The Fugue in G minor,
BWV 131a
The Fugue in G minor, BWV 131a, is a piece of organ music attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a transcription of the last movement of his Bach cantata, cantata , BWV 131. The cantata is definitely by Bach, while the arrangement for organ is ...
, is a piece of
organ music attributed to
Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a transcription of the last movement of his
cantata
A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.
The meaning of ...
, BWV 131. The cantata is definitely by Bach, while the arrangement for organ is regarded by some authorities (from
Spitta Spitta is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Friedrich Spitta (1852–1924), German Protestant theologian
* Heinrich Spitta (1902–1972), German music educator
*Philipp Spitta
Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 â ...
onwards) as spurious. The organ version likely originated after the cantata, which was composed in 1707.
Publication
The piece was published in 1891 in the
Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, the first complete edition of the composer's works. It was edited by
Ernst Naumann.
[ Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe, Vol. 38. Leipzig: ]Breitkopf und Härtel Breitkopf may refer to:
* Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf, (1695-1777) founder of Breitkopf & Härtel
* Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf, (1719-1794) son of Bernhard Cristoph Breitkopf
* Michael Breitkopf, member of German band Die Toten Hosen
* Breit ...
, 1891.
Relationship with the cantata
The key of
G minor, sometimes associated with sadness, is used extensively in the cantata, which sets
Psalm 130, one of the
penitential psalms.
Scoring of the cantata
In the cantata the fugue (a
permutation fugue) is sung by the choir. The score of the cantata does not feature an organ part as such. However, the scoring for the instrumental ensemble includes a
basso continuo
Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...
part (for which a figured bass is provided), and Bach may well have intended this to be played on the organ.
Ton Koopman, for example, in his
recording of this cantata uses organ continuo.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Portalbar, Classical Music
G minor
Arrangements of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach: spurious and doubtful works
Compositions in G minor