Crazy Chromatic, Insane Inversion Fugue in Bach's BWV 179 Cantata

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Күн бұрын

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Richard Atkinson analyzes the crazy chromatic, insane inversion fugue in the opening chorus of J. S. Bach's BWV 179 cantata, "Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei" ("See that your fear of God is not hypocrisy"). This is a fair use educational commentary that uses excerpts from the following recordings/performances:
J. S. Bach: Cantata, BWV 179
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki
J. S. Bach: Well-tempered Clavier fugues
András Schiff, pianoforte
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon III a 4 (arranged by Eric Crees for brass)
London Symphony Brass
Mozart: Requiem Mass, K. 626
La Chapelle Royale
Collegium Vocale
Orchestre des Champs Élysées, Philippe Herreweghe
Anton Reicha: 36 Fugues, Op. 36
Tiny Wirtz, pianoforte
00:00 - Commentary
15:49 - Entire chorus without interruptions

Пікірлер: 112

@Richard.Atkinson 6 ай бұрын

13:15 - I completely missed an entry of the orange countersubject in the bass. Not sure how this was even possible, given how many hundreds of times I go over each bar when creating a video like this. I’m especially annoyed since it’s a totally obvious 4-part imitation. Oh well - KZfaq does not allow re-uploads that retain view counts and comments.

@bethfrancisco701 Жыл бұрын

Bach's works gives both relaxation and migraine at the same time.

@johnchessant3012 Жыл бұрын

Wow, your video on the Bach C-sharp major fugue was almost 5 years ago! One thing that's changed for sure since then is that viewers of this channel are expected to know what a stretto is by now :D

@tamed4171 Жыл бұрын

Remind me what a stretto is again??

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

@@tamed4171 Every time I mention it I consider leaving out the explanation, but then I realize it might be the first of my videos a person is viewing.

@frenchimp Жыл бұрын

@@tamed4171 Remind me what a stretto is again?? Remind me what a stretto is again?? Remind me what a stretto is again??

@TheOneAndOnlyZeno1889 Жыл бұрын

@@frenchimp This is but a fugue, and this is the countersubject that as two independent voices sing together, they meet, "point by point", and such is made counterpoint. AND HERE THE STRE- This is but a fugue, a countersubject must appear more than once without significant modification to be regarded as such. AND HERE BE THE STRETTO This is but a fugue, most fugues have at least one countersubject. Many have two or three. AND HERE BE THE STRETTO

@Hist_da_Musica Жыл бұрын

Listening to the annotated score after the analysis is such a great experience! I'm able to enjoy it more intensely

@hudsonhovil1621 Жыл бұрын

Excellent content. I had never heard of Anton Reicha and that fugal exposition is unlike anything I have heard before. An amazing effect having those modulations of a third especially how the theme sets it up. Thank you for introducing me to this

@jmchord Жыл бұрын

One of my favorite fugues, looking forward to this.

@glissandoconcertseriesbost9523 Жыл бұрын

What a spectacular piece! And elegant, in spite of its complexity, with a Buxtehudian feel. Thank you, Rich, for the fantastic explanation of Bach's contrapuntal procedures. You do it as elegantly as Bach composes. The allusions to all the other works are spot-on, with a really apt comparison to the C-sharp major fugue from WTC II. Interestingly, Bach musically treats hypocrisy with perhaps less severity than he does falseness-the former is portrayed by just a funky rhythm, without any chromaticism that is justly reserved for the latter!

@neogb8995 Жыл бұрын

I love Bach so much, especially his weirdness at times. That chromatic figure in the "falschen" reminds me of the Vater unser im himmelreich prelude for organ (BWV 682) which honestly sounds like Bach finished Schoenberg's organ sonata for him 200 years before he was born

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

I almost started a video a few years ago about BWV 682 - such a wild piece, with its strange "Scotch snap" rhythms. Of course, almost everything from the Clavier-Übung III is a masterpiece!

