Title page of
D-B
Mus.ms. Bach P 804, Fascicle 19,
Johann Peter Kellner
's manuscript copy of the
Prælude in C mol: pour La Lute
.
[1]
The
Prelude
in
C Minor
,
BWV
999, is, according to its only extant 18th-century manuscript, a composition for
lute
by
Johann Sebastian Bach
. In the manuscript, conserved as
Fascicle
19 of Mus.ms. Bach P 804 at the
Berlin State Library
,
Johann Peter Kellner
wrote the piece down in
keyboard notation
. The time of origin of the work is not known: possibly Bach composed it in
his Kothen period
, that is, between 1717 and 1723, or the early years of his ensuing Leipzig period. Kellner's copy was produced after 1727, but before Bach's death in 1750.
The Prelude can be performed as well on a lute as on a keyboard. In the 19th century, it was adopted as No. 3 in the keyboard collection
Twelve Little Preludes
. It was grouped with Bach's lute compositions in 20th-century scholarship such as the
Bach-Jahrbuch
of 1931, the
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis
and the
New Bach Edition
. It has been recorded in performances on lute, on guitar, and on keyboard instruments such as piano or harpsichord. In the 21st century, digital facsimiles of Kellner's copy became available on-line, for instance at the
Bach Digital
website.
History
[
edit
]
Played on harpsichord by Gerard Janot
According to the
Bach Digital
website, the time of origin of
Johann Sebastian Bach
's Prelude in C minor, BWV 999, is unknown.
Based on
Thomas Kohlhase
[
de
]
, the 1998 edition of the
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis
indicates that the piece likely originated in
Bach's Kothen period
, that is, between 1717 and 1723.
Christoph Wolff
and
Walter Emery
estimated that the composition may have originated from Bach's Kothen period to the early years of
his Leipzig period
, which began in 1723, based on similarities with the Preludes and Fugues in
The Well-Tempered Clavier
.
According to Kohlhase,
Johann Peter Kellner
's copy of the Prelude dates from around the middle of the 1720s.
A more comprehensive research into the time of origin of all 57
fascicles
of the
Berlin State Library
's Mus.ms. Bach P 804
convolute
, by Russell Stinson, showed that its 19th fascicle, Kellner's copy of the BWV 999 Prelude, originated after 1727.
All fascicles of the P 804 manuscript were written before Bach's death in 1750.
Kellner's manuscript is the only source for the composition.
[8]
The title page of Kellner's copy of BWV 999, page 101 in the
D-B
Mus.ms. Bach P 804 convolute, reads:
[1]
[8]
Prælude in C mol.
pour La Lute.
di
Johann Sebastian Bach.
J. P.
Kellner.
|
Prelude in C minor.
for The Lute.
by
Johann Sebastian Bach.
J[ohann] P[eter]
Kellner.
|
The composition is written on the next two pages, on systems of two
staffs
, with a
soprano clef
for the upper staff, and a
bass clef
for the lower staff. Although, in the first half of the 18th century, a
tablature
notation was common for
lute
compositions, Kellner thus wrote the Prelude down in a notation which at the time was customary for keyboard compositions.
The Prelude can be performed as well on a keyboard instrument as on a lute.
Kellner is known as organist and keyboard performer: his copy of BWV 999 is the only extant instance of him taking an interest in a composition for lute.
Pages 102 and 103 in D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 804, Kellner's copy of BWV 999.
[1]
A concluding section, which could follow after the Prelude as written down by Kellner, seems to be missing. The Prelude opens in
C minor
but instead of returning to that
key
(i.e., the
tonic
), it ends on the
dominant
, in fact the
parallel key
of the dominant,
G major
, while the closing chord contains a
Picardy third
.
David Schulenberg
[
fr
]
compares this to the Prelude
BWV 872a
/1: after a section with
arpeggios
ending on the dominant, it continues with a
fugato
returning to the tonic. Also, the last
bar
of the piece only has the duration of a
quarter note
: it is uncommon for a piece in
3
4
to end on a bar with a different duration than three quarter notes. Whether Bach never composed such continuation of the piece, or whether Kellner didn't copy it, is not known.
