizes the Fuga movement is also realized in other movements to create a coherent flow through the whole Sonata. The fugue suggests formal compactness with its brief subject and terse unfolding, and the prelude is also tightly formed. Although one cannot say this prelude movement is in a “simple” form on a deep level, the congruence between tonal and thematic articulations makes an orderly and well- packed impression. This is more obvious when compared with the A-minor Grave, whose form is similar but more complicated. In the G-minor Adagio, while the deeper-level formal

35 complexity works for the improvisatory quality of a prelude, the surface-level tonal/thematic accordance creates an image of tight organization to correspond to the Sonata’s solidity.

One more thing that suggests tightness is the first statement, which is harmonically and texturally closed with balance (i—V—i, beginning and ending with the same chord).

Furthermore, the finishing chord of the entire movement is also the same G-minor chord

(G1—D—B-flat—g). Thus, this chord nicely “packs” the movement’s first phrase as well as the whole movement.

The third movement is worth mentioning in terms of adoption of a dance, for this is the only such adoption among the Three Sonatas. A dance is commonly related to rhythmic and melodic simplicity, and this accords with the Sonata’s character. Among the slow dances

Bach particularly chose the Siciliana, which is in the characteristic dotted-rhythm figure.

Therefore, though this tension-relieving movement is easy in mood, its flow is not completely loose and free—it suggests compactness through a constantly repeating musical element that governs the whole movement. Furthermore, the dotted-rhythm figure in the bass articulates the beginning of each of the five phrases for clarity. Whenever a cadence occurs to close a phrase (namely m. 4, third beat; m. 9, first beat; m. 15, first beat; and m. 19, first beat), the rhythmic motion somehow tends to be interrupted with running or arpeggio motions in sixteenth or thirty-second notes. Then, following is the very bass motion that started the movement with the dotted rhythm and ascending arpeggio of a triad to announce the

beginning of a new phrase (Example 6).

Music Example 6 B-flat major Siciliana

a. Mm. 3-4

b. Mm. 8-9

c. Mm. 14-15

d. Mm. 18-19

This rhythmic contrast around the boundary of phrases makes the phrase divisions distinctive and thus clarifies the movement’s phrase structure.22

The fourth movement is more loosely related to the Fuga more so than the first and

22 See Kim, 50-53.

37 third movements, being one movement away from the Fuga. Yet, its monotonous rhythm is notable, being associated with the general simplicity of the whole Sonata. The sole rhythmic motion presented is running sixteenth notes except for the two cadential points. Also, at the cadences the change of rhythm and expansion of texture into three- or four-string chords suggest clear perfect-authentic cadences. The perfect-authentic cadence could still have been implied in the continuous linear running motion, so this chord-texture treatment seems to be special to articulate the sectional points.

III-2. A-minor Sonata, BWV 1003

A Fugue with Some Complexity

As in the G-minor Sonata, the fugue has a simple and short subject with alternating harmonies of I and V. Its countersubject even takes a brief respite through the first half of the answer. The opening measure that mainly consists of E is affected by the previous movement’s ending harmony—V of A minor—thus regarded as a beginning within the dominant (E major) harmony. This is notable for the similarity to and difference from the beginning of the G-minor Fuga. Both Fugas begin with the repetition of scale-degree 5, but the suggested harmonies are different due to the preceding harmony. While the tonic chord was set before the G-minor Fuga’s beginning, it is the dominant that strongly anticipates the

A-minor Fuga. To help the dominant implication there is an insertion of a neighbor-note D-

38 sharp among the repetitions of E. When emphasized by a neighboring motion, a note becomes more secure than when it is repeated alone. With this assurance, E is more likely to be the root of some chord—here, V of A minor—than the fifth of an A-minor chord.

Furthermore, the neighboring note is the leading tone of E and ensures the E-major atmosphere.

Besides the tonal meaning, the D-sharp between the E’s at the beginning plays another role to imply the abundance of chromatic motions throughout the movement. The countersubject is virtually the same figure as E—E—D-sharp—E (mm. 4-5). Then, the bridge between the first and second answers (mm. 5-7) is based on a chromatic descending line through more than two measures. Even though this figure is just subsidiary material, its impact to the listeners is still strong because it belongs to the exposition and is one of the first motives to be heard. In fact, this motive gets special treatment soon with a developmental process. The chromatic descending line is persistently repeated six times in succession as sequences through thirteen measures (mm. 18-30). Although the process is simple, the musical tension grows exceptionally due to the intense nature of chromaticism. In addition, the starting point of each sequence rises stepwise as shown in Example 7.

Music Example 7 A-minor Fuga, mm. 18-30

Similar figures occur twice more in the movement. One is shorter, eight measures long (mm.

73-81). The other is a more developmental version, this time through sixteen measures (mm.

232-48). Also, a number of chromatic fragments appear sparingly throughout the fugue, and these altogether define the movement’s chromatic character.