@neogb8995 Жыл бұрын

@@Richard.Atkinson Bach's haters were truly terrified when he dropped Keyboard Practice 3 🔥🔥

@roycezaro1998 Жыл бұрын

I was just about to comment on that very part

@coolhandphilip Жыл бұрын

@@neogb8995 What is that?

@sebastianschweigert7117 Жыл бұрын

@@coolhandphilip Clavier-Übung translates to "keyboard practice"

@Peculate Жыл бұрын

The analysis on this channel is consistently excellent. I always smile when a new video shows up in my feed. The random tangents are delightful

@AJBlueJay Жыл бұрын

This reminds me of the first Kyrie from Zelenka's Missa Votiva. The orange counter subject in this cantata also sounds a lot like the subject in the Aria from Zelenka's Ouverture a 7 in F. The ending sounds like the Galant style of JA Hasse. For example, the ending of the Kyrie from Hasse's Requiem in C major. Except Bach is obviously more flowing and contrapuntal, and the Hasse ending is lighter and more sectional.

@chipensemble Жыл бұрын

I recognize this fugue from Bachs own Missa in G major! Bach used the same music for the Kyrie. This piece always sounded to me as one of the most spiritual- of those that make me realize the greatness of Bach.

@zoltankovacs385 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Richard for this marvelous piece of analysis!

@DGordon191 Жыл бұрын

Love your videos. Thanks for creating.

@tangsolaris9533 Жыл бұрын

Simply so many beautiful fugues in this video.

@derekdavid1 Жыл бұрын

So amazing.... Bravo, my friend!!!!!!!!

@ryanlock2u Жыл бұрын

Those chromatic lines on “falschem” get me every time

@markkumollari Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much again. I love the way how every work you take is connected to broader family affairs - to fellow composers, adding knowledge. Of this text, might the strange melodic features refer to catholic French music with its melismatas that Bach knew well? But that is more political than musical question!

@johnchessant3012 Жыл бұрын

Great video with a nice alliterative title! I'll add one more wrinkle to the incredible four layers of interesting tangents, on the topic of Bach's WTC and Mozart's Requiem: The subject from that Requiem fugue sounds similar to the subject from the A minor fugue from the WTC Book 2!

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

Also: the “And with his stripes” chorus from Handel’s Messiah has this same subject. And the fugal finale of Haydn’s Op. 20 No. 5 quartet also has a similar subject.

@emilgilels Жыл бұрын

This subject is in the 'shape' of a cross (across, up a bit, then sharply down). It is not at all an accident that it was used by all these famous composers. 🙂

@matthiasl.6551 Жыл бұрын

This cantata is incredible, thank you for sharing this treasure. As an aficionado or medieval and Renaissance music, I love when Bach goes old school like this. One note about Gabrieli : off the cuff, I'd say the entries on c and g are because the composer is thinking of the 8th Gregorian mode, g plagal, whose "dominant" is c. That would also be why the last chord is a c chord (in plagal modes, composers of the 16th c. would often harmonize the last chord at the dominant, with an inner voice - here the alto - playing the tonic). Of course this is just my two cents, as it is very difficult to analyse how composers of that period adapted monodic modal theory to a polyphonic context.

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

Yes, I wasn't trying to imply that Gabrieli was thinking in terms of "tonic" and "dominant." I was just pointing out that imitative, fugue-like compositions in every era don't always follow the scheme we generally expect in a typical baroque fugue.

@matthiasl.6551 Жыл бұрын

No, your meaning was quite clear. I just wanted to point out that there is such a thing as "final" and "dominant" in medieval modal theory, and throughout the 16th and early 17th c. you see composers attempting to use several competing theoretical models of modalilty in their polyphonic works.

@matthiasl.6551 Жыл бұрын

I guess my point is : some aspects of this Bach cantata sound very reminiscent of these earlier approaches, to my ears.

