Wtc2 E major / Fischer / Froberger

[Bradley P Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>]

I wrote:

>...And it's interesting that this fugue's material was borrowed by Bach
>directly from JKF Fischer's _Ariadne Music_ (various copies exist from
>1702/1710/1715), a direct predecessor of the WTC.  Fischer in turn may
>have got the subject from Froberger.  New piece, old cloth.

Hans asked:

>I've ordered the Naxos-cd. But I was wondering, is this collection of
>preludes and fugues ever been published? Or is there someone who can send
>me a .jpg or smth of this eight prel/fugue in E?
>And from what piece of Froberger does the subject come from?

The Fischer _Ariadne musica_ is available as part of the complete keyboard
works of Fischer: Breitkopf & Hartel 8407.  This edition is by Ernst von
Werra, 1901.  I got mine in 1990; should be still in print.  It's worth
having for all those suites and other preludes and fugues, too.  _Ariadne
musica_ takes up only pp 75-98 in there; the pieces are all very short.
There are 20 preludes and fugues, followed by five ricercars.  The E major
p/f is on page 83.

There could be at least two Froberger pieces in play here as models for
the Fischer and Bach pieces.  The Fantasia #2 from 1649 is a double fugue
where this is the principal subject.  This fantasia is in E Phrygian, not
E major; an interesting difference.  Then there is the Ricercar #4 from
1658, in C major (but starting in G).  In this one Froberger uses the
familiar subject both normally and inverted: mixed together, alternating.
It's tightly constructed: there aren't many bars where the subject or
inversion are absent.


Bradley Lehman, Dayton VA
home: http://i.am/bpl  or  http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl
CD's: http://listen.to/bpl or http://www.mp3.com/bpl

"Music must cause fire to flare up from the spirit - and not only sparks
from the clavier...." - Alfred Cortot