Bach Fugue Bwv 998 Analysis (Puar)

Rahul Puar

Analysis: Fugue from BWV 998 by Johann Sebastian Bach

 Johann Sebastian Bach was nown nown as a master of the fugue an! is still wi!ely recogni"e! as as the #reeminent com#oser of the genre$ %ainly com#osing fugues for for the organ or other eyboar! instruments& some were also written or a!a#te! for 'iolin& cello& an! lute$ Bach(s BWV 998&  Prelude Fugue and Allegro & has the in!ication& )Pour )Pour la *uth o +embalo, at the to# of the manuscri#t -Bach ./$ 0he 1uestion has lingere! as to which instrument h e wrote for2 the lute or eyboar!$ eyboar!$  0he te3ture& range& an! fact that Bach !i! !i! not #lay the lute& are are 'iable #ieces of of e'i!ence from both the lute an! eyboar! eyboar! cam#s in regar!s regar!s to origin$ Some belie'e it was com#ose! for the *autenwer & which is a cross between the two instruments$ Bach was nown to own own se'eral *autenwer at the time of of his !eath$ !eath$ Accor!ing Accor!ing to  Jonathan 4o!frey: 4o!frey: )5f the account of Johann Sebastian(s com#ositional #rocess #rocess by +arl Phili## 6manuel is correct& it raises some concerns when contem#lating the seemingly eyboar! in7uence! i!iom that #er'a!es the Prelu!e& Fugue& an! Allegro$ Allegro$ 5t is certainly #robable that Bach com#ose! the three #ieces away from any instrument an! u se! a eyboar! eyboar! instrument -#erha#s lutehar#sichor!/ only to )test his results, -Burhol!er /$ ;owe'er& since BWV 998 !oes seem to be more contoure! technically towar! the eyboar! than the lute& it is reasonable to suggest that a eyboar! instrument !i! at least ha'e some im#act on the com#ositional #rocess,-4o!frey #rocess,-4o!frey
sta> to mae the analysis imme!iately rele'ant to my instrument& though 5 reference! the score on se'eral occasions$ occasions$ Because of this& 5 will will refer to the tonic ey of = instea! of 6 7at$  0his fugue in 6 7at ma?or taes taes the form of ABA& ABA& with the A sections being being e3act re#licas of one another$ another$ 0he sub?ect is two measures in length an! begins on the secon! beat of the @rst measure$ measure$ 0he @gure starts on the tonic in in the so#rano which !escen!s to the lower neighbor a semitone away an! bac u# again$ 0his three notes @gure is the the bacbone of the #relu!e #relu!e which #rece!es #rece!es the mo'ement$ A !escen!ing @fth an! ste#wise motion bac u# to the tonic com#letes the sub?ect& which is then smoothly taen o'er by the answer in the alto 'oice$ 0his tonal answer 'aries the semitone neighbor of the sub?ect in fa'or of a !ownwar! lea# of a thir!& while still maintaining the s#irit of the thematic material an! em#hasi"ing the !ominant$ 0here !oes not a##ear to be be a counter sub?ect$ sub?ect$  0he e3#osition is co'ere! co'ere! in measures one one through thirteen an! the 'oices are intro!uce! intro!uce! in the or!er of so#rano& so#rano& alto& tenor& an! bass$ 0he answer in the alto an! sub?ect in the tenor 'oice are se#arate! by two measures of lin( material in measures @'e through through se'en$ 0he lin se1uences !ownwar! an! an! 7ows smoothly into the sub?ect in the tenor 'oice 'oice in measure se'en$ 0his statement is followe! followe! by another lin of two bars in measure nine$ ;ere& Bach intro!uces a smattering of si3teenth notes& #ossible foresha!owing the si3teenth notes to come in th e B section$  0he @nal answer of the e3#osition e3#osition comes in using the lowest lowest registers of the guitar in measure ele'en$ Since the te3ture of the #iece seems to center center aroun! three 'oices at a time& 5 can see how one coul! analy"e the fugue in three 'oices