According to the cadences and other musical features, the movement has seven key areas to articulate: i—v—III—v—VII—iv—i. The cadences explicitly suggest closures with dotted-rhythm figures, except for the ones on III and iv. Those two are perfect authentic cadences, but rhythmically just continue the preceding pattern without any changes. Although the implied rhythmic motion suggests appropriate dotted figures for a cadence, the surface level has definitely less impact.

Music Example 8 A-minor Fuga, with implied-rhythm versions

a. Mm. 101-03

b. Mm. 230-32

There are two possible reasons (or effects) for these exceptions. One is to give variety to the cadence patterns, since the places of the non-dotted cadences are suitably intermittent throughout the whole movement. The other is to reduce the cadential impression so that the cadences yield less feeling of ending or sectionalization. The result is that the cadences on the tonic, dominant, and subtonic levels get relatively more musical weight.23

In terms of subject entrances, there seems to be no strict relevance with tonal

sections. Unlike the G-minor Fuga, this movement’s cadences do not always bring about new

23 Other than the customary importance of the tonic and dominant, the subtonic’s significance in this movement will be discussed later in relation to the third movement.

subject entrances. There is only one cadence that is followed by the subject in its original

figure—around m. 137. The importance of this cadence will be treated in the following

paragraph—the subject freely enters in the middle of sections. Without the subject’s support

the sectionalization loses clear articulation and thus suggests some level of blurredness and

complexity. This is one crucial point in determining the character of the whole A-minor

Sonata.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this fugue is that the inversion of the subject is presented halfway through the movement. More interestingly, it sneaks into the fugue without any foreshadowing motion such as clear sectional punctuation. Besides, it happens while the top voice continues the chromatic descent. See Example 9.

Music Example 9 A-minor Fuga, mm. 122-27

This takes place right before the cadence on v at m. 137. Then the subject entrance appears in its original form, but is soon followed by the inverted form. After this point the inversion freely alternates with the original (Example 10). Therefore, this cadence at m. 137 is a turning point for the movement before the new way of treating the subject. The extra emphasis is in

42 the fact that it is the only cadence followed by a complete subject entrance, as well as being on the dominant level.

Music Example 10 A-minor Fuga, mm. 136-45

While the inversion works as a real answer (m. 139), the countersubject appears at the same pitch level for both subject and answer. The result is a direct contrast between the two subject versions around one axial melody (countersubject); that is, the original is above the countersubject on E and the inversion is below.

The modulation processes throughout the movement are subtle, except for one toward the subdominant level before finally coming back to the tonic—as in the G-minor

Fuga. There is a clear punctuation on vii° 6/4 (or V4/2 including A) of iv (D minor) that is resolved in the following subject entrance in its original form (m. 221) on D, although it is not a complete resolution to a firm D-minor chord. Then the full D-minor cadence appears in mm. 231-32 (Example 11). The impression of a break at this vii° 6/4 chord is obvious not only because of the following subject entrance but also because of the textural change after the chord.

Music Example 11 A-minor Fuga, mm. 219-23 and mm. 230-32

A reason to show this distinctive modulation process is to emphasize the iv level (of the entire movement) that is the last key area before the final return to the tonic.

Embellishing the penultimate modulation provides a hint to the listeners that the series of modulations is soon coming to an end. In other words, it is comparable to a conventional ritardando or ritenuto with a slight break before an ending note of a piece. The modulation to

D minor through an emphasized motion of vii° 6/4—i (of D minor) has a brief time interval

between them with an extra stress on those two chords, thus suggesting a ritenuto-like

highlight in the modulation process. Later, iv is once more highlighted before the final

cadence of the movement, with an improvisatory single-line passage for two measures (mm.

286-87).

The subject entrance and answer on iv in mm. 221 and 223 are the last appearance

of the original subject figure. After that, only the inversion enters, three times, one in the

middle of the final modulation to tonic (m. 258) and the other two at the beginning of the

short coda (mm. 280 and 282). The lack of the original subject in the last part of the fugue

causes less feeling of closure, thus leaving some level of vagueness toward the end. Keeping

in mind that a fugue conventionally closes with at least one recurrence of the subject near the

end (as in the G-minor Fuga), this Fuga loses the sense of strong completion. Yet, the ending

figure is a reminiscence of the countersubject.

In terms of climax, it is not easy to define one moment of highest interest. Rather,

the whole movement comprises sequences of rising tension and relaxation. The range is

consistent without any emphatic expansion; the texture goes back and forth between three

and four voices without much attention; there is no stretto or even a hint of one; and the surprising insertion of the inverted subject entrance is not appropriately articulated. The result is a lack of overall unity as one shape.

The A-minor Fuga shows complexity and obscurity to some degrees. One can draw this movement’s character from its complicated tonal scheme, chromaticism, quasi-double- fugue procedure, no return of the subject in the final tonic section, and no sense of one climactic moment. Unlike the compact G-minor Fuga, the A-minor fuga is rather narrative and redundant, all interestingly developed out of the short subject.

