Some Thoughts on BWV 769 and 769a Canons
Abstract
“Canonical Variations” by J. S. Bach, existing in the form of an Original Edition (BWV 769) and an Autograph (BWV 769a, manuscript P 271), differ significantly from each other both in terms of graphics and design, and in terms of musical composition. A comparison of both sources reveals a number of oddities. The original edition, according to the title, presents the work as a variation cycle, the autograph as a sequence of canons, without a hint of any type of variation. Of particular interest in this regard is the Original Edition, in which, along with the signs of its intended performance (care to avoid page turns in the middle of the piece, an indication of which hand to play this or that voice, dynamic shades, character of performance, etc.) d.) there are details that clearly do not allow the essay to be used in such a function. First of all, this refers to the fact that the canons are encrypted in the first three variations. Another strange thing
For what purpose did Bach carry out this encryption and why he did it in the Original Edition, and not in the handwritten version, is a problem to which this article is devoted.
Keywords: J.S. Bach, canon, variation, autograph, original printed edition, manuscript
For citation: Milka A. P. Some Thoughts on BWV 769 and 769a Canons [Electronic source]. In: Sovremennye problemy muzykoznaniya / Contemporary Musicology, 2022, no. 1, pp. 23–38. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.56620/2587-9731-2022-1-023-038
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.56620/2587-9731-2022-1-023-038
Copyright (c) 2022 Anatoly P. Milka
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