@Brandon55638 Жыл бұрын

The Gabrieli example is in what Renaissance theorists would call the 12th mode, or Hypoionian, which is essentially the same as C major

@magisterparsons Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this!

@tamed4171 Жыл бұрын

Your thorough understanding of counterpoint and the ability to portray your analyses in such a digestible way is, as always, immensely impressive. Fantastic video as per usual!

@johnphillips5993 Жыл бұрын

Can you do a deep dive on the Schumann Piano Concerto? Given the sheer tonnage of things to explore in that piece, I’m surprised people haven’t analysed it more

@bachfan1006 Жыл бұрын

One of my favorite pieces by Bach! Will you make a video about the counterpoint of bwv 50? I think that’s an excellent counterpoint writing too!

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

This is one of my favorites, and I've already thought about doing a video about it one day. Some scholars have argued that it wasn't composed by Bach, but I don't think their arguments make that much sense.

@Luboman411 Жыл бұрын

Oooh, a motet! Bach is also a genius with motets, including my fave, BWV 225.

@giannottister Жыл бұрын

It is curious that Bach used this chorus for the Kyrie of Mass BWV 236, where the references to the text of the original cantata lose all relationship to the words, to the point that even the prosody of the word "Christe" is wrong.

@msjapan112 Жыл бұрын

haha the facial expression when you are reading German at the beginning. 😬

@gracebinder Жыл бұрын

I guess JSB was not an hypocritical believer but a faithful one. And following the great analysis de Mr Atkinson I guess also that JSB had a lot of fun, like being in a big playground of notes

@feinberg4625 Жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks for making me aware of this piece. Now we need an analysis of the art of the fugue and the hammerklavier 😂

@soutteruk1 Жыл бұрын

You're not asking much!

@feinberg4625 Жыл бұрын

@@soutteruk1 LOL

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

@@feinberg4625 I have plans to do the entire Musical Offering and Art of Fugue, but they may need to be commissioned. 😅

@TomRussle Жыл бұрын

@@Richard.Atkinson what about the remainder of Brahms 4, and 2 and 3 as well?

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

@@TomRussle Those are coming. Probably my next video will be the 2nd mvt. of 4.

@heirofspinoza813 Жыл бұрын

So cool. You got to do Brahms 2nd!

@musimathematician Жыл бұрын

Thank you for making these videos! If I may ask, how long does it take you to put an entire video together?

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

Many many full days of work. That last Bruckner video took all summer to create! (The Große Fuge video took many months. The Brahms Symphony 4 mvt. 1 video took many months. Etc.). The smaller, less-involved videos usually take a few weeks.

@carsonwall2400 Жыл бұрын

Could you do the god-tier Contrapunctus 11? :)

@StefanoMontani Жыл бұрын

I would call it bizarre more than extraordinary. What really surprises me, istead, is that no Emperor told him "Too much notes, Herr Bach" (or what it was). This is what I find really extraordinary, that his "public" accepted this kind of musical writing. Is seems to me that Mozart and other composers too did't had this freedom. For sure not Mozart, born in a city where every music had to be, we could say, a "tafelmusik".

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

Actually this was a frequent complaint about Bach’s music. Here’s a quote from an official rebuke from his employers in Arnstadt: “reprove him for having hitherto made many curious variations in the chorale, and mingled many strange notes in it, and for the fact that the congregation has been confused by it.”

@StefanoMontani Жыл бұрын

@@Richard.Atkinson Interesting, thanks.

@simonsmatthew 5 ай бұрын

Thanks Richard for providing this invaluable resource. I am inspired and learn so much from them. It's funny the C-sharp major fugue is one of my least favourite. I always found the melody (ie the Subject) ugly. Perhaps now, if is linked to this Cantata and its text, there is some explanation for it! On opening endings the f-minor fugue (also Book II) is a good Bach example. I also find the f-minor fugue much prettier. Although finding good recordings of it is impossible I think. I think the problem with the bourgois big record label pianist recordings is that they just don't seem to sing or breath. Being familar with Bach's choral works for keyboardists is crucial I think. Organists, who also often tend to be church choir directors, I think have less problems here than other keyboardists.