Tonal and Figural Relationships between Movements

The Fuga’s tonal scheme i—v—III—v—VII—iv—i is roughly foreshadowed in its prelude movement, Grave. Its scheme is i—III—v—iv—i, which articulates the following

Fuga’s primary key areas i, v, iv, and III in the same order. Besides the parallels between the

general tonal plans, there is also a local interest that draws attention. As in the Fuga, the

modulation to iv in the Grave is done through an emphatic vii°7 chord. This is not new;

emphasizing the modulation to iv also happens in the G-minor Sonata. In m. 13 an abrupt

rising motion in a wide range is followed by a full V9/iv, which has the sonority of vii°7/iv in

it (Example 12). Therefore, the modulation to iv suggests a more dramatic moment than

others, just as in the Fuga. This tonal emphasis of iv is meaningful, especially because it

highlights the beginning of the thematic reprise.

Music Example 12 A-minor Grave, mm. 13-14

Also, as in the Fuga (Example 13b), iv gets another special treatment in the coda, being held for a relatively long time in the penultimate measure. Another notable fact is that the iv is approached by a parallel sixth motion (Example 13a).

Music Example 13 A-minor Sonata

a. A-minor Grave, mm. 21-23, with a reduction

b. A-minor Fuga, mm. 285-90

Besides the tonal scheme, there is a resemblance between the Grave’s first phrase and the Fuga’s subject and countersubject. A melodic reduction of the Grave’s beginning,

Example 14a, shows the upper-neighbor-tone figure E—F—E through the first phrase up to the third beat of m. 2. Also, the beginning motive of the Fuga’s subject involves a chromatic lower-neighbor-tone figure, which is the exact inversion of the one in Grave (Example 14b).

If this figure appeared just once in the Fuga’s subject it could have been a mere coincidence, since a neighbor-tone figure is commonly used in tonal pieces. However, because of the fugue’s nature the same figure is repeated shortly after in the answer, though it is on a different pitch level (A-G-sharp-A). Since the subject is brief, the time interval between the

47 two appearances is also short. Then, the following countersubject motive involves the same lower-neighbor-tone figure again, even with the same notes as the ones in the subject (E—D- sharp—E). These three repetitive statements leave a secure impression of the motive.

Therefore, the motivic relation becomes solid between the Grave’s and Fuga’s beginnings.

The Fuga’s subject also suggests coherence with the first phrase of the third movement, the C-major Andante. A melodic reduction of the Andante’s first phrase presents a neighbor-tone figure E—F—E followed by an ascending third progression of E—F-sharp—

G. Except for the difference of lower and upper neighbor-tones, the overall shape is the same

(Example 14c). It seems that the Andante’s beginning is an augmented version of the Fuga’s subject.

Music Example 14 A-minor Sonata

a. A-minor Grave, mm. 1-2, reduction

b. A-minor Fuga, mm. 1-5

c. C-major Andante, mm. 1-4, reduction

Also, comparing the beginning phrase of the first and third movements in Example

14 one can find a common harmonic progression starting from the tonic and ending on the dominant. This is the opposite of the progression in the Fuga’s subject, which moves from dominant to tonic.

The tonic and dominant of the C-major Andante (C major and G major) have been

foreshadowed in the Grave and Fuga, whose tonal schemes are respectively i—III—v—iv—i

and i—v—III—v—VII—iv—i. The tonic C major—relative major of A minor—was cited in

analysis of both first and second movements. Especially in the Fuga, the distinctive cadential

feature (that is not preceded by a dotted-rhythm figure) on III has been mentioned before.

More interestingly, the dominant (G major) was also presented in Fuga among one of the

primary cadences. In the A-minor Fuga, G major (VII) is out of context not only because it is

49 a distant key from the tonic, but also because it is not adjacent to the C-major (III) area so that it could function as V/III. Now, the meaning of this VII in Fuga is found as the dominant of the following movement.

Another tonal bond among the first three movements is found in the climactic emphasis on the E-minor area in the third movement. The climax is easily defined as m. 17, where the top voice reaches the highest pitch and where the bass suddenly starts a bold motion.24 Besides, the highest point in m. 17 is a diminished seventh chord to support the tension harmonically, which initiates the momentary prolongation of E minor that ends at the first beat of m. 19. Thus, the entire climax is about emphasizing E minor. This key is familiar to listeners, since it was one of the highlighted keys both in the first and the second movements as v (even twice in the Fuga).

Coherence in Character

As examined before, the Fuga shows some degree of complexity in various aspects—in its modulation scheme, the subject beginning with harmonic ambiguity, chromaticism, and the free use of the inverted version of the subject along with the original.

This character is shared or supported by all other movements for coherence.

24 This is also exactly the Golden Section of the movement.

The form of Grave is highly complicated due to the discordance between the tonal and thematic aspects throughout the movement. This is notable, for the previous G-minor

Adagio demonstrated a tonally and thematically organized form. A detailed discussion of the formal characteristics of Grave is in my previous thesis.25 The summary is that the sectional division is not clear, because the recurrence (from m. 14) of the first thematic material does not begin at a tonal boundary that is articulated by a cadence. Besides, the recurrence’s resemblance to the first section becomes more and more vague until it finally loses the relation to its original. Then suddenly the last part of the first section returns (m. 19) as a more complete repetition. These processes (shown in Diagram 2) altogether blur the sectional division and thus create a puzzling formal atmosphere. Compare the formal diagrams of A- minor Grave (Diagram 2) with that of the simpler G-minor Adagio (Diagram 3).

