The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, BWV
903 probably belongs to the years Bach spent in C'then (1717-1722). Here the
listener is presented with a work that is wholly German and of a style already
well-known and venerated in Bach's lifetime. The later epithet,
"chromatic," probably reflects both the far-ranging modulations of
the extravagant Fantasy and the obvious nature of the Fugue's subject. The
impovisatory character of the Fantasy comes from a long tradition of pieces
composed in the stylus phantasticus, a genre in which the musician can
demonstrate uninhibited invention. In his Musurgia universalis of 1650,
the German composer and theorist Athanasius Kircher, offers an excellent
definition of this style:
The fantastic style is suitable for
instruments. It is the most free and unrestrained method of composing; it is
bound to nothing, neither to words nor to a melodic subject; it was instituted
to display genius and to teach the hidden design of harmony and the ingenious
composition of harmonic phrases and fugues; it is divided into those pieces
that are commonly called fantasias, ricercatas, toccatas, sonatas.
From the outset, the Fantasy proves a bravura piece of
truly marvelous invention. The brilliance of the instrument itself is evident
in every phrase: the piece abounds in arpeggios and fast scales, and even
includes a section marked "Recitativ." The Fugue, while rather more
strict, is still propelled more by virtuosity than by contrapuntal devices. To
both listener and performer, this work, probably more than any other, suggests
Bach in a flight of improvised inspiration.
To purchase the CD or download this performance, click here.
Cedille Records is the recording label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a publicly-supported, not-for-profit, organization devoted to promoting the finest musicians, ensembles, and composers in the Chicago area by producing and releasing their efforts on audiophile-quality recordings. The recordings and their promotion are designed to stimulate interest in these performers and composers and bring their artistry to a wider audience. Cedille Records is also dedicated to promoting interest in neglected areas of the classical repertory by presenting masterpieces that have been overlooked by other recording companies.
Classical Music | Music for Harpsichord
Johann Sebastian Bach
Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in d minor, BWV 903 Play
Recorded on 06/15/1994, uploaded on 02/12/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, BWV 903 probably belongs to the years Bach spent in C'then (1717-1722). Here the listener is presented with a work that is wholly German and of a style already well-known and venerated in Bach's lifetime. The later epithet, "chromatic," probably reflects both the far-ranging modulations of the extravagant Fantasy and the obvious nature of the Fugue's subject. The impovisatory character of the Fantasy comes from a long tradition of pieces composed in the stylus phantasticus, a genre in which the musician can demonstrate uninhibited invention. In his Musurgia universalis of 1650, the German composer and theorist Athanasius Kircher, offers an excellent definition of this style:
The fantastic style is suitable for instruments. It is the most free and unrestrained method of composing; it is bound to nothing, neither to words nor to a melodic subject; it was instituted to display genius and to teach the hidden design of harmony and the ingenious composition of harmonic phrases and fugues; it is divided into those pieces that are commonly called fantasias, ricercatas, toccatas, sonatas.
From the outset, the Fantasy proves a bravura piece of truly marvelous invention. The brilliance of the instrument itself is evident in every phrase: the piece abounds in arpeggios and fast scales, and even includes a section marked "Recitativ." The Fugue, while rather more strict, is still propelled more by virtuosity than by contrapuntal devices. To both listener and performer, this work, probably more than any other, suggests Bach in a flight of improvised inspiration.
More music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Harpsichord Concerto in d minor
Prelude and Fugue in e minor from Well-Tempered Clavier Book I
Prelude and Fugue in B flat minor, Well Tempered Piano Book 2
Prelude from Suite BMW 1007 in G major
Prelude and Fugue in B-flat Major from Well-Tempered Clavier Book I
Prelude from Suite BMW 1012 in D major
Concerto No. 2 in G Major, BWV 973
English Suite No. 3 in g minor, BWV 808
Prelude and Fugue in c minor (WTC I) BWV 847
Italian concerto, BWV 971
Performances by same musician(s)
Sonata No. 24 in D minor
Harpsichord Concerto in d minor
Toccata and Fugue in d minor, BWV 565
Sonata in c minor, K. 129
Suite from Dido and Aeneas
Sonata in C Major, K. 513
Quintet No. 6 in G Minor
Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major
Sonata in C Major, Op. 5, No. 3
Il Pianto di Maria
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To purchase the CD or download this performance, click here.
Cedille Records is the recording label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a publicly-supported, not-for-profit, organization devoted to promoting the finest musicians, ensembles, and composers in the Chicago area by producing and releasing their efforts on audiophile-quality recordings. The recordings and their promotion are designed to stimulate interest in these performers and composers and bring their artistry to a wider audience. Cedille Records is also dedicated to promoting interest in neglected areas of the classical repertory by presenting masterpieces that have been overlooked by other recording companies.