@zhihuangxu6551 Жыл бұрын

So when would Richard plz do the 2nd movement of Brahms 4th symphony? I have shuted myself against any information about the subsequent movements of that symphony in order to avoid spoilers...

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

I’m 90% sure this will be my next video!

@acrid8952 10 ай бұрын

are we sure Bach didn't just compose the green and orange subjects as an inversion double canon in advance (sounds difficult but is relatively simple to do), which would guarantee that they can be used as stretto inversion subjects in a fugue?

@Richard.Atkinson 10 ай бұрын

It seems like that’s probably what he did, but it’s impossible to know for sure.

@the_eternal_student Жыл бұрын

I enjoyed the comparison to other works of Bach.

@andrewgoretsky9654 Жыл бұрын

Actually, this is not a unique example of plagal answer, moreover, not a unique example of "fuga contraria". Do you know BWV 687 "Aus tiefer not schrei Ich zu dir". Many correlations.

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

Yes, that would've been another good example to add to my tangent! Also, the whole point of the tangent was to show that it wasn't unique.

@andrewgoretsky9654 Жыл бұрын

@@Richard.Atkinson thank you very much for your reply! Also, we can discuss some polyphonical stuff, I'm polyphonist too)

@mrknesiah Жыл бұрын

Check out the fugues of Zelenka

@prototypeinheritance515 Жыл бұрын

Your German pronouciation is very good!

@trisymphony Жыл бұрын

Great analysis as always. The German lyrics should be sung exactly like you (half-jokingly?) spoke them in the beginning. Unfortunately, the recording you chose is „one of those“ which performs this movement in the same light, fluffy, dancing style that is all too common in the so-called „authentic performance“, regardless of the message or emotion Bach wants to convey. As a German, this makes his recording very hard to listen to, because the clash between Bach‘s intentions, which can be clearly seen in both score and text, and the clueless performance is so stark. There is an excellent recording of Karl Richter with the same chorus here on KZfaq which I would recommend instead.

@solcarzemog5232 Жыл бұрын

Why would he then use this exact music in the "KYRIE" of the G major "Missa Brevis" ?

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

Many of the movements from those short masses were recycled from earlier cantatas. Actually, the music from the last 3 cantata choruses I've analyzed on this channel were later repurposed in those masses.

@cantatasonmymind 10 ай бұрын

Most probably because he was extremely proud of this composition, and when he had the opportunity to "recycle" it, he took it, so that the cantata movements he was most proud of could be performed at more occasions during the year than just the one Sunday in the church year for which they were written.

@Richard.Atkinson 6 ай бұрын

@@cantatasonmymind Exactly! That’s why so many of the greatest choruses were repurposed in the B-minor Mass!

@sdzhchannel Жыл бұрын

The chromaticism gives me Zelenka feel, as usual

@stanisawzokiewski707 Жыл бұрын

Good video. Mahler 8 when?

@mirrormoonknight856 Жыл бұрын

I don´t understand why would anyone speak so. Symphonies 1, 2, 4, 6, and 9 are superior. The second movement of the 8th symphony is excellent, but even then...there are at least 10 Mahler movements better than that one.

@stanisawzokiewski707 Жыл бұрын

@@mirrormoonknight856 You speak as if this was dogmatic law. I just like the counterpoint in 8 and would like to see a video on its analysis.

@mirrormoonknight856 Жыл бұрын

@@stanisawzokiewski707 Fair enough. My comment was more agressive than intended.

@stanisawzokiewski707 Жыл бұрын

@@mirrormoonknight856 Note that I also hold every Mahler Symphony in high regard.