Diagram 2: Form of A-minor Grave

measures 1 7 121416192123 (end) cadences/sections i III v ivi (Coda) V theme recurrences m. 1 m. 9

Diagram 3: Form of G-minor Adagio

measures 1 9 14 22 (end) cadences/sections i v iv i theme recurrences mm. 1-2 m. 1

25 Kim, 21-28.

Compared with the G-minor Adagio of the similar type, the Grave shows fewer

chords and more fantasia-like free passages.26 Although the single-line segments also outline certain chords, the harmonic motion is more clearly pronounced with actual chord presentations. The sweeping passages that abound throughout Grave provide only implied images of the harmonies rather than clear declarations. Therefore, the general lack of chords contributes to the movement’s obscure character.

The prelude movement supports the Fuga with an accordingly high level of complexity, but the third movement goes in the opposite direction and suggests relaxation with a high level of simplicity. In terms of form, the C-major Andante does not merely imply

a binary aspect, but clearly divides into two sections by the repetition marks.27 Harmonically, there is no complication with the binary form’s textbook tonal scheme I—V—I. The clear-cut form and harmony reduce the possible cause of intensity that could be raised by a deviation from the norm. Another factor that creates the comfortable atmosphere is the bass motion.

The whole movement’s rhythmic activity is simply based on the eighth-note repetition in the bass. Besides, most intervals of the bass motion are simply stepwise or in fifths— disregarding the octave leaps to control the range for the violin idiom. The only exception is

26 Ibid., 33.

27 For more information on the clear sectionalization and the two sections’ parallelism, see Ibid., 59- 64.

52 placed at the climactic points (m. 17), of which the bold bass gesture and its effect have been mentioned above.

After the static rhythmic motion in the Andante, the finale movement shows variant features using some thirty-second notes in the sixteenth-note-based rhythm. Even though it is only a slight alteration, this rhythm renders a vigorous and brilliant result. A suggested figure in Example 15 (upper line) shows how it would be uninteresting without the thirty-second notes.

Music Example 15 A-minor Allegro, mm. 1-3, with and without thirty-second notes

Also, this character is more obvious when compared with the finale movement of the G- minor Sonata, whose rhythm is steady with only the sixteenth-note running figures with few changes. Therefore, not only does this dynamic rhythm compensate for the simplicity of the previous movement, it also follows the tendency toward complication shown in the first and second movements.

III-3. C-major Sonata, BWV 1005

Highly Elaborated and Dramatic Fugue in Large Scale

The C-major Fuga is exceptionally elaborated and dramatic in many aspects. Its length is overwhelming, 344 measures. This is a surprising number seeing that the G-minor

Fuga in the same Sonata set has only 94 measures. The A-minor Fuga has 288 measures, but the actual playing time is not as lengthy because it is in a 2/4 meter while the C-major Fuga is in an Allabreve that is actually longer in terms of performing time. Commonly, lengthiness implies a certain level of elaboration within the movement’s compositional process, which will be discussed below. As for the subject, the longer it is the more varied modifications there tend to be throughout the fugue.

The subject is also lengthy at four measures. Besides, it begins with a half-note (half measure in Allabreve) upbeat, which could be heard another way as shown in Example 16 at least for a couple of measures. Its harmonic implication helps the ambiguity. A usual upbeat and the following downbeat harmonies are either I—I or V—I. Here, it is I—IV. The C-major tonality is firm as established in the prelude movement, but obscurity still exists rhythmically.

Music Example 16 C-major Fuga

a. Mm 1-4, as is

b. Mm. 1-4, with different bar-lines

Unlike in the previous two Fugas, here the four-voice texture appears already from the exposition. The four-voice chords’ wide range makes an amplified sound effect. Also being different than in the other Fugas, the order of the subject entrances is the bottom voice first, then middle and top, so that one comes in on a higher pitch level than the previous entrance. The four-voice chords effectively stress the final, top-voice entrance.

As in the A-minor Fuga, the subject appears in both original and inverted versions.

The inversion entrance bears two tonal possibilities: C major or G major. The only clue is that an F-natural appears a few measures later to clarify that the subject is in C major.

Music Example 17 C-major Fuga, mm. 200-05 with C & G implications

Unlike the A-minor Fuga that used the two versions freely mixed, the C-major Fuga organizes the inverted subject within one section in the middle of the fugue. Among the tonal scheme I—iii—V—I—V—I for the whole movement, this section is placed at the center (I) being articulated by the preceding dominant section.

