FANTASIE und FUGE Über Das Thema B-A-C-H von Franz Liszt

Introduction

Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H is a fast and technically difficult work originally written for organ by Franz Liszt in 1855. He wrote another version of this piece called Präludium und Fuge über das Motiv B-A-C-H, which sounds very similar to the aforementioned work, but lacks the excessive complexity. He also transcribed both works for piano. Only the piano transcription was available from the International Music Database Project (IMSLP) which catalogues scores under public domain.

Both the Fantasy and the Fugue are based on the common B-A-C-H motif. The motif was created by spelling Johann Sebastian Bach’s surname, using B-flat, A, C, and B-natural (H in Germany.) Bach used the motif in his own works, and many other composers have since used it to pay homage to him. Bach was a committed Christian, composing a majority of his work parallel with liturgy and solely for the use in church. This BACH motif is an example of a cruciform melody: music which symboliz es the Christian cross. These consist of four pitches: the second descends a half step, the third is a whole step above the first, and the last is a half step down from the third. This short melody can also be considered considered a type of leitmotif, a musical theme which depicts non-musical elements.

Composer

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a Hungarian pianist and composer. He was also a teacher who also mostly performed the music he wrote. He invented the symphonic poem, a continuous work which depicts a nonmusical source, and may be responsible for creating today’s piano recital. Liszt performed many times on piano and was a type of “rock star” with the instrument. Liszt composed in the romantic period and also contributed the idea of thematic transformation, where a basic theme is used throughout a work, but undergoes constant transformation and may appear in contrasting roles. He mixed the ideas of usual variation with Wagner’s idea of leitmotif. He also led harmony in a new path which had never been used.

 

Performer

Jean Guillou is a French pianist, organist, composer, and teacher who was born in 1930. Guillou studied at the Paris conservatoire and was professor of organ and composition at the Institute of Sacred Music in Lisbon. He has issued many organ reco rdings, including the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Guillou designed the Saint-Eustache organ in Paris, and frequently performs there. The recording I am using comes from performances he recorded in the historical Saint-Eustache church. Along with the works by Liszt, the CD includes performances of works by Bach, Mozart, Grigny, Widor, and Guillou himself.

Musical Elements

As the chief theme throughout the fantasy (and fugue), Liszt uses the BACH motif. The piece begins with the motif in the pedal (which usually uses ranks of pipes as large as 32 sonic feet – meaning those are low bass notes.) It starts out at what seems full volume, but through the use of various pedals and stops, Guillou, the performer, increases and decreases the volume and timbre throughout the piece, changing its overall texture. Since all organs are different, organ pieces are very susceptible to various interpretations. With the command of 8,000 pipes or more (in Guillou’s case), an organist has infinite room for variation beyond the already infinite room for variation from musician to musician.

In the beginning of the piece, intensity is built up through the use of accelerando and crescendo along with building up to a diminished seventh chord. The diminished seventh chord is considered an enharmonic chord, but seems to connote a type of musical chaos which is pleasing. This sustained chord leads into a descending progression of chords with the motif audible. This descent speeds up as well as increases in volume while it leads into a section with a conjunct melody and a disjunct melody. This is seen as one clear example of polyphony in this piece. Next, there is a progression of sustained major chords which lead into a flute-like soft timbre. This section is the first dramatically dynamically soft instance in the piece. This slow tempo soon diminishes and speeds up through an ascending chord progression where the timbre gradually brightens and becomes as full as before. The intensity quickly builds as the rhythmic structure imitates the very beginning of the piece. This crescendos into a loud virtuosic section which repeats three times (each repetition is similar). Each is accompanied with their own bass tonic. The quickly ascends up about four octaves and back down, slowing and softening into the next section. The motif is carried through longer tones with a softer timbre. A monophonic line then carries through to a dual line polyphonic chord progression where inversions of the motif are heard.

This section soon drastically transitions into sustained notes of the BACH motif with underlying staccato bass triplets. The rhythms suddenly jump out of the way for four quick consecutive six octave runs (doubled between hands). The first three runs are based on the three diminished seventh chords that exist. Each run begins one half step higher than where the last began. The fourth run consists of a chord that assures resolution is near and begins to lead to the cadence. Next, a b-flat major chord is sustained while the motif stands out in quick staccatos in the pedal. This chord progresses into a D minor with a repetition of the transposed motif. This again goes into a final unresolved chord before resolving into a sustained g major with the motif still moving with the pedal and descending into the low sustained tonic G. This full textured, giant sound ceases before the second part of the piece begins, the fugue.

Conclusion

Guillou provides a wonderful organ experience through his performing this technically virtuosic piece. His fast technique along with his knowledge of the organ and its many capabilities shape the piece into a work of art which comprises tasteful interpretation of Liszt’s composition. The piece contains wide ranging dynamics, with a majority in the loud section. It also fills each end of the texture spectrum of an organ from soft flute sounds to strong principal sounds. While the form is not logically possible to map, it is fair to say Liszt wrote piece centered around the motif, through its appearance throughout. This may be considered one of his symphonic poems through his use of a central non-musical thought.

Timeline

Time	Texture / Timbre / Harmony	Dynamics / Rhythm / Tempo	Chords and Progression
0:00	BACH motif enters in pedal (bass); with hand, high notes are added to texture	Begins loud, and crescendos while speeding up	Piece is in the key of Bb major, or G minor; B-A-C-H motif set as Bb, A C, B natural
0:19	Choppy feel with whole range of pipes	Reset with sustained chord only to crescendo and speed up again	The intense sustained diminished seventh chord calls for resolution
0:31	The blend of the conjunct line and disjunct line creates polyphony	Volume stays at a medium range then crescendos toward next section; tempo fluctuates	BACH motif continues to appear throughout all registers, and is transposed along
0:43	Blend of sustained highs and quickly moving lows	Bass line in left hand jumps in 16ths; Volume is still loud; tempo is difficult to find	Bright major chords sustained: Gb, D, G, Eb
1:22	Soft flute-like texture; dramatic transition from bright, blasting sound; transitions into next section with reedy lows	Softer dynamics; slower tempo	BACH motif continues through different registers
1:49	Timbre gradually brightens into the intense next section; seems to imitate the progression in the beginning	Crescendos and speeds up into next section	Notes are ascending, most chromatically
2:02	Virtuosic feature uses very bright pipes; flows quickly through a wide range	Fast and loud in 16th notes; decrescendos into next section	Two three bar repetitions are identical with the exception of the pedal setting a different tonic
2:39	Soft timbre, with a calm selection of pipes; some monophonic and polyphonic harmony	Slow tempo transitions into faster; crescendos into split 16ths section	Runs lead into chord progressions
2:57	Timbre and texture continue and brighten	Crescendos	Motif seems to appear in a type of inverted form
3:13	Quick staccato pedal intensifies progression, which is dark but bright at the same time	Straight loud volume with sustained notes and triplet pedal line	Drastic chord progression, in the form of the motif
3:21	Bright, intense timbre – virtuosic runs	LOUD and intense with extremely fast runs which span 6 octaves	Diminished seventh chord is used; three runs ascend stepwise into the fourth run which is a more resolving chord
3:35	Brightest, largest range of pipes used; Sustained chords with underlying BACH motif followed by descending pedal line	LOUDEST with minimal deviation; Sustained chords and BACH triplets	Progresses from Bb major to D minor then to a chord leading to resolution; resolves on G major, which is sustained until pedal bass reaches low G
3:58	After Fantasia resolves on the G major chord, the Fugue begins

Links

Listen to the piece

Download the score