instea! of four$ four$ 5 thought the ranges of the 'oices too too im#ortant to ignore ignore an! saw the #iece as ha'ing four 'oices that th at !ro# in an! out as to highlight their sub?ect an! answer entries$ 0he answer entry in the bass in measure measure ele'en is harmoni"e! with with a @gure that is yet to be seen more in the #iece$ A grou# of !ouble sus#ensions in thir!s create 98 an! C sus#ensions simultaneously$ simultaneously$ 0he 1uality of the sus#ensions 'aries greatly throughout the #iece& gi'ing us e'ery su s#ension ty#e a'ailable at some #oint in the #iece$ As the e3#osition en!s on measure .< beat D& the @nal bass answer is se1uence! u# by ste# in the ey of the !ominant$ 0his 'ery short lin is again harmoni"e! with the !ouble sus#ension material$ 0his lea!s !irectly to a statement of the sub?ect in the tenor 'oice$ 5 a##reciate that one may not call this a lin since it carries the answer material2 howe'er 5 felt that the e>ect of these measures was !ri'ing towar! the restatement of the sub?ect in measure @fteen$ +om#leting the tenor statement of the sub?ect& su b?ect& we @nally get an e#iso!e which lasts four measures$ 0he material here is from the !ouble sus#ensions that were intro!uce! in the #rece!ing measures$ 0he e#iso!e is a rising se1uence an! taes us through through a series of sus#ensions an! retar!ations$ retar!ations$ 0his e#iso!e taes taes us to beat two of measure D. where we get the answer in the so#rano beginning on a !ece#ti'e ca!ence$ *in material of a single beat is all that se#arates the so#rano answer statement from a 'ery interesting answer statement which begins in measure D<& beat three$ ;ere& the @rst four notes of the answer answer are in the alto 'oice 'oice while the @nal four notes are #resent in the bass 'oice in measure D$ +om#letion of this !i'i!e! entrance of the answer is a full measure of the !ouble sus#ension moti'

o'er a rising bass @gure$ 0his rising bass @gure is is ain to the last four notes of the the answer$ answer$ 5n measure DC it is #ice! u# by a full A ma?or scale in the bass which co'ers two an! a half measures& measures& an! acting as ca!ential ca!ential material$ 0his brings the A section to a close at measure D9$ So far we ha'e hear! se'en full statements of the sub?ect an! answer with a #ossible eight statements if you consi!er the bass 'oice in measures thirteen an! fourteen$ 5n the e3#osition the statements statements went in the or!er: or!er: so#rano& alto& tenor& bass$ 0he secon! half of the A section has statements in the or!er: tenor& so#rano& altoEbass$ 0he e#iso!ic material material in this section is minimal but still ser'es as a bacbone an! contributes greatly to the character of the #iece$  0he mi!!le& or B section& section& of this ternary fugue contains contains contrasting material as well as recalling recalling moti'es from from the A section$ Beginning with a running si3teenth si3teenth note ar#eggiate! @gure that en!s on a #erfect authentic ca!ence in the tonic& the B section is a blunt !igression from the A material$ We get our @rst answer entry in measure <. in the tenor line$ 0his entry has the characteristic semitone neighbor @gure as the sub?ect& but is in the ey of the !ominant$ 0he @nal four notes of this entry begin with a lea# lea# of a thir! instea! of the e3#ecte! scale motion$ 0his brings us to the B section(s o#ening @gure& now in the !ominant& an! en!ing with a #erfect authentic ca!ence$ 0he familiar @gure taes taes us to a full statement of the sub?ect in the alto line in measure <$ Again the sub?ect is !ecorate! with the running ar#eggiate! @gures abo'e it$ Another two measure lin bri!ges the #re'ious sub?ect entry with a literal statement of the answer& again again in the tenor line in measure <9$ 0he lin material se1uences u#war!& using material from the @rst beat an! last beat of the B

section(s o#ening ar#eggios$ ar#eggios$ 0he answer is in turn followe! followe! by another two measure lin in measure .& this time se1uencing !ownwar! using a #e!al #oint moti'$ moti'$ 0his is material that we we ha'e not yet seen in the fugue& though it begins on the same three note semitone neighbor lie the sub?ect$  0he last statement that we get for some time is in the alto 'oice in measure <$ 5nterestingly& the statement is in the ey ey of the subme!iant$ 0he @rst @'e beats ha'e the theme san!wiche! between the so#rano an! tenor line& only to become the to# line in the @nal three three beats an! en! on a #erfect #erfect authentic ca!ence$ # until this #oint& the B section has hel! to the #attern of lin material for two measures& then two measure statement of sub?ect or answer$ answer$ 0he @rst si3teen measures of section B gi'e us four statements of sub?ect or answer& but not in e'ery 'oice$ Gnly the tenor an! alto ha'e 1uote! the thematic material$ 5 mentione! that the @rst si3teen measures of section B hol! a #attern of two measure alternation alternation between lin an! sub?ect material$ 5nterestingly& it is is another si3teen measures before before we get another statement of the theme$ theme$ Beginning in measure & again we get the #attern from the @rst an! last beats of the B section(s ar#eggiate! theme$ 0hese two measures bring us to a ca!ence on A in measure measure $  0he chor! on the !ownbeat !ownbeat of measure  ser'es as the en! of one se1uence& an! the beginning of another$ another$ 0his section se1uences by !escen!ing !escen!ing thir! in the bass bass using the @rst four notes of the answer answer as material$ 0he si3teenth note rising an! falling ar#eggios abo'e the bass line also se1uences !ownwar!& but in a more ste#wise fashion$ 0he si3teenth note @gure abo'e abo'e the bass se1uence changes to a #e!al #oint @gure which ca!ences on the me!iant in measure .$