It is notable that the two dominant sections are episodes while the tonic and iii

sections consist of subject-entrance counterpoint. The subject-entrance sections—both

original and inversion—therefore are emphasized in terms of both tonality and thematic

activity. These episodes are especially bold with their second half that alternates chords and a

pedal note. The drama of these passages lies not only in their figure that projects an exciting

sound on the violin, but also in use of the subject in the top voice. One example is shown in

Example 18.

Example 18 C-major Fuga, mm. 185-90

The ending chord of the movement is interesting due to its top note being G. This addition of the fifth at the top seems to be deliberate, since it would have worked perfectly without it as already shown in the cadence of the first section that is almost the same

(Example 21c in the later sub-chapter). The effect is threefold. First, the chord is differentiated from the first-section ending. Second, the chord’s range is expanded, and this adds extra drama to the final chord of the highly elaborated fugue. Lastly, the chord corresponds to the two G-major four-voice chords that close the dramatic dominant sections of bold episodic figures. Thus, the emphatic dominant chords that punctuate twice through the movement are finally resolved to the tonic at the very end.

Example 19 C-major Fuga, mm. 200-01, 277-78, and 342-44

Tonal and Figural Relationship between Movements

There is no direct analogy between the tonal schemes of the prelude movement and

Fuga in the C-minor Sonata, unlike in the G-minor and A-minor Sonatas. However, one can observe a common general tendency: The scheme is simple, but local harmonies are complicated. Despite the Fuga’s overall elaborative quality, its emphatic cadential points (I— iii—V—I—V—I) are all tonic or dominant except for one in iii. This iii also helps to explain the simplicity of the scheme, since it (E minor) is placed between the tonic (C major) and the dominant (G major) areas so that the roots outline the tonic triad (C—E—G). In the prelude- movement Adagio, tonal stresses are given only to the tonic and dominant, clearly showing the standard binary structure.28 Therefore, the two movements share the same tonal character in which the tonic and dominant gain most attention.

Yet as mentioned above, the harmonic details are highly sophisticated in both movements. In the Fuga, the chromaticism of the countersubject foreshadows the harmonic complexity throughout the fugue (Example 20a). Also in the Adagio, a chromatic bass is presented at the beginning, even involving an enharmonic motion (Example 20b).

28 For more about the movement’s binary structure, see Kim, 34-38.

Music Example 20 C-major Sonata

a. Fuga, mm. 4-8

b. Adagio, mm. 1-15, reduction

Another example of the two movement’s common harmonic activity is the ending of the first section. A salient feature takes place at the end of the first section in the Adagio, firmly articulating the sectional division as discussed in my previous thesis.29 This harmonic

content, including a VI and a vii°7/V, comes back in the Fuga also at the end of the first

section to emphasize the first cadence of the movement. In addition, the ending of the whole

fugue presents the same cadential motion as that of the first section. Example 21 shows how

the extended harmonies work correspondingly in the important cadences of the two

movements.

29 Ibid., 36-38.

Music Example 21 C-major Sonata

a. C-major Adagio, mm. 10-15

b. C-major Fuga, mm. 60-66

Flat VI before the cadence also appears at both cadences of the final movement, Allegro assai

(Example 22). Therefore, the significant cadences of all the tonic movements—except for the

Largo that is in the subdominant key—share the flat-VI—V—I progression.

Music Example 22 C-major Allegro assai, reduction

a. Mm. 38-42

b. Mm. 98-102

In Example 22 one more harmonic activity is notable for its reference to the first movement. The borrowed chords for the minor sonorities remind the listeners of the sectional boundary in Adagio (Example 21a), in which the harmonies seemingly flow to the minor dominant but soon turn to the major dominant. Compare Examples 21a and 22a-b.

While the dominant is the main key area other than tonic in Adagio and Fuga, there is a specific dominant chord that is emphatically used in both movements. The G1-D-B-g chord, which, as discussed in the Fuga analysis above, appears repeatedly at the cadences of the dramatic V sections and is finally resolved at the very end, is already introduced in

Adagio as a climactic point (Example 23a). Also in the third movement, the F-major Largo, the climax is built around the same chord only in the minor sonority (Example 23b).30 Thus, this chord is reserved only for the intensive moment of each movement to create a certain coherent atmosphere through the three movements.

Music Example 23 C-major Sonata

a. C-major Adagio, mm. 32-34

30 Heinrich Schenker suggested that this is not a significant cadence for the movement and thus should not be emphasized in a performance. However, the naturally amplified sound effect is not to be neglected with its dramatic minor sonority and the textural expansion. Heinrich Schenker, Das Meisterwerk in der Musik (The Masterwork in Music), ed. Ian Bent, trans. John Rothgeb (Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press, 1994), 38.

b. F-major Largo, mm. 12-13

It is also a reference to the first Sonata of the set, G-minor Sonata, which presents the same

chord as the last chord in the first, second, and final movements as well as the very beginning

of the Sonata.

