Bach and Schoenberg Essay -- Music

J. S. Bach was the first known composer to use a literal representation of his name in his music. He used the chromatic motive B-A-C-H , that is, B-flat, A, C, B-natural in American theoretical language in Contrapunctuas XIV from the Art of Fugue. Although Bach left this fugue unfinished, the third and last subject of the fugue was the B-A-C-H motive that composers after Bach have used to pay tribute to the great composer. There are a number of composers; including: Schumann, Liszt, Reger, Busoni, Schoenberg, and Webern, who have used the B-A-C-H theme in their works; varying the way they employed it to make it part of their personal style. NEED SCHUMANN, LISZT, REGER INTRODUCTION SENTENCES. In 1910, Busoni created one of most famous works, Fantasia Contrappuntistica, that "finished" Bach's unfinished fugue; the theme is easily noticeable in contrapuntal form. In 1923, the year Schoenberg created his twelve-tone method, he composed op. 25 Suite FÃ ¼r Klavier, which employs his tonal row in inversion, the B-A-C-H motive. In 1937-38, a student of Schoenberg and a purveyor of serialism, Webern used a tonal row beginning with the B-A-C-H motive to create his piece Streichquartett, op 28. Each of the three modern composers uses this theme differently but they each have used these four notes to create a piece that connects each of them to Bach in a unique way. In Fuga a 3 Soggetti (Contrapunctus XIV) from the Art of Fugue; Bach first presented two whole fugues with separate subjects before beginning the signature-subject . The subject begins with the four notes B flat, A, C, and B natural in a chromatic pattern that is easily recognized. As can be seen below, he quickly matches his subject in the tenor with a real answer at a fi... ...e is a key factor of serialism and Webern is able pull this off while maintaining the B-A-C-H theme in his row. Annotated Bibliography ARSIS Audio: CD168." ARSIS Audio. Web. 01 Oct. 2009. Electronic Bach, J.S. "Contrapunctus XIX: Fuga a 3 sogetti". Art of Fugue. Electronic Bailey, Kathryn . "Webern, Anton." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 9 Nov. 2009. Electronic Busoni, Ferruccio. "Fuga III". Fantasia Contrappuntistica. Print. Neighbour, O.W. "Schoenberg, Arnold." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 9 Nov. 2009. Electronic. Sitsky, Larry. Busoni and the Piano: The Works, The Writings, and the Recordings. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986. Print. Schoenberg, Arnold. Suite FÃ ¼r Klavier, Op.25. Wien: Universal Edition. Print. Webern, Anton. Streichquartett, Op. 28 / #c Webern. Wien: Universal Edition. Print.