J.S. Bach: Little Fugue in G Minor

Edith Hanselman, organist and music director or Strathroy United Church, performs J. S. Bach's famous Little Fugue in G Minor to conclude the Going Through the Gates Sunday service on June 15, 2008.

Little Fugue in G minor, BWV 578 is a piece of organ music written by Johann Sebastian Bach sometime around his years at Arnstadt (1703-1707). It is often confused that the Little fugue in G minor is Little in importance and duration, but the fact is Bach titled the piece Little to avoid confusion between this piece, and the later "Great" Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542, which is longer in duration.

The fugue's four-and-a-half measure subject is one of Bach's most recognizable tunes. The fugue is in four voices. During the episodes, Bach uses one of Arcangelo Corelli's most famous techniques: imitation between two voices on an eighth note upbeat figure that first leaps up a fourth and then falls back down one step at a time. This piece is mathematical and precise.

Johann Sebastian Bach (pronounced [joˈhan/ˈjoːhan zeˈbastjan ˈbax]) (March 21, 1685 O.S. -- July 28, 1750 N.S.) was a German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity. Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and motivic organisation in composition for diverse musical forces, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.

Revered for their intellectual depth and technical and artistic beauty, Bach's works include the Brandenburg concertos; the Goldberg Variations; the English Suites, French Suites, Partitas, and Well-Tempered Clavier; the Mass in B Minor; the St. Matthew Passion; the St. John Passion; The Musical Offering; The Art of Fugue; the Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo; the Cello Suites; more than 200 surviving cantatas; and a similar number of organ works, including the celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

While Bach's fame as an organist was great during his lifetime, he was not particularly well-known as a composer. His adherence to Baroque forms and contrapuntal style was considered "old-fashioned" by his contemporaries, especially late in his career when the musical fashion tended towards Rococo and later Classical styles. A revival of interest and performances of his music began early in the 19th century, and he is now widely considered to be one of the greatest composers in the Western tradition.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Strathroy
• United
• Church
• J.S.
• Bach
• Little
• Fugue
• in
• Minor

[elamonty]

ah ok thanks, i always thought it was ment to be played at a slower tempo. hehe

i prefer the slower version.

[elamonty]

Why so fast?

[vitalxx]

The tempo is supposed to be 120. This is only slightly faster than it was meant to be.

[gtran7]

man i am so upset at why each video i see here is a damn fast version. Man, play Bach speed like his actual song piece, because I don't like hearing it in this such of a tempo.

[GiovanniTancrediChan]

Who cares if this is fast, I can clearly hear the voices D:

[xxYdoxxx]

Classic Music <3!

[barba666ruiva]

@elamonty exaclty what i thought...

[StopTheMoti0n]

THIS SOUNDS SO AWESOME FAST! Haters gonna hate, but this is excellent.

[UrSkulled]

Fast isn't always better :(

[tHEXxMiStAbROWNxX]

it sounded good to me ! that amazing how fast he played that!

[HARMONICO101]

This is the perfect tempo to play it at, just I think that this organist wasn't quite ready for it.

I think one of the reasons that a lot of people take this piece so slowly is because they can't handle the semi-quaver runs in the pedal. There is an anecdote that says that Bach was so skilled with the pedals that he could play them faster then other organists could play with their hands!

[dgjiephfurreighR]

This is rushed. I seriously think it belongs at a slower tempo