Coherence in Character

The lengthy C-major Fuga’s elaborative character is prepared by a uniquely

sophisticated prelude movement. In terms of form, the prelude’s binary structure is well

articulated by the delayed cadence for each section. Even though the form itself is simpler

and clearer than in the G-minor and A-minor preludes, the way of presentation is richer and

more developed.31

At a glance the Adagio looks simple because of its repetitive rhythmic quality and lack of melodic motion. However, this fixed rhythm with little melodic activity only helps to

31 For a discussion on the explicit sectional division, see Kim, 39-41.

highlight the underlying harmonic complication. The harmonic content is indeed highly

evolved and complicated with a number of secondary vii°7 and V9 chords. Mostly, these

secondary chords are not functional, being used only for their sonorities such as in a

succession of vii°7s (Example 24, mm. 9-10, and its reduction in Example 20b).

Since there is no melody, the range activity controls the harmonic tension and its

resolution. In the beginning, for instance, the top voice gradually ascends while the

harmonies become more and more complex. Example 24 presents the beginning phrase to

show how the tension grows and how it is relieved along with the top voice’s range. Also, the

sudden drop in register at m. 12 stresses the delayed point of the cadence.

Music Example 24 C-major Adagio, mm. 1-15

The third movement’s sophistication is due to its exceptionally elegant melody, often supported by parallel harmonic motions either on the surface or implied. Already in the beginning motive the melody bears hidden parallel-sixths with an upper-neighbor motion.32

32 See Kim, 74 for a music example.

This is inverted at the end of the movement into a lower-neighbor parallel-sixth figure. Also,

a harmonic reduction shows how a parallel 3-6-3-6 motion underlies the first motive

(Example 25).33

Music Example 25 F-major Largo, mm. 1-3, with reduction

The Largo is a free movement without any confining device such as the dotted

rhythm in the B-flat major Siciliana or the constant drone in the C-major Andante, yet a

subtle motivic control is observed in a couple of places. One is the first four notes of the top

voice that come back in the bass line at the end of that phrase (Example 26a); the other is the

bass line of the whole first phrase that returns towards the end of the second section, before

the coda (Example 26b).34 Even though the recurrences are delicate to the ears, they are notable for occurring at the structurally important points of the movement.

Music Example 26 F-major Largo

a. mm. 1-4

33 Ibid., 74-75.

34 Ibid., 72-73.

b. mm. 14-18

As the last movement of the sophisticated C-major Sonata and also as the finale of the whole Three Sonata series, the Allegro assai suggests an outstanding brilliancy. Besides its major tonality, the tempo already implies the dynamic quality Bach planned for the movement. For a merely fast tempo, “presto” or “vivace” could have worked perfectly. By means of adding “assai [very much]” to “allegro,” Bach amplified the vital and lively quality of allegro.

The first motive of the Allegro assai also suggests a vigorous character. Compared with the last movements of the G-minor and A-minor Sonatas that show arpeggio motions

(Example 27a-b), the Allegro assai is more directional with its quick, running ascent from c to g. This figure is vivid also in sound effect, since the passage’s rhythm supports the top note, dominant G, to resonate for a moment (Example 27c).

Music Example 27 Beginnings of fourth movements

a. G-minor Presto, mm. 1-2

b. A-minor Allegro, m. 1

c. C-major Allegro assai, mm. 1-2

One more fact to support the movement’s general brilliancy is its high-reaching register. Before the final cadence the note range suddenly ascends one octave higher to reach g’ and stays for five measures. This climactic point is notable since its register is the highest of the Three Sonatas. Furthermore, its top voice-line shows a fifth progression (from g’ down to c’), which not only articulates the dominant and tonic but is also the inverted figure of the beginning motive. (Examples 28a and 27). Also, this descending fifth progression is used to close the whole movement (Example 28b). This results in coherence among the first, climactic, and closing motives.

Music Example 28 C-major Allegro assai

a. Mm. 88- 94

b. Mm. 101-02

IV.

BACH’S THREE SONATAS AS A SET

As discussed in the previous chapters, four individual movements construct a whole sonata through coherent figures or characters. Likewise, it requires plausible congruity— consistency, contrast, gradual change, etc.—for three individual sonatas to form a set. In this chapter, a meta-analysis will show how the three sonatas are bound together as a set in an order, and furthermore, what musical factors characterize the Three Sonatas as a set.

IV-1. Interrelationship among Three Sonatas

Relationship between the G-minor and A-minor Sonatas

Similar tendencies between the first two Sonatas are obvious for every movement in many aspects, including structures, general figures, choice of keys, and so on. However, subtle differences distinguish their characters from each other.

For the prelude movement, both have the same fantasia-like features with chordal progressions connected by running scalar motions. On the surface level they almost look like twins born from the same compositional idiom. Yet, a formal analysis shows that the later one, the A-minor Sonata, has some differentiations from the previous G-minor. The A-minor’s tonal scheme is based on i—v—iv—i, as is the G-minor’s, but additional key areas are

inserted to make a more complicated scheme (i—III—v—VII—iv—i). The sectional division

of the A-minor Sonata is also more puzzling and obscure, since the thematic recurrences do

not cooperate with the cadential punctuations. Another difference is that the A-minor Sonata

includes a brief coda (or bridge) ending on the dominant for a more flowing connection to the

following movement, whereas the firm closure to the G-minor Sonata is affected by ending

on the same tonic chord as the beginning.

