BACH motif

BACH motivation.

Cruz BACH, used to illustrate the reason in the centuryXX.Although it is unknown that Bach used it.

	BACH motivation
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The BACH motif, in music, is the sequence of notes b flat–a–c–b natural. The sequence is called BACH because, following the classical German notation, si flat is represented by the letter B, la is an A, do corresponds to C and si i> with the H; so when composing it, that name results.

This four-note motif has been used by numerous composers, usually as an homage to Johann Sebastian Bach. The earliest known example, however, is in a work by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck from the 17th century — possible, though not It is proven that he used it in homage to one of Johann Sebastian's ancestors, many of whom were also musicians.

J. S. Bach himself used it as a fugal subject in the final part of Die Kunst der Fuge, a work he did not finish before he died in 1750. It also appears in several other works his, such as the ending of the fourth variation of the Canonical Variations on Vom Himmel Hoch, BWV 769. His appearance in the penultimate measure of the Kleines harmonisches Labyrinth, BWV 591 , is not considered very significant and the work may be spurious (Johann David Heinichen has been suggested as a possible composer). He also appears in the St. Matthew Passion in the section where the choir sings "This man truly was the son of God." In many works, although the notes B-A-C-H are not played exactly, a transposition of the motif is used (a sequence of notes with the same intervals: down a semitone, up a minor third, down a semitone).

There is a keyboard fugue in F major by one of Bach's sons, probably either Johann Christian Bach or Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, using the motif, but it was not until the XIX, when interest in Bach revived, that the motif began to be used with some regularity.

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

Works that use the motif

Works that prominently employ the motif, in chronological order:

• 1845 - Robert Schumann: Six organ leaks, piano pedals or harmony, Op. 60
• 1855 - Franz Liszt: Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H, for organ S.529, later arranged for piano.
• 1878 - Nikolái Rimski-Kórsakov: Variations on BACHFor piano.
• 1900 - Max Reger: Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H for organ.
• 1910 - Ferruccio Busoni: Fantasia Contrappuntistica for piano (first version; subsequent revisions in 1912 and 1922).
• 1911 - Carl Nielsen: Concert for violin and orchestra, Op. 33/FS 61.
• 1931 - Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Passacaglia and Fuga on B-A-C-H, for organ, Op. 150.
• 1932 - Arthur Honegger: Prélude, Arioso, Fughette for piano (after arranged for string orchestra).
• 1932 - Francis Poulenc: Valse-improvisation sur le nom Bach for piano.
• 1937-38 - Anton Webern: String Quartet (the Dominican series 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 about B-A-C-H for strings, oboe, nail and piano.
• 1974 - Rudolf Brucci: "Metamorphosis B-A-C-H" for strings.
• 1976 - Milos Sokola: Passacaglia quasi Toccata about B-A-C-H for organ.
• 1985 - Alfred Schnittke: Concerto Grosso n.o 3.
• 1990 - Ron Nelson: Passacaglia (Homenaje sobre B-A-C-H) for wind set.
• 1994 - Manuel Castillo: Symphony No. 3 Poems of Light
• 2011- John Zorn: Passagen (Dedicated to Elliott Carter and presented to him as a birthday present)
• 2015- Andrés Valero Castells: Elda Contest, XXX Anniversary ("Bachsodoble", or what is the same, passable on Bach's motives entrusted to the author, by the XXX Music Contest of Moors and Christians of Elda (Alicante).

The motif also appears in passing in several other works including: Arnold Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra (1926-28) and his String Quartet No. 3 (1927), the Saint Luke Passion by Krzysztof Penderecki, the cadenza for the first movement of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 performed by Johannes Brahms and the fifth and final movement from the Piano Sonata in E minor (1910-11) by Leopold Godowsky.

Other signature motifs

Note: These are possible because, in German, My bemol It's "It" that sounds like 'S', and The bemol It's "As."

Among other signature reasons are:

• Fa, Mi bemol, Do, Si natural for Franz SchubertF. Schubert).
• My bemol, Do, Si natural, Si bemol, Mi, Sol for Arnold SchoenbergSchönBerg).
• Re, Mi bemol, Do, Si natural for Dmitri Shostakóvich (D. Schostakowitsch; see DSCH).
• If bemol, Mi, Si bemol, La or If bemol, La, if bemol, Mi Béla BartókBéthe Bartók, the ulterior motive recognizing the practice of Hungarian to place the last name before the name, see eastern order.
• Do, La, Sol, Mi for John Cage, used by Pauline Oliveros in A Canon on the Name of Cageand, in the composition "CAGE DEAD", by Simon Jeffes of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
• La, Si bemol, Si natural, Fa for Alban Berg and Hanna Fuchs-RobettinA. Band H. F.), used in the Lyric Suite Berg.
• La, Yes, bemol., My, Sun, Sun for Meta Abegg, the inspiration of Variations AbeggOp. 1 by Robert Schumann.
• La, My bemol, Do, Yeah. and The bemol, Do, Yeah. (ASCH and AsCH), used in the Schumann Carnival. He is romantically involved with Ernestine von Fricken, who came from a town whose name in German was "Asch". These letters also appear in Schumann's own name. Each piece throughout the cycle is based on one of these two motives.