Music 490. Bach's Cycles: Bach, Musical Systems, and the Enlightenment

Spring 2003, MW 3:00-4:55, Booth 224

Irene Girton, instructor

This seminar will explore stylistic and structural issues in several monumental works of Bach. Two points of view will be taken: analytic, and musico-sociological. Works to be studied include the Goldberg Variations, the unaccompanied sonatas and partitas for violin, the unaccompanied suites for cello, the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Art of Fugue, and the Musical Offering. Prerequisite: Music 251 or permission of instructor.

This is a Blackboard-assisted course, and you will be expected to check the blackboard website (http://blackboard.oxy.edu) daily for information on concerts, conversation forums, assignments, and the like.

Contact information:

· igirton@oxy.edu; office hours MWF 11-12, and by appointment · 323.259 2590 (my office) · 323.259 2785 (Music Department office) · 323.341 4983 (fax) · Check the Blackboard website daily for class information and updates, as well as my own website: http://blackboard.oxy.edu and http://www.listeningarts.com/music/bach

Required texts:

1) Wolff, Christian. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. W. W. Norton, 2001, 2000.

2) Bach, Johann Sebastian. The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books I and II. Dover, 1984

3) Bach, Johann Sebastian. The Art of Fugue and The Musical Offering. Dover 1992

Recommended texts:

1) Butt, John. The Cambridge Companion to Bach. Cambridge University Press, 1997.

2) Bach-Riemenschneider. 371 Harmonized Chorales and 69 Chorale Melodies with Figured Bass. Schirmer, 1986.

3) All Dover editions of Bach’s music, including The Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin and Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello.

Concert reviews: You will write reports (at least two pages in length, 1-inch margins on all four sides) on two concerts (or one concert and one concert video, which must be approved by me first) this term, each worth 5% of your final grade. The concerts must include at least one major work by Bach. Make sure you comment on aspects of the music that relate to material discussed in class. In the case of concert reviews, include a program with your report. Check my website for concert report guidelines: www.listeningarts.com/music/oxy.

Grading Policy: Homework is graded on a scale from 0 to 10. Note: an unsatisfactory assignment (grade lower than 8.0) may be redone once.

At the end of each class period, you should summarize for yourself the main point(s) of the lectures and discussions, as well as any unanswered question(s) you still have.

For the Occidental College policy on student conduct and honor, please visit the following link: http://www.oxy.edu/departments/registrar/catalog/genpolicy.html. Students with learning disabilities are encouraged to speak with me concerning exam arrangements.

Written homework:	50%
Concert reports	10%
Forum participation	10%
Quizzes	15%
Final exam/project	15%

class meeting	material covered
W Jan 22	Introduction. The Enlightenment. The concept of invention.
MW Jan 27, 29	Blackboard orientation, Clapp Library. The concept of invention. Two-part inventions and 3-part sinfonias. Film: All That Bach.
MW Feb 3, 5	Organic relationships between preludes and fugues. WTC I and organ repertoire. Film: Glenn Gould.
MW Feb 10, 12	WTC.I and WTC.II. Film: Bachdisc.
W Feb 19	The suite. The sonatas and partitas for unaccompanied violin.
MW Feb 24, 26	The sonatas and partitas for unaccompanied violin.
MW Mar 3, 5	The suites for unaccompanied cello. Film: Yo-Yo Ma.
MW Mar 10, 12	The suites for unaccompanied cello, and the partitas for harpsichord. Neil Roberts, guest harpsichordist.
SPRING BREAK Mar 17-21
MW Mar 24, 26	The Musical Offering – the premise, and the 10 canons.
MW Mar 31, Apr 2	The Musical Offering and the Goldberg Variations.
MW Apr 7, 9	Goldberg Variations, and Canonic Variations on Vom Himmel hoch…. Film: Glenn Gould.
MW Apr 14, 16	Art of Fugue.
MW Apr 21, 23	Art of Fugue. Film: All That Bach.
MW Apr 28, Apr 30	Art of Fugue.

Final exam: Wednesday, May 7, 1 – 4 pm

Please note: you should listen to specified repertoire before undertaking specific analysis assignments. Materials will be placed on reserve throughout the quarter. Be sure to check the Blackboard website for this class frequently for updates to assignments.