The Fugas also exhibit alikeness in that the subjects are brief and simple. Even their lengths are exactly the same, occupying five beats starting with an eighth rest. However, as in the comparison of the prelude movements, the A-minor Fuga bears more complication through the movement. Besides the elaborated modulation scheme, the A-minor Sonata presents an inverted version of the subject along with the original, both of which are absent in the compact G-minor Fuga. Also, the A-minor Fuga has more sequential developmental processes than does the G-minor Fuga.

Both third movements suggest a low level of complexity to meet the tension-

relieving function. Their similarities are in the standard binary structure and the regular

rhythmic motions that generate the whole movements—dotted-figure motives in the B-flat

major Siciliana and repetitive bass drone in the C-major Andante. The choice of key is also the same (relative major), which also articulates the movements’ relaxation role.

The single-line passagework for the final movements looks alike, with the arpeggio

68 motions as the main activity. Still, the A-minor Allegro has more rhythmic variety and is thus more dynamic and brisk than the G-minor Presto.

As observed for every movement, while the G-minor and A-minor Sonatas are on the same line of figural and formal idiom, the A-minor Sonata seems to be developed out of the previous one. The G-minor Sonata features a standard and concise model, whereas the A- minor takes the same pattern to stretch and expand each musical factor. The outcome is a more complicated version, almost a result of an evolution. Therefore, the first two of the

Three Sonatas set suggest certain direction rather than mere juxtaposition.

C-major Sonata vs. G-minor and A-minor Sonatas

The direction toward complication implied through the G-minor and A-minor

Sonatas raises the listeners’ expectation for an even more complex Sonata as the last one of the set. Indeed, the C-major Sonata is elaborative through its large scale and lengthiness.

However, unlike the A-minor Sonata in which the tendency toward complication also carries obscurity and puzzling quality in form, the C-major Sonata is articulate and well arranged.

For instance, the prelude movement of the C-major has rich harmonic content but is clearly in a binary structure with a typical modulation scheme. Another example is that the C-major

Fuga suggests a double fugue like the A-minor, but the inverted subject’s appearances are observable only in one middle section.

The C-major Fuga is distinguished by its tension control. In the G-minor Sonata one

climactic point is suggested in a dramatic subject entrance with an expanding register and

texture around the middle of the movement (mm. 58-59); in the A-minor, even though there is

no conspicuous climax the range of the subject-entrance sections is generally higher. On the

contrary, the C-major’s dramatic moments are in the episodes with an outstanding sound

effect in a wide range (mm. 186-201 and 263-78). In each of these episodes even a subject

entrance is combined at the end for an extra emphasis that drives the energy toward the

dominant cadence.

In terms of the direction through the Sonatas, the C-major does not continue the

idiom of the previous two. The first movement suggests the improvisatory prelude character

by a confined and repetitive figure, and this is in contrast with the flowing, running motions

of the other prelude movements.35 The F-major Largo is also different from the other two third movements, because it does not have any regular devices such as repeated rhythms. Still, the relaxing function is in effect via its exceptional melodiousness. The position of pulsing regularity, therefore, has been reversed between the first and third movements from the previous two Sonatas, yet not losing the function for each movement. All these facts demnostrate that the C-major Sonata breaks the pattern set by the first two but still maintains the relationship with them.

35 The first movement of the C-major Sonata resembles the third movement of the A-minor in terms of the constant repetition, but is ultimately different in that it does not have any melodies.

The finale movement also shows a figural contrast with the other finales from the beginning: arpeggio vs. scalar motions. Its expanded, high-reaching register near the very end seems to be the last-moment blast of brilliancy to celebrate the ending of the whole set.

IV-2. Characteristics of the Whole Set

As each Sonata tightly binds four movements with functions and congruent

character, the set unites the three individual Sonatas as a coherent group of pieces as

discussed through the previous chapters. Now, it is worth observing the resulting

characteristics of the Three Sonatas as a whole.

Importance of G-Sonority and Ultimate Optimism

The first movement of Three Sonatas begins with a dramatic G-minor chord (G1-D-

B-g) in the violin’s fullest possible texture. After one more appearance to close the first

phrase, this chord comes back at the end of the movement. With these recurrences it is not an

exaggeration to state that this G-minor chord represents the entire movement that becomes

the prelude to the set. Then, the same chord reappears as the last chord of the second and

fourth movements of the G-minor Sonata, assuring its significance throughout the piece. In

the third movement, although the chord is not presented, the G-minor sonority is emphasized

as the secondary key in a binary structure.

The G chord surprisingly returns in the second Sonata’s Fuga with a major sonority

71 during the A-minor context. Since this chord is firmly established through the first Sonata and because of its dramatic sound effect (with two bottom open strings to resonate), this recurrence reminds listeners of the previous emphasis. In the third movement the G-sonority comes back again as the secondary key area.