Music
[
edit
]
BWV 999's brief, introductory nature (43 measures), improvisatory feel and reiteration of a defining
motif
fits squarely within the prelude genre of the 1710s and 1720s. Additionally, the shortness of the motif itself follows the conventions of early sixteenth-century prelude. It also served a teaching purpose characteristic of the genre, widely using
arpeggiations
and technical demands that served students well as an
etude
. Barbara Russano Hanning describes prelude features and goals: "The typical prelude assigns the player a specific task, so that the piece functions as an etude. In addition, the preludes illustrate different types of keyboard performance conventions and compositional practices."
[14]
Such pedagogical traits contribute to the work's longevity; it is still an oft-used educational tool.
[
citation needed
]
Motif
[
edit
]
Measures 1?7 of BWV 999
The Prelude's central motif consists of intersecting rhythms between the upper and lower voice (what originally would have been the left and right hand). In the right hand, this is a sixteenth rest, followed by a seven-note sixteenth passage that typically arpeggiates an
inversion
of a
triad
(ascending and descending from and back to the root), and an alternating sixteenth rest?sixteenth note pattern in the third beat. The left participates by having a pedal tone quarter in the first beat, a rest, then two
eighth notes
. The ascending and descending triad in Bach's prelude BWV 999 seem to have been the true inspiration and chord structure for the arpeggios in the Beatles song Because, because when the prelude is played at half-speed and on harpsichord, the similarity is striking, especially at measures 8?9?11, about 15 seconds into the prelude, with the repeating notes at the end of the interval being eliminated in the Beatles version.
Harmony
[
edit
]
Measures 8?14 (modulation occurring in mm. 11?14 is highlighted]).
Contrary to its title and key signature, less than a third of BWV 999 is actually written in C minor. In measure 11, a
Secondary leading-tone chord
is employed (namely, a diminished F
♯
seventh chord) to
modulate
and lead the ear to
G minor
, the dominant of the original key. Aside from a turn to G major but with a flattened 6th (mm. 34?38 and 42?43), and the reemergence of C minor (mm. 39?41), G minor
tonality
dominates the piece. Early on, the upper voice is repeated over several measures, with the left hand providing the only shifting
harmonic
background. For example, measures 8?10 are exactly the same in the right hand, but descending tones in the left hand create an expansion of tonic harmony.
Reception
[
edit
]
In 1843,
Friedrich Konrad Griepenkerl
edited the Prelude as No. 3 of the "
XII petits Preludes ou Exercises pour les Commencants
" (
lit.
'
12 little preludes or exercises for beginners
'
), which was included in the 9th volume of Bach's complete keyboard works published by
C. F. Peters
.
The next year, the publisher issued the
Twelve Little Preludes
set separately.
Philipp Spitta
described BWV 999 thus:
Vorzuglich ist ein kleines C moll-Praeludium, das harfenartig lispelnd von einer Harmonie zur andern traumt und die wundersame Romantik des Bachschen Geistes ahnungsvoll emporsteigen laßt
|
Very admirable is a little prelude in C minor, which runs whispering on in harp-like tones from one set of harmonies to another, and yet lets the mystical romanticism of Bach's genius pierce through it all.
|
?
Philipp Spitta
(1873)
|
?
Bell
/
Fuller Maitland
translation
|
Spitta, assuming that nearly none of Bach's compositions for lute survived, mentioned the third of the
Twelve Little Preludes
as composed for lute or keyboard.
The
Bach Gesellschaft
retained the
Twelve Little Preludes
set for keyboard in the 36th volume, published in 1890, of
their complete edition of Bach's works
.
Hans Neemann
[
d
]
, writing in the
Bach-Jahrbuch
of 1931, had no doubt that Bach composed the Prelude for lute:
Auch diese Komposition liegt der Laute in alter Stimmung sehr gunstig und ist ausgezeichnet spielbar. Die vorzuchliche Einrichtung erweist den Komponisten als mit der Lautentechnik sehr bewandert.
|
Also this composition suits the lute tuned in the old fashion very well, and is very playable. The proficient setting shows that the composer was very versed in lute technique.
|
?
Hans Neemann
[
d
]
|
?translation
|
Neemann identified five more compositions by Bach as intended for lute.
In the
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis
, first published in 1950, these compositions were grouped in the BWV 995?1000 range, in a section for lute works.
The same six compositions were published in Series V, Vol. 10, of the
New Bach Edition
, in 1976.
