J.S. Bach, BWV 1001, Fuga in G Minor, Insights | Heather DeRome

Bach’s theoretical training differed from ours. Rather than identifying chords in terms of functional harmony (for example, I-IV-V), music education in Bach’s time focused on intervals above a bass line.
This particular method teaches students the skills to improvise and to compose with greater facility than does the training of later composers.
A very simple summary of this approach is encapsulated in the “Rule of the Octave.” Basically, the premise of the Rule of the Octave is that there are chords in motion and chords at rest. Certain bass notes ask for motion, and other bass notes ask for repose.
This video will explain the concept, hands-on, using the best-known and much-loved Fuga from the Sonata, BWV 1001.
In the critical notes to our edition of the Sonatas and Partitas, we mention that the subject of this fuga was used earlier in a Sonata by Giuseppi Colombi. The term “sonata” in Colombi’s time simply denoted music that was meant to be listened to, rather than sung or to accompany a dancer.
Colombi’s Sonata is actually a ricercar, an early forerunner of the fugue with tonic and dominant entries. Comparing the fuga to Colombi’s ricercar sheds light on how (even though both pieces are built upon similar frameworks) the ricercar lends itself to variation techniques whereas Bach’s fuga is set up from the very opening to allow for long-range harmonic development.
While the exploration of historical facts can be inherently fascinating, our primary objective with these videos is to assist players in reaching their desired interpretations. We hope this video will be a valuable resource in achieving that goal.

[@sonomabob]

Thanks!

[@franzenmusic]

Love this. That subdominate subject on implied C minor 6th. I always thought that was a unique angle considering there are so many fugal answers on the dominant. As always your teaching style is superbly clear and interesting, and not so long as to swamp the student. Be well and thank you. 😊

[@sonatasandpartitas]

I am just getting ready to upload a video explaining the subdominant angle. Probably not what you expect!! 😊

[@franzenmusic]

@@sonatasandpartitas I'm guessing not. I'm planning on learning something. 🥰

[@sonatasandpartitas]

haha. OK here you go. It will be public soon. I am just proofing the text for the newsletter....ruclips.net/video/YFKbTnzCI98/видео.html@@franzenmusic

[@sonomabob]

So interesting. In the second measure my violin transcription starts with a b flat the next notes are three g notes. Different than your sheet. The next measures are identical. Seems to work either way.

[@SM-zl5hb]

Thank you for the informative video. Which video are you referring when you mention the sub-dominant and dominant explanation/exploration video?
Thanks.

[@sonatasandpartitas]

I actually just spent the day revising that video. I just want to watch it again tomorrow morning and then I will up-load it. I think the new version will be more clear and easier to understand. I'll put the link here as soon as it's up.

[@sonatasandpartitas]

Here it is. It is still unlisted but you should b able to see it. I'll make it public on Friday .

[@jeradguitar]

Why not do some new Bach arrangements? Why is the classical guitar repertoire so stale, always recycling the same pieces over and over? Any insights into that?

[@sonatasandpartitas]

I am always amazed to hear new Bach arrangements, either as solo or duo, for the guitar. But I do agree with you that what we call our "standard repertoire" is very fixed. And even the way we play that standard repertoire, phrasing and fingerings, is somewhat set in stone. We think we know what we like, when really, we like what we know. But also, for me, for Bach, there is always more to learn and more to love. So for me it does not feel stale. As for new Bach arrangements, Koonce and I did the whole collection of Sonatas and Partitas, and while that is not completely new to guitarists, a lot of that repertoire is really not familiar to our instrument.

[@jeradguitar]

@@sonatasandpartitas Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my questions - I appreciate and respect your response

[@sonatasandpartitas]

@@jeradguitar Thanks. If you were going to make some new arrangements, which pieces would you do?

[@jeradguitar]

@@sonatasandpartitas Well, I've always wished someone would do complete arrangements for solo guitar of the English Suites. The Allemande of Bwv 807 and Bwv 808 have been done before but not the entire suites. Also, some of Bach's own arrangements of Vivaldi, such as Bwv 978 and the other Weimar concerto transcriptions he did. Bwv 972 has been done several times, so perhaps the others from that era.

[@sonatasandpartitas]

@@jeradguitar If I was going to embark on another project it would definitely be the English Suites. I have thought of that often. No idea how it would work for solo guitar though. I have played duet arrangements of some of the movements. The Sonatas and Partitas took us almost ten years and close to 10,000 emails back and forth for the first edition and the second edition took over a year and another 2000 or so emails. The English suites would be a huge undertaking, but it should be possible to make solo guitar arrangements of the English suites. There are great guitarists out there who could pull it off. For now, I want to finish recording the S&P, and make the rest of the tutorial type videos that I have in my head.