 0he ne3t se1uence we get in measure . is two measures long an! is state! state! twice$ 0his #e!al #oint se1uences se1uences mo'es !own by ste# from from fH-iii/ to e-ii/ e-ii/ which lea!s to an authentic ca!ence in =-5/ ma?or in measure $ 0his 7ows !irectly into another two measure se1uence with a rising an! falling ar#eggio @gure much lie the one starte! in measure $ 0his section buil!s much antici#ation an! !ramatic tension as it se1uences from e-ii/& to fH-iii/& to 4-5V/$ %easure C. is the @rst statement of the sub?ect that we ha'e ha! since the one in the subme!iant& si3teen measures measures ago$ We ha'e been been taen u# an! !own se1uences an! @nally arri'e at a statement in the so#rano o'er a 'ery strong ca!ential @gure in the tonic ey$  0he long awaite! sub?ect sub?ect 7ows seamlessly into the familiar familiar theme foun! in the o#ening of the B section$ 0he same bass line is use! here& but the u##er ar#egiate! notes of the last three beats are are change!$ 5nterestingly& Bach Bach brings bac his e#iso!ic !ouble sus#ension moti'e from the A section an! inclu!es it in this culmination of the B section$ Again& the B section theme comes bac bac in the !ominant& followe! by more of the !ouble sus#ensions an! retar!ations$ 0he #attern of two bars of theme an! two bars of !ouble sus#ensions is a##arent$ After After two more bars of the !ouble sus#ensions& we ca!ence in e-ii/ in measure .$ A @gure reminiscent of the si3teenth note #e!al #oint se1uence from measure . begins on on the secon! beat of measure measure .$ 0his ca!en"a lie lie section begins with two 'oices& e3#an!s itself to three 'oices in measure D& an! @nally inclu!es all four 'oices as it ca!ences on the !ominant$  0he @nal statement of the sub?ect sub?ect is an interesting one$ As As the B section comes to a close& we get a strong #erfect authentic ca!ence on the !ominant in

measure $ 0he VEV that #rece!es the ca!ence uses the  th of the sonority as the @rst note of the sub?ect$ 0his is a highly obscure! obscure! statement of the sub?ect sub?ect !es#ite it being in the to# 'oice of the th e @gure$ 0he @nal note of the @nal statement is the so#rano note in a #erfect authentic ca!ence in the tonic$ 0his en!s the B section an! it 7ows seamlessly to the A section(s @rst statement of the answer$ answer$ Bach brings us full circle bac to the 'ocal lie te3ture te3ture of the A section$ *awrence Ferrara& Ferrara& my ol! guitar teacher& mentione! that the A section is lie a chorale an! the B section is more instrumental in character$ character$ 0he !rastic contrast between the sections highlights the each section(s in!e#en!ence while still #ro'i!ing enough commonality between the two to gi'e a strong sense of cohesion$  0here is a !istinct !istinct !i>erence in the amount amount of sub?ectEanswer material between between the A an! B sections$ 0he absence of the sub?ect in the secon! half of the B section maes the return of the sub?ect that much more satisfying when it @nally comes bac$ Also& the clear cut e3#osition of the A section !oes not seem to be #arallele! in the B section$ Any statements seem to be mi!!le entries( as not all the 'oices are use! an! many of the entries are not stan!ar!$ stan!ar!$ 5n other wor!s& it !oes !oes not seem as though the B section can be 'iewe! as a stan!alone fugue& whereas section A can be$  0his #iece is a monument in the classical classical guitar re#ertoire re#ertoire an! one of few Bach wors that we can relate relate to the ancestors of our our instrument$ With so few great great com#osers for #luce! string instruments& it is nice to thin that a master as great as Bach might ha'e ha! a soft s#ot in his heart an! ear for it$

Works Cited

Bach& Johann S$ IBWV 998$I ;tt#:EEimsl#$orgE$ $#$& n$!$ Web$ Burhol!er& Burh ol!er& Peter Peter J$& 4rout& =onal! J$& Palisca& +lau!e V$ V$ A ;istory of Western %usic$ ew Kor$ W$W$ orton an! +om#any& DL.L$ Print

4o!frey& Jonathan$ I)$$$#our *a *uth M +embal,: =eci#hering the 5nstrumentation of BachNs Prelu!e& Fugue& an! Allegro& BWV 998$I Www$lagrange$e!uE$ $#$& n$!$ Web$