The Prelude has been adapted for various instruments, including lute, piano and guitar. It is a pedagogical work much in the spirit of
The Well-Tempered Clavier
, with which it shares musical characteristics.
[
citation needed
]
In the second decade of the 21st century, digital facsimiles of Kellner's manuscript became available on the Berlin State Library and Bach Digital websites.
[1]
Recordings
[
edit
]
Some guitarists perform the Prelude BWV 999 in
D minor
instead of in its original key of C minor (but they can however use D Standard Tuning so that when they play in D Minor, it sounds as the Original C Minor).
[27]
[28]
[29]
[30]
[31]
[32]
[33]
[34]
[35]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Mus.ms. Bach P 804 (19)
at
Berlin State Library
website. 1 April 2014.
- ^
a
b
RISM
467300279
- ^
Hanning, Barbara Russano (2014).
Concise History of Western Music
. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. p. 278.
ISBN
978-0-393-92066-6
.
- ^
a
b
J.-S. Bach: Prelude en re mineur; Alexandre Lagoya
at
Bibliotheque nationale de France
website (
available
at
Gallica
).
- ^
a
b
Guitar Festival
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
a
b
Baroque Guitar
at
Muziekweb
website;
Baroque Guitar Recital
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
a
b
Bach: Lute Suites
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
a
b
Lubomir Brabec: At Prague Spring festival '89
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
a
b
The Baroque Style (Transcriptions for 8-string guitar)
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
a
b
Guitare
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
a
b
Chalice
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
a
b
Lubomir Brabec plays Bach in Antarctica
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Andres Segovia: Recordings 1927?1939
at
Muziekweb
website;
The Legendary Segovia
at
Muziekweb
website;
Andres Segovia and his Contemporaries, Vol.6: Segovia, Llobet & Anido
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Landowska Plays Bach
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
OCLC
62473792
.
- ^
Complete Bach Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Guitare Passion
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
The Legendary Andres Segovia in an All-Bach Program
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Julian Bream plays Dowland and Bach
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Recital de Guitare
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
OCLC
126853391
.
- ^
Recital de guitare; Rene Bartoli
at
Bibliotheque nationale de France
website.
- ^
Bach: The Complete Keyboard Works
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Dowland ? van Eyck ? Telemann ? Bach ? Handel
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
[prestomusic
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7941361
] Retrieved 2024 Feb 19
- ^
Lute Suites
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J. S. Bach on Viola Bastarda, Lute and Lute-Harpsichord
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
OCLC
63612624
.
- ^
L'œuvre de luth: Johann Sebastian Bach
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Highlights of Russian Guitar Performing Art
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Eine Hausmusik bei Bach
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Eine Hausmusik bei Bach
at Recorder Home Page website.
- ^
Werke fur Laute
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J. S. Bach: Little Preludes
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J.S. Bach: Works for Lute Vol. 2
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach Lute Music
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Baroque Music for Lute & Guitar
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach: Les petits preludes et fugues
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach in Amsterdam
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
OCLC
220795509
.
- ^
J.S. Bach: The works for lute in original keys and tunings
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Miniature Masterpieces for Piano
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J. S. Bach: Complete Lute Works
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J. S. Bach: Lute Works, Vol. 1
at
Muziekweb
website;
Johann Sebastian Bach: Lute Music
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Musique Intime
pour
Guitare
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Classical Gems on Trumpet and Harp
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J. S. Bach: Piano Works
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J.S. Bach: Lute Music
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Marimbissimo
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
De Bach a Bolling
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Piano Miniatures by Great Composers
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J.S. Bach: Harpsichord Works
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Prelude in C minor, BWV999 (Angela Hewitt)
at
Hyperion
website.
- ^
L'atelier des pianistes, Vol. II
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J.S. Bach: Die Lautenwerke
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
A distant shore: music of Bach, Weiss and Kellner
at
Pennsylvania State University
website.
- ^
Johann Sebastian Bach: Petits Preludes, Fantaisies & Fugues
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J.S. Bach: Pieces pour clavecin
at
Muziekweb
website;
Bach: Works for Harpsichord
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach: Works for Lute-Harpsichord
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Anna-Magdalena Jean-Sebastien Bach
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach: The Chamber Music, Vol. 11/2 ? Works for Lute BWV 998?1000, 1006a
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
OCLC
44731942
.