ASSIGNMENTS

Due	homework
Mon, Jan 27	· Reading: Wolff 1, Prologue (1-11), elec. reserve; Girton, Age of Reason, elec. reserve. · Listening: First 6 two-part inventions (CD on reserve) · Analysis: Locate the “invention” in 2 inventions, chosen from #s 2, 4, and 6. Notate them and briefly discuss their treatment in their respective pieces.
Wed, Jan 29	· Reading: Wolff pp 169-174 (“Musical Thinking) and pp 225-228 (the Inventions, and key schemes). Be sure to look at all musical examples, located in the back of the book. · Recommended reading: Butt 9, pp136-153, and Butt 11, pp 171-192. · Listening: First 6 three-part inventions (or sinfonias). · Analysis: Locate the “inventions” in 2-part inventions 2, 4, and 6. Notate them and briefly discuss their treatment in their respective pieces.
Mon - Wed, Feb 3 - 5	· Reading: Familiarize yourself with the Index of Works (from p. 555). Find all references to the Well-Tempered Clavier, and read these pages. · Listening: WTC I, Preludes and Fugues from E-flat major through E minor (4 pairs of P&Fs). · Analysis: Choose one pair to discuss this week, from a motivic and thematic point of view.
Mon, Feb 10	· Reading: Catch up in Wolff. · Recommended reading: Butt 12, pp195-202 (Bach as Teacher and Model). · Listening: WTC II, Preludes and Fugues in D, E-flat, d-sharp, g, and a.
Wed, Feb 12	· Analysis: Choose a pair from the Monday set above, and do a separate motivic index for the Prelude and Fugue. For the fugue, Indicate S- and A-entrances on the score and comment (on the score) on any noteworthy characteristics of S- and A-entrances.
Wed, Feb 19	· Reading: Wolff, “A Canon of Principles, and Pushing the Limits,” pp 225-235 (some review of earlier reading) · Listening: Sonata 3 in C major and Partita 2 in D minor for solo violin · Analysis: Take your P&F pair and do a fugue map (a graphic representation of the behaviors of S/A/CS, and tonal regions).
Mon, Feb 24	· Reading: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/mus303/chaconne.html#bwv1004 about Bach’s Chaconne in D minor for unaccompanied violin (last movement of the D minor Partita) · Listening: The D minor partita for solo violin (all movements) · A graphic representation of the large-scale structure of the Chaconne, including comments regarding the progressive nature of each of the three large sections. How many variations are there in all? How many in each section?
Mon, Mar 3	· Reading: New Grove Dictionary entry on Bach, Johann Sebastian: the Cöthen and Leipzig years; Wolff pp 237-253 (Leipzig) · Listening: Suites 1 and 5 for unaccompanied cello. · Analysis: Choose one movement from either Suite 1 or Suite 5 for comprehensive discussion – prepare to submit your work, as well as discuss it in class. Guidelines are available on the Blackboard website – see Course Materials: Analysis Guidelines.
Mon, Mar 10	· Reading: Bodky, The Interpretation of Bach’s Keyboard Works, scan pp 300-323, and Wolff, Bach: Essays on His Life and Music, pp 196-200. Both of these are on reserve in the Music Library. · Listening: a couple of the English Suites, and a couple of the Partitas ( M24.B2 E5 GO78 (LP) for the English Suites, M24.B2 S.825 FL69 (CD) for the Partitas) · Be working on your first paper, due Friday, 3/14.
Wed, Mar 26	· Reading: Wolff, pp 381-389 (“At the Composer’s Desk”) and 421-430 (from “Throughout the decade…”), and Tim Smith's website on canons: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/canonanatomy.html · Recommended reading: David, chapters 1-2. · Listening: Musical Offering (M622 B2 S.1079 RE 37, on reserve), tracks 1 – 7.
Wed, Apr 2	· Reading: All about the Clavierübung, in Wolff, pp373-381. · Listening: Canonic Variations on “Vom Himmel hoch (CD M9.B2 P3 1991, on reserve) · Analysis: Be prepared to discuss the canonic technique used in variation 5 (sometimes numbered variation 3) in “Vom Himmel hoch.” Score: M3 B1133 ser.4 v2, pp 208-211, in Special Collections.
Mon - Wed, Apr 7-9	· Reading 1: Read up on the Goldberg Variations in Wolff (see BWV 988 in the Genre Index of Bach's Works, p562, or the Title Index of Bach's Works, p567). · Reading 2: Read my essay on Musical Signatures: B-A-C-H -- located in the Readings folder on the Assignments page. · Visit http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/goldbergcanons.html. · Listen to the Aria and the first 9 variations.
Mon-Wed, Apr 14-16	· Reading: 1 Wolff 1991 (Bach, on reserve): “The Handexemplar of the Goldberg Variations,” pp162-177. · Reading 2: The essays on Art of Fugue in the Blackboard site (Assignments tab, Readings folder). · Listening: the rest of the Goldberg Variations, and the first four fugues of the Art of Fugue. · Analysis 1, for Monday: Discuss the different treatments of the S in Art of Fugue’s first four fugues. Use notation as well as prose to illustrate the S’s behavior. · Analysis 2, for Wednesday: Give a comprehensive analysis of Fugue 4, discussing the treatment of the subject, its tonal structure, motivic material, and episodes.
Wed, Apr 23	· Reading: Wolff, chapter 12 in its entirety ("Contemplating Past, Present, and Future). · Listening: Fugues 9 and 10 (both double fugues), score pp 103-115) and canon 17 (“Canon alla Duodecima in Contrapunto alla Quinta”), score pp 129-130. · Analysis: Read up on double fugues, and be prepared to discuss the double fugue-ness of fugues 9 and 10. Also reconsider invertible counterpoint, specifically invertible counterpoint at the 12^th, with respect to both Fugue 9 and the canon at the 12^th, BWV 1080.17.
Wed, Apr 30	· Reading: Wolff, Epilogue, and Wolff 1991, “The Unfinished Fugue.” · Listening: · Analysis:

Short papers:

2 short papers will be assigned this term, in which you will address critical and/or analytical issues in selected works. The first of these, described below, is due on Friday, March 14, and the second of these is due on Wednesday, May 7.

Paper 1 guidelines:

Explore the notion of motivic development and saturation in one movement-pair (i.e. a Prelude and Fugue from the WTC, a same-key Invention and Sinfonia from the Aufrichtige Anleitung (2- and 3-part Inventions), a Toccata and Fugue for keyboard … Check your work with me first. This project should be a minimum of 4 pages of material, exclusive of the score itself.

a. Give a historical context for your chosen work. Is it free-standing, or part of a set? When was it written, and if known, why (at a minimum, 1 page)?

b. Provide a motive-map for each of the two parts of your work. This will be an annotated notational example, and will include names or labels for your motives, and any other comments you deem relevant (at a minimum, 1 page).

c. Provide typed comments in prose (at a minimum, 2 pages).

d. On the score, indicate the instances of your motives with brackets and labels (or circles and labels, or boxes and labels…). You can use color-coding to distinguish between different motive-groups, if you wish.

Paper 2: choose one of the topics below:

I. Analysis: Art of Fugue, Contrapunctus BWV 1080.19.

a. Provide a brief introduction which lays a contextual basis for this fugue – comment on the genesis and purpose of Bach’s Art of Fugue, and the function of this particular fugue within the larger work. Consult Wolff 1991 (“Bach’s Unfinished Fugue”).

b. Provide a motive and subject key for this fugue.

c. Map mm.1-114 (S1). Include information about tonal area and episode content in your map.

d. Discuss the various behaviors and interactions of S1 in prose. Type your comments, which should be at least 2 pages in length.

5. Map the paired entrances of S1 and S2, mm. 147-193.

II. Discuss the treatment of the canon in Bach’s works.

a. The Goldberg Variations and the 14 Variations on the Goldbergs ground bass

b. The Musical Offering

c. Canonic Variations for Organ on “Vom Himmel hoch”

d. The four canons in the Art of Fugue

General guidelines for paper 2:

1. Use sources, and format your citations according to MLA guidelines (see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html for an overview of these, or consider investing in The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

2. The length should reflect the breadth and complexity of these subjects: a minimum of 4 pages, not including endnotes, musical examples and score analysis. Margins should not exceed 1 inch, and font size should not exceed 12.

