Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906

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Performed on a Flemish harpsichord by Martha Goldstein

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Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906, is a keyboard piece, likely unfinished, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach sometime during his tenure in Leipzig (1723–1750). The work survives in two autograph scores, one with the fantasia alone, and the other, believed to have been penned around 1738 in which the fugue is incomplete. The piece is notable for being one of Bach's latest compositions in the prelude and fugue format, and for being a showcase of Bach trying his hand at the emerging galant and empfindsam styles of music that his sons were known to compose.

History

Based on the watermarks of the paper on which the oldest extant autograph of the Fantasia was written, its likely date of origin is around 1728–1730. The handwriting is neat, almost without corrections. Based on similar research, the date of the second extant autograph (including the Fugue) is around 1738. The handwriting of this manuscript is a fair copy and nearly without corrections, until, from the 25th bar of the Fugue, it becomes more sketchy. According to Hans-Joachim Schulze, the origin of this manuscript may be connected to Bach's 1738 extended visit to Dresden.

Movements

Fantasia

The Fantasia is cast in a three-part sonata form, and is characterized by hand-crossing figures and running triplets. Like the BWV 542 and 903 Fantasias, this movement is a highly chromatic affair.

Fugue

The fugue is unfinished, abruptly stopping 47-measures into the movement. Because the work exists in a fair-copy autograph, it is possible that Bach had completed the work in an earlier draft. Like the preceding movement, the fugue is highly chromatic, and contains hand-crossing figures, the most of any Bach fugue.

Reception

In 1802 Johann Nikolaus Forkel described two keyboard fantasies by Bach in his biography of the composer. He sees the first of these, the one known as chromatic (BWV 903), as "unique and unequalled", and the second, the one in C minor (BWV 906), as a work of different character, "rather the Allegro of a Sonata". Unaware of the composition's second autograph, which was only discovered in Dresden in 1876, he thinks that the Fugue is unconnected to the Fantasia and that the end of the Fugue is likely by another composer. According to Charles Sanford Terry "... the Fugue cannot be called unfinished."

Ferruccio Busoni used the fantasia and his own completion of the fugue in his Fantasia, Adagio e Fuga, BV B 37.

References

^ D-Dl Mus. 2405-T-52 at Bach Digital website.
Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906 at Allmusic
^ Schulenberg 2006, 153.
^ Schulenberg 2006, 154.
^ US-NYpm B 1184. F216 at Bach Digital website.
^ Forkel & Terry 1920, pp. 127–128.

Works cited

Forkel, Johann Nikolaus; Terry, Charles Sanford (1920). Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art and Work – translated from the German, with notes and appendices. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Howe.
Schulenberg, David (2006), The Keyboard Music of J.S. Bach (2nd ed.), Routledge, ISBN 0-521-89115-9

External links

v t e Compositions for organ, keyboard and lute by Johann Sebastian Bach
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 ("Pièce 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 Orgelbüchlein, BWV 599–644 Schübler Chorales, BWV 645–650 Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes, BWV 651–668 Chorale partita Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig, 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 hält, BWV 1128
Keyboard	Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772–801 English Suites, BWV 806–811 French Suites, BWV 812–817 Partitas, BWV 825–830 No. 2 No. 4 No. 6 Overture in the French style, BWV 831 Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893 Book 1 No. 1 in C major No. 2 in C minor No. 3 in C♯ major No. 4 in C♯ minor No. 7 in E♭ major No. 10 in E minor No. 16 in G minor No. 21 in B♭ major No. 22 in B♭ minor Book 2 No. 1 in C major No. 2 in C minor No. 3 in C♯ major No. 4 in C♯ minor No. 5 in D major No. 6 in D minor No. 12 in F minor No. 13 in F♯ major No. 18 in G♯ minor No. 22 in B♭ minor No. 24 in B minor Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906 Toccatas, BWV 910–916 Six Little Preludes, BWV 933–938 Italian Concerto Harpsichord solo concertos Goldberg Variations discography Gould recording Aria variata alla maniera italiana Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother
Lute	Suite in G minor, BWV 995 Suite in E minor, BWV 996 Bourrée Suite in C minor, BWV 997 Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E♭ major, BWV 998 Prelude in C minor, BWV 999 Fugue in G minor, BWV 1000
Mixed collections	Clavier-Übung III: Prelude and Fugue in E♭ major ("St. Anne"), BWV 552, Chorale preludes, BWV 669–689, Duets, BWV 802–805 Concerto transcriptions, BWV 592–596 and 972–987 Klavierbüchlein W. F. Bach Notebook A. M. Bach Twelve Little Preludes
List of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach List of fugal works by Johann Sebastian Bach List of concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach

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