- ^
Johann Sebastian Bach: Works for Lute, Vol. 2
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Lessons with Bach
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach: Complete lute music
at
Muziekweb
website;
Bach: Complete lute music (Echo series)
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Music from the Royal Courts of Germany
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J S Bach: Inventions ? Preludes ? Symphonies
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach Edition: Suites, Fantasias, Preludes & Fugues
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J. S. Bach: Petits Preludes et Fugues
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
The Lute Music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Vol. 2
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach: Lute works
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Famous Works for Harpsichord
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Baroque Favorites for Guitar
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Cancion y Danza
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Meditation
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Marimba
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach: Obras para laud
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J-S. Bach, Vol. II
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Tribute
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J. S. Bach: Music for Lute-Harpsichord
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Inventions & Sinfonies
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Two-Part Inventions & Sinfonias
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach on the Italian Lute
(&
Reviews
) at
www.guildmusic.com
.
- ^
Bach Transcriptions
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Plays Bach II
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Johann Sebastian Bach: Preludes et autres fantaisies
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Quadrat d'or: Bach ? Mozart ? Beethoven ? Wagner
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Musica Barocca a Due
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J.S. Bach: Complete music for lute
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Johann Sebastian Bach: Œuvres pour clavecin-luth
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach & the early pianoforte
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Bach: Praeludien & Fugen
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Piano Encores
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Johann Sebastian Bach: Complete Works for Lute
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Kinship
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
Interiorem
at
Muziekweb
website.
- ^
J. S. Bach: Works for lute
at
Muziekweb
website.
Sources
[
edit
]
- "D-B Mus.ms. Bach P 804, Fascicle 19"
.
Bach Digital
. Leipzig:
Bach Archive
; et al. 14 January 2020.
- "Prelude, c BWV 999"
.
Bach Digital
. Leipzig:
Bach Archive
; et al. 9 April 2020.
- Durr, Alfred
; Kobayashi, Yoshitake, eds. (1998). "9. Werke fur Laute".
Bach Werke Verzeichnis: Kleine Ausgabe ? Nach der von Wolfgang Schmieder vorgelegten 2. Ausgabe
[
Bach Works Catalogue: Small Edition ? After Wolfgang Schmieder's 2nd edition
] (in German). Kirsten Beißwenger (collaborator). (
BWV
2a
ed.). Wiesbaden:
Breitkopf & Hartel
. pp. 407?410.
ISBN
978-3-7651-0249-3
. Preface in English and German.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (
link
)
- Eichberg, Hartwig;
Kohlhase, Thomas
[in German]
, eds. (1976).
Einzeln uberlieferte Klavierwerke II / Kompositionen fur Lauteninstrumente
[
Single handed down Piano Works II ? Compositions for Lute Instruments
].
New Bach Edition
(in German). Vol. Series V (Keyboard and Lute Works), Vol. 10 (Urtext ed.).
Barenreiter
. pp. VI?VII ("Zur Edition"), 81ff.
ISMN
9790006462575. BA 5044-01.
- Griepenkerl, Friedrich Konrad
, ed. (1843). "16. XII petits Preludes ou Exercises pour les Commencants" [16. Twelve little preludes or exercises for beginners].
Compositions pour le Piano-Forte sans et avec accompagnement Par Jean Sebastien Bach
[
Piano compositions, without and with accompaniment, by Johann Sebastian Bach
]. Oeuvres complets de Jean Sebastien Bach (in French and German). Vol. 9. Leipzig:
C. F. Peters
. pp. 73?83.
OCLC
706038903
. Plate number: 2838.
- Griepenkerl, Friedrich Konrad
, ed. (1844).
12 petits preludes ou exercises pour le commencans
[
12 little preludes or exercises for beginners
]. Pieces detachees de la 9me livraison des compositions pour le pianoforte par Jean sebastien Bach (in French and German). Vol. 16. Leipzig:
C. F. Peters
. Plate number: 2838.
- Henning, Uta (1987).
"Zur Frage des Lautenklaviers bei Johann Sebastian Bach: Mogliche Zuweisung der Bachschen Lautenkompositionen an das Lautenklavier ? Beschreibung des Instruments und Rekonstruktionsversuche im 20. Jahrhundert"
. In
Berke, Dietrich
; Hanemann, Dorothee (eds.).