In the C-major Sonata, the G-major chord is naturally expected as the dominant.

Indeed, the climactic point of the first movement is built around the familiar G1-D-B-g chord

(m. 34). The next primary occurrences of the chord are in the Fuga as the conclusion of the two most dramatic episodes (mm. 201 and 278), which are regarded as the climaxes of the movement. Their resolution to a C-major chord (with g at the top) at the end of the movement has been mentioned before. After this, the last appearance in the third movement is the minor sonority, referring back to the very first chord of the Three Sonatas set. Then, in the very last movement the final emphasis on G appears as the secondary key in a single-line texture, which is concluded in C major at the end of the whole Three Sonatas set.

To summarize the G-sonority’s activity: The initial stress on the G-minor chord is established in the prelude movement of the first Sonata; the G-minor chord gradually alternates with G major and finally arrives to C major at the end. Therefore, the repetitive use of the G chord maintains a subtle atmosphere of the sonority through the three pieces and enhances the feeling of G—C (V—I) resolution at last for a relief from the agitated G-minor chord of the beginning.

In a broader sense, listeners can draw a similar optimistic harmonic motion already from the key choice of each Sonata, moving from minor to major. Even in the middle Sonata a hint is provided through the Fuga’s Picardy-third final cadence.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

When several pieces are bound as a set of compositions, one might expect plausible

cause and necessity. This could include musical and extra-musical reasons, and may involve

unity or contrast. In any case, musical coherence in a sonata is essential, especially because

the multi-movement sonata genre possibly developed out of a multi-sectional canzona.36 Yet,

setting the historical background aside, a successful sonata achieves coherence in various

ways to hold all contrasting movements together.

One effective circumstance that promotes coherence is an organic and functional relationship between the movements. This is observed in each of the Three Sonatas, whose movements work around the serious fugue movement for support: preceding (first) movement as a prelude; following (third) movement as a tension reliever; the last movement as a brilliant finale.

The fugue movement becomes the center of the piece and thus determines the characteristics of the whole sonata. Its tonal scheme, sectional clarity, textural control, etc. become the factors to decide the nature of the surrounding movements.

36 Ian Spink, An Historical Approach to Musical Form (London: Bell, 1967), 65.

The character of the prelude movements lies in the quasi-improvisatory qualities with running scalar (G-minor and A-minor Sonatas) or repetitively patterned (C-major

Sonata) motions. In terms of form these slow movements do not easily fall into any formal category (G-minor and A-minor) or bear certain ambiguity within the traditional form (C- major). Either way it suggests a complex structure and enhances the improvisatory, non- planned atmosphere.

On the other hand the third movements are clearly in binary form without any thematic/harmonic obscurity. Besides the formal clarity, one of the most distinguished features of these movements is enchanting melodiousness. The resulting comfort is appropriate for their tension-relieving state following the intense fugue movements.

The fourth movements have a single-line texture throughout to be differentiated from the previous movements, working as a coda-like finale. Their binary form does not evoke any complication to emphasize the sweeping mood as a brilliant conclusion.

Each movement’s activity realizes its function and at the same time accomplishes formal consistency through the entire sonata centering on the Fuga. Consequently, the emergence of characters and unique values shape the whole sonata. Simplicity and clarity represent the G-minor Sonata’s nature. The A-minor Sonata shows more complexity in many formal aspects. The C-major Sonata presents a highly elaborative quality with richness in every musical dimension.

Finally, one can find a certain direction that lies through the three Sonatas’

characters. After the first G-minor Sonata’s compactness in form, the following A-minor

takes the same formal and figural factors of the G-minor to stretch and expand them toward

more complexity. As a result, an evolution-like development is observed between the first

two Sonatas. Then, the C-major Sonata displays an even more elaborated quality, adhering to

the direction that has been suggested by the preceding Sonatas. However, its overall feature is

different, especially in the slow movements that directly surround the Fuga: While the G-

minor and A-minor Sonatas have a freely flowing first movement and rhythmically controlled

third, those movements of the C-major have the figures switched. In this way Bach abided by

the coherent motion through the whole Three Sonatas set and simultaneously added a sense

of variety.

The Three Sonatas provide a hint of the composer’s optimistic perspectives for the

set. It is most apparent in the choice of keys—beginning with a minor mode and finishing

with major.37 Specifically, the dramatic and agitated G-minor chord that begins the series

arrives at the positive C-major chord at the end of the last Sonata’s Fuga. Seeing that the

third movement is not in the tonic key, that the finale is an attachment in the manner of a

coda, and that the finale does not present any chordal sonority, the last chord of the C-major

37 This is true for the whole Six Sonatas and Partitas, since the beginning piece is the G-minor Sonata and the last Partita is in E major.

Fuga works as the final resolution of the initial G-minor chord of the Three Sonatas as shown in Example 19 in an earlier chapter.

The beauty of Bach’s Three Sonatas has been explored by a number of musicians and scholars from various views and on different levels. This thesis adds an observation on the set’s formal coherence and its value for a meta-analysis.

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