Ein Fest Burg - Bach (sq)

Context

- baroque
- based on lutheran cantata
- probably composed either in 1723 or between 1728 and 1731

Structure

Structure

movement 1
- each phrase in turn
- the choral melody is introduced at the very beginning as a fugal subject in the tenor part and then phrases 2-9 are introduced in order in a similar fashion throughout the piece, to create an elaborate fugal structure.
- Mvmt 1 can therefore be regarded as a chorale fantasia- a piece of music based on a chorale, with extended and elaborated melodies in a polyphonic texture, with the chorale melody appearing as a cantus firmus.

movement 2 (aria)
- uses ritornello form for unison upper strings and continuo. The rest of the structure is still governed by the cantus firmus

movement 8
- nine line chorale with repetitions

Sonority

movement 1
- SATB
- three oboes
- taille
- violins 1 & 2, viola, cello and violone
- continuo: organ and harpsichord
- the violins and viola double the soprano, alto and tenor lines, but the cello 'shadows' the bass, sometimes elaborating in heterophony

movement 2
- vocal duet for soprano and bass
- violins 1 & 2and violas provide obbligato line in unison
with a continuo bass line for cellos
- oboe plays embellished soprano line

movement 8
- SATB
- S & A doubled by oboe and violins
- T by taille and viola
- B by continuo instruments

Texture 1

- highly contrapuntal
- written in fugal style
- - complex fugal imitation between the voices, doubled by strings and woodwind
- canon at octaves of cantus firmus in oboes and violone
- heterophony in cello

Texture 2

- contrapuntal
- soprano doubled by oboe (heterophony)
- ritornello-like orchestral introduction and postlude, which creates melody-dominated homophony with the upper strings playing a semiquaver triadic line whilst the lower strings accompany with quaver offbeat leaps and a walking bass- creates an exciting feel.

- The bass and soprano parts enter to form a highly contrapuntal texture, with the soprano singing a variation of the cantus firmus and the bass singing an ornate independent melody, with repetitions of the ritornelli material in the upper string
- The soprano is also 'shadowed' by the oboe - heterophony

Texture 8

- homophonic (chordal)
- lower parts are rhythmically independent

Melody 1

- Luther's chorale is the melodic basis for all movements.

- each phrase presented in turn
- sequences
- chromaticism
- syllabic word-setting
- mainly conjunct with occasional 4th and 5th leaps
- extened melismatic writing and extensions of the original melody with frequent passing and auxiliary notes
- diatonic with occasional chromatic movement e.g. the chromaticism of B#s and B naturals in b.91 and 92, which serves as effective word painting as the soprano line talks about the cruel armour of the devil

Melody 2

- heavy ornamentation
- angular movement for Bass
- The solo soprano, doubled by the oboe (more embellised) , sings a decorated version of the cantus firmus.
- both melismatically and syllabically in the soprano line
- mainly conjunct, with occasional 4th and 5th leaps
- Semi-quavers and demi-semiquavers exploited here
- The bass melody (new material) is even more virtuosic due to its frequent conjunct melismatic semiquaver lines.
- word painting in the bass lines, for example in b.9-10 as the word
- sequences e.g. descending sequence

Melody 8

- uses chorale without elaboration
- powerful repeated notes
- mainly conjunct movement, occasional leaps
- forceful descending scale
- single note outside D major (G#)
- set mainly syllabically with a few passing notes
- diatonic
- simple- means that it is easy for the congregation to sing

Harmony

- functional harmony
- clearly defined cadences
- triads and 7ths in various positions
- pedal points
- suspensions
- dissonances
- diminished 7ths
- circle of fifths
- passing notes
- movement 1 ends plagal cadence

Tonality

- D major (main key)
- modulations to close keys

movement 1
- E minor
- B minor
- F# minor
- A major

movement 2
- A major
- B minor

movement 8
- A major
- D major
- A major
- G major
- E minor

Rhythm 1

4/2 time
- The fugal subjects and counter-subjects frequently contain continuous quavers as well as tied note-values, minims and crotchets
- melismatic passages contain continuous quavers
- tied notes occur in main theme give a forward drive to the music.
- occasional dotted rhythms
- it is clear that the rhythm of cantus firmus has been adapted and altered, to give a more fluid feel and contain more complex rhythmic variety

Rhythm 2

- moto perpetuo semiquavers in opening
- rhythms predominantly semiquavers for bass soloist
- intricate decorative passagework includes demisemiquavers, dotted rhythms and
syncopations

- regular quaver movement with occasional decoration in the continuo part helps to solidify the metre 4/4, despite all the rhythmical complexity sitting above it.
- The continuo's use of semiquavers at b.8 creating a homorhythmic texture with the upper strings

Rhythm 8

- starts with anacrusis
- typical of chorales, pauses at the end of each phrase halts the tempo
- predominant rhythm is crotchet and quavers