@mirrormoonknight856 Жыл бұрын

@@stanisawzokiewski707 I do not hold in high regard the seventh, nor the fifth. However, the former has its first movement, whilst the latter has its fourth movement. Those movements are great.

@jackeddemon Жыл бұрын

Very strange. But it works 🤷🏻‍♂️

@aksuli1 Жыл бұрын

I'd say cool, not strange.

@coprario1 Жыл бұрын

Reicha!

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

Dedicated to Joseph Haydn, with the little poem!

@luisdanielplatakelly9308 Жыл бұрын

Doctor Atkinson. In the analysis of Mozart´s 36th symphony finale, you did not mention a rather interesting detail. Using this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/is6JYK18lpbSopc.html, listen from 2:19 to 2:21. The fourth movement harks back to that part from 26:32 to 26:38.

@andrewkoenig2246 Жыл бұрын

We do not deserve Bach.

@coolhandphilip Жыл бұрын

This is why Bach is a genius, and why even with my measured 165 IQ, I am NOT.

@sepandghanouni2271 Жыл бұрын

Please crank up your pace and make more vids

@Richard.Atkinson 6 ай бұрын

If more people donated on Patreon, this would be more of a possibility for me.

@sbrgm Жыл бұрын

Good analysis, and by the way, your German pronunciation was not bad ;-) But honestly, I don't understand why you always kind of ridicule the text passages of Bach. Bach was a deeply believing person (so am I) and he meant what he wrote. And that fear has nothing to do with things like "fear of hell", but with your authenticity as believer...

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

Actually, I try to be pretty neutral most of the time. I poked fun of this text because it's a particularly egregious example of how much of a petty authoritarian dictator the Christian god is. Of course... brilliantly set to ingenious music.

@sbrgm Жыл бұрын

@@Richard.Atkinson That is a typical distorted view of God - where do you have that from, from the Atheists' forum? Sounds like it. God's character is love - but: also holiness. And therefore it can look like the character had a dark side, but that's not true. If you want to discuss on this or have questions, I could answer them. If not, we drop it - no problem, I don't need it, just don't want to deny my help...

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

@@sbrgm I think a parent who murders nearly all of his children by drowning them when they misbehave at least has some explaining to do… 😅 And if someone called these genocidal actions “loving,” they’d have some explaining to do as well.

@sbrgm Жыл бұрын

@@Richard.Atkinson I don't know what scripture you are talking about. Please tell me book, chapter and verse or at least the name of the story.

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

@@sbrgm Noah, flood, etc.

@Robert-er5wq Жыл бұрын

Should be played in those evangelical churches supporting the far right and vice versa.

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

To be fair, this “God” guy is himself a giant hypocrite, so it’s hard to tell who’s being hypocritical by following him and who’s being hypocritical by not following him.

@Robert-er5wq Жыл бұрын

@@Richard.Atkinson Yep, if one can come to so vastly different moral conclusions from one of the same source (Bible), then something is wrong with the source. And that applies to belief in God in general. But back to the music: Bach's church cantatas were my source of belief. Because I moved and stopped singing, I stopped believing (belief comes from hearing?) - and obviously other revelations (pun intended). I deeply regret my loss in faith when I hear Bach, my beloved cantatas, and other music (such as Schein/Scheidt/Schütz, for example) It still stirs deep emotions in me.

@Richard.Atkinson Жыл бұрын

@@Robert-er5wq The same thing happens to me (music has amazing power over emotions), but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with the repugnant theology.

@matthiaswilhelm9813 Жыл бұрын

I hate the Temper.Piano Tuning.A clear Moll or Major Tuning ist better for my mind,The Pictures of a Keyboard Keys with Black and White Keys System ist the perverted Part for Keyboard playing.There must come a Revolution in The Future...😯😂😂😂🙀🙀🙀🇩🇪💓😯💖😱a computing CPU can in milliseconds Work a Moll or Dur cleaning exakt Tuning and Playa cleaning Quint.The Wolfs Quint ist the Error.