BACH motif

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In music, the BACH motif is the sequence of notes B flat, A, C, B natural.

This four-note motif has been used by a number of composers, usually as a homage to Johann Sebastian Bach. The first known example, however, is in a piece by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck in the 17th century—it is possible, though not certain, that he used it in homage to one of Johann Sebastian's ancestors, many of whom were themselves musicians.

The possibility of being able to spell the surname Bach in this way comes about because in German B indicates what in English is called B flat, while H indicates what in English is called B natural.

J. S. Bach himself used it as a fugue subject in the final part of Die Kunst der Fuge (BWV 1080), a work he did not complete before he died in 1750. It appears in passing in several of his other pieces, such as at the end of the fourth of the canonic variations on "Vom Himmel Hoch", BWV 769. Its appearance in the penultimate bar of the Kleines harmonisches Labyrinth, BWV 591, is not thought to be very significant and the work may even be spurious (Johann David Heinichen has been suggested as a possible composer). It shows up in the St Matthew Passion in the section where the chorus sings "This man was God's own son most truly." In many pieces, while the exact notes B-A-C-H are not played, a transposition of the motif is used (a note sequence with the same intervals: down a semitone, up a minor third, down a semitone).

A fugue for keyboard in F major by one of Bach's sons, probably either Johann Christian Bach or Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, exists using the motif, but it was not until the 19th century when interest in Bach was revived that the motif began to be used with any regularity.

Perhaps because it was used by Bach himself in a fugue, the motif is often used by other composers in fugues or other complex contrapuntal writing.

In Douglas Hofstadter's book Gödel, Escher, Bach, the insertion of the author's name into Die Kunst der Fuge caused Bach to be unable to complete the work, because of Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem.

Works featuring the motif

Works which prominently feature the BACH motif include, in chronological order:

1845 - Robert Schumann: Six Fugues for organ, pedal piano or harmonium, Op. 60
1855 - Franz Liszt: Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H, for organ (later arranged for piano)
1878 - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Variations on BACH, for piano
1900 - Max Reger: Fantasia and Fugue on B-A-C-H for organ
1910 - Ferruccio Busoni: Fantasia Contrappuntistica for piano (first version; later versions 1912 and 1922)
1911 - Carl Nielsen: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Op. 33/FS 61)
1932 - Arthur Honegger: Prélude, Arioso, Fughette for piano (later arranged for string orchestra)
1932 - Francis Poulenc: Valse-improvisation sur le nom Bach for piano
1937-38 - Anton Webern: String Quartet (the tone row is based on the BACH motif)
1952 - Jean Coulthard: Variations on BACH for piano
1952 - Luigi Dallapiccola: Quaderno musicale di Annalibera
1964 - Arvo Pärt: Collage over B-A-C-H for strings, oboe, harpsichord and piano
1974 - Rudolf Brucci: "Metamorfosis B-A-C-H" for strings
1976 - Milos Sokola: Passacaglia quasi Toccata on B-A-C-H for organ
1985 - Alfred Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 3
1990s - Ron Nelson: Passacaglia (Homage on B-A-C-H) for wind ensemble

The motif features in passing in a number of other works including Arnold Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra (1926-28) and his String Quartet No. 3 (1927), Krzysztof Penderecki's St Luke Passion, Johannes Brahms' cadenza for the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 and the fifth and final movement of Godowsky's Sonata in E Minor (1910-11) for piano.

Other signature motifs

Note: These are possible because, in German, E-flat is "Es" sounding the same as 'S', and A-flat is "As"

Other signature motifs include:

F, E flat, C, B natural for Franz Schubert (F. Schubert)
E flat, C, B natural, B flat, E, G for Arnold Schoenberg (Schönberg)
D, E flat, C, B natural for Dmitri Shostakovich (D. Schostakowitsch; see DSCH)
B, E, B, A or B, A, B, E for Béla Bartók (Béla Bartók, the latter motif recognizing the Hungarian practice of placing the family name before the personal name, see eastern order)
C, A, G, E for John Cage, used by Pauline Oliveros[link] and, in the composition "CAGE DEAD", by Simon Jeffes of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
A, B flat, B natural, F for Alban Berg and Hanna Fuchs-Robettin (A. B. and H. F.), used in Berg's Lyric Suite
A, B flat, E, G, G for Meta Abegg, the inspiration for Robert Schumann's Abegg Variations, Op. 1
A, S, C, H and As, C, H (in English notation A-E flat-C-B and A flat-C-B), used in Schumann's Carnaval. He was romantically involved with one Ernestine von Fricken, who came from a town whose name in German was "Asch". These letters also appear in Schumann's own name. Every piece in the whole cycle is based on one or other of these motifs.

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