3. Musical examples should be prepared with care for completeness, comprehensibility, and notation. Use short labels for motivic and thematic elements (letters, or letters with numeric superscripts, are appropriate), and include a key to these labels.

Books on reserve in the Music Library:

Bodky, Irwin. The Interpretation of Bach’s Keyboard Works. Harvard: 1960. MT 145 B14 B6

Butt, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Bach. Cambridge: 1997. ML410 B13 C36 1997

David, Hans, and Mendel, Arthur; Christoph Wolff, ed. The New Bach Reader. Norton: 1998 (rev. ed.) ML410 B1 D24 1998

David, Hans. J.S. Bach’s Musical Offering. Schirmer: 1945; Dover rpt. 1972. ML410 B1 D25 1972

Dreyfus, Laurence. Bach and the Patterns of Invention. Harvard: 1998. ML410 B1 D63 1996

Keller, Hermann. The Well Tempered Klavier by J. S. Bach. Norton: 1976. MT145 B14 K43

Kirkpatrick, Ralph. Interpreting Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Yale: 1984. MT145 B14 K57 1984

Tovey, Sir Donald Francis. A Companion to ‘The Art of Fugue.’ Oxford: 1931. Mus Ref MT59 B21 T71

Wolff, Christoph. Bach: Essays on His Life and Music. Harvard: 1991. ML410 B1 W79 1991

Scores on reserve in the Music Library:

Art of the fugue. M178.B2 K8 1992 

Brandenburg concertos and orchestral suites. M1040 B3 1976

Choral-Variationen über das Weihnachtslied, Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her (Stravinsky-Bach). M2020 B16 S769, .S8

English Suites, French Suites, Goldberg Variations, Partitas (harpsichord), 2-part Inventions and 3-part Sinfonias. M22.B11 K4 1970

Musical offering. M178.B2 K8 1992

Sonatas and partitas for unaccompanied violin. M41 B2 J6

Suites for unaccompanied cello. M52 B2 S8 1988

Well-Tempered Clavier. M22.B11 W6 1983 

Recordings and videos on reserve in the Music Library:

2- and 3-part inventions (personal copy). CD.

Art of Fugue (personal copy). CD.

Art of Fugue (orchestra transcription). M1060 B2S1080 RS 13. LP.

Art of Fugue (saxophone quartet). M1060.B2 S1080 SX46. LP.

Art of Fugue, Contrapunctus IV. ML417 .G68 v. 7 1992. Laser disc. Glenn Gould (not located yet)

Art of Fugue: Hermann Scherchen in Rehearsal. ML422.S344 H47 1997. Videocassette.

Brandenburg Concertos. M1040.B2 C6 HO87. CD. Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music.

Canonic Variations on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her.’ M9.B2 P3 1991. CD.

Cello Suites, “Inspired by Bach” – 6-part video series. M51.B2 I57 1998 parts 1 – 6. Videocassettes. Yo-Yo Ma.

Cello Suites. M51.B2 S6 HA63. CD. Lynn Harrell.

Chorale Prelude on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her.’ M6 A78 BG 19. LP. E. Power Biggs.

Chorale Prelude on ‘Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her.’ M6 H58 HI 26. LP. Siegried Hildenbrand.

Four Orchestral Suites. M1003.B2 O4 MR78. CD. Neville Marriner, Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields.

Goldberg Variations. M22.B11 G65 1992. CD. Glenn Gould, 1955 and 1957.

Musical Offering (Musikalisches Opfer). M622.B2 S1079 RE37. CD.

Violin Sonatas and Partitas. M41.B2 S6 PR83. CD. Itzhak Perlman.

Well-tempered Clavier, Book I. M22 B2 S846 AP27. CD. Bob van Asperen.

Well-tempered Clavier, Book II. M22 B2 S870 SF36. CD. Andras Schiff.

Check Oxy library website for additional reserve materials: http://departments.oxy.edu/library/reserve.html