Alte Musik als asthetische Gegenwart: Bach, Handel, Schutz
. Bericht uber den internationalen musikwissenschaftlichen Kongreß Stuttgart 1985 (in German). Vol. 2. Barenreiter. pp. 465?469.
ISBN
3-7618-0767-8
– via
Qucosa
[
de
]
.
- Naumann, Ernst
, ed. (1890). "XIX. Zwolf kleine Praeludien" [19.
Twelve Little Preludes
].
Joh. Seb. Bach's Clavierwerke: Vierter Band
[
Joh. Seb. Bach's keyboard compositions: Vol. IV
].
Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe
(in German). Vol. 36.
Bach Gesellschaft
. Leipzig:
Breitkopf & Hartel
. pp. LX?LXI ("
Vorwort
"), 118?127.
- Neemann, Hans
[at Wikidata]
(1931).
"J. S. Bachs Lautenkompositionen"
[J. S. Bach's lute compositions]. In
Schering, Arnold
(ed.).
Bach-Jahrbuch 1931
[
Bach-Yearbook 1931
].
Bach-Jahrbuch
(in German). Vol. 28. Leipzig:
Breitkopf & Hartel
. pp. 72?87.
doi
:
10.13141/bjb.v1931
– via
Qucosa
[
de
]
.
- Schulenberg, David
[in French]
(2006).
"Little Preludes"
.
The Keyboard Music of J.S. Bach
(2nd ed.).
Taylor & Francis
. pp. 169?176.
ISBN
978-0-415-97400-4
.
- Spitta, Philipp
(1873).
Johann Sebastian Bach
(in German). Vol. I. Leipzig:
Breitkopf & Hartel
.
- Spitta, Philipp
(1880).
Johann Sebastian Bach
(in German). Vol. II. Leipzig:
Breitkopf & Hartel
.
- Spitta, Philipp
(1899).
Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany, 1685?1750
. Vol.
I
?
II
?
III
. Translated by
Bell, Clara
;
Fuller Maitland, John Alexander
.
Novello & Co
.
- Stinson, Russell (1992).
"
'Ein Sammelband aus Johann Peter Kellners Besitz': Neue Forschungen zur Berliner Bach-Handschrift P 804"
. In
Durr, Alfred
;
Neumann, Werner
(eds.).
Bach-Jahrbuch 1992
[
Bach-Yearbook 1992
].
Bach-Jahrbuch
(in German). Vol. 78.
Neue Bachgesellschaft
. Leipzig:
Evangelische Verlagsanstalt
. pp. 45?64.
doi
:
10.13141/bjb.v1992
.
ISSN
0084-7682
– via
Qucosa
[
de
]
.
- Wolff, Christoph
;
Emery, Walter
(20 January 2001).
"Bach, Johann Sebastian"
.
Grove Music Online
(8th ed.).
Oxford University Press
.
ISBN
978-1-56159-263-0
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Organ
|
- Fugue in G minor, BWV 131a
(doubtful)
- Sonatas, BWV 525?530
- Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 531
- Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532
- Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537
- Toccata and Fugue in D minor ("Dorian"), BWV 538
- Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV 540
- Fantasia and Fugue in G minor ("Great"), BWV 542
- Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543
- Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 544
- Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546
- Prelude and Fugue in E minor ("Wedge"), BWV 548
- Eight Short Preludes and Fugues, BWV 553?560
(doubtful)
- Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 562
- Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564
- Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
(doubtful)
- Prelude (Toccata) and Fugue in E major, BWV 566
- Fantasia ("Piece d'Orgue") in G major, BWV 572
- Fugue in G minor ("Little"), BWV 578
- Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
- Concertos, BWV 592?597
- Orgelbuchlein
, BWV 599?644
- Schubler Chorales
, BWV 645?650
- Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes
, BWV 651?668
- Chorale partita
Sei gegrußet, Jesu gutig
, BWV 768
- Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her", BWV 769
- Neumeister chorales
, BWV 1090?1120
- Chorale fantasia
Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns halt
, BWV 1128
|
---|
Keyboard
| |
---|
Lute
| |
---|
Mixed
collections
| |
---|
|