Top > Musicians Related to C.P.E. Bach > J.S. Bach (Sebastian) > The Art of Fugue and Chromatic Melodies

This site introduces unknown composer Emanuel Bach (C. P. E. Bach). This English version was translated from Japanese one by ChatGPT.

The Art of Fugue and Chromatic Melodies

1. Characteristics of Chromatic Melodies and Fugues

Chromatic melodies have the following characteristics:

• They create a dense expression with narrow intervals between notes.
• They blur the boundaries of tonality, enhancing tension and unease.

Bachʼs fugues are characterized by forming complex musical structures based on counterpoint. By using chromatic melodies as themes, the modulation and contrapuntal treatment in the musical progression become richer, increasing tension while demonstrating advanced compositional techniques.

2. Chromaticism in “The Art of Fugue”

In Bachʼs unfinished masterpiece “The Art of Fugue” (Die Kunst der Fuge), chromatic elements play a significant role.

• The themes often incorporate chromatic progressions, which support the overall tension of the piece.
• For example, some themes used in “The Art of Fugue” have movements that do not fit within a natural scale, creating further tonal expansion through contrapuntal development.

By utilizing chromatic themes, techniques such as modulation and inversion (retrograde of the theme) can be effectively employed, strengthening the overall structure of the fugue.

3. Bachʼs Objective: Fusion of Music Theory and Expression

One reason Bach favored chromatic melodies was his pursuit of both theoretical and technical exploration and emotional and philosophical expression in music.

• Chromatic melodies are not merely technical displays but often reflect profound spiritual themes. For Bach, music was a means to connect with God and the universe, and chromatic movements sometimes symbolized such infinite quests.

4. Bach and His Influence

Chromatic fugues existed before Bach, but they developed significantly in his hands. His influence was passed on to his successors (e.g., Mozart and Beethoven), promoting further evolution of musical techniques.

In conclusion, the art of fugue and chromatic melodies are closely related, and Bach skillfully utilized their characteristics to achieve formal perfection and deep expressiveness. This feature elevates Bachʼs fugues beyond mere exercises in music theory to works of art.

I asked ChatGPT4o: "What does it mean that ʼmodulation and contrapuntal treatment in the progression of music become richerʼ?"

"Modulation and contrapuntal treatment in the progression of music become richer" refers to the fact that chromatic melodies create diverse expressions and possibilities in musical development. Specifically, the following points can be mentioned:

1. Diversity of Modulation

Chromatic melodies have the characteristic of blurring tonality. This results in effects such as:

• Flexibility of Tonality: Chromatic progressions allow for natural modulation to keys far removed from the tonic. For example, the arrangement of notes in a chromatic theme can easily lead to keys other than the dominant (V) or subdominant (IV).
• Dramatic Development: Chromatic movements create surprise and tension when tonality changes, enriching the narrative and expression of the music.

In Bachʼs fugues, modulation is a crucial element that energizes the musical progression, and chromatic themes skillfully support this.

2. Possibilities of Counterpoint

In fugue counterpoint, music develops by repeating or transforming the theme (subject) in other voices. Chromatic melodies are particularly effective for these operations:

• Richness of Imitation and Inversion: Chromatic themes, with their narrow intervals, create new sound effects when imitated in other voices. They also provide rich musical movement when performing retrograde or inversion (reversing the melody).
• Complex Interweaving: Chromatic movements make the interweaving of voices more complex and interesting, resulting in a more advanced structure for the entire fugue.

For example, if a fugueʼs subject is chromatic, even when used in a form like a canon (strict imitation), new colors are added to the harmony between voices.

3. Emphasis on Tension

Chromatic progressions not only blur tonality but also provide psychological tension to the listener. Bach skillfully used this property to create effects such as:

• Expectation of Resolution: Chromatic movements create a temporarily unstable state, highlighting the subsequent resolution.
• Dramatic Expression: Chromatic melodies are sometimes used to add emotional depth. In Bachʼs sacred music, chromatic movements frequently appear to symbolize sin or suffering.

Specific Example

For instance, the theme of the first piece in “The Art of Fugue” includes chromatic movement. This theme expands the possibilities of modulation and counterpoint in the following ways:

1. Each time the theme is passed to other voices, it appears in different keys, changing the musical color.
2. Chromatic progressions make the development of imitation complex and interesting.
3. After chromatic tension arises, resolving to a clear key creates drama.

Conclusion

"Modulation and contrapuntal treatment in the progression of music become richer" means that chromatic melodies enhance the freedom of modulation, promote complex interactions between voices, and create a dynamic of tension and resolution. This elevates the music beyond mere theoretical exercises to works of art with deep expressiveness.

I asked ChatGPT4o: "Chromatic melodies are ambiguous in key, but did they ever become atonal?"

In Johann Sebastian Bachʼs works, while chromatic melodies often blur tonality, they never became completely atonal. Here are the reasons and background:

1. The Foundation of Tonality in Bachʼs Music

The Baroque era, during which Bach was active, was a period when functional harmony (tonal relationships such as tonic, dominant, and subdominant) was established.

• Bachʼs music thoroughly utilized this tonal system, and chromatic melodies functioned within that framework.
• Even with many chromatic movements, the overall structure of the piece clearly leads to the main key (e.g., C major or D minor).

For example, even if the theme of “The Art of Fugue” is chromatic, the beginning and end of the piece are always based on tonality.

2. Difference Between Chromatic Melodies and Atonality

Chromatic melodies can temporarily blur tonality, but they differ from atonality in the following ways:

• Resolution to Functional Harmony: Even if chromatic progressions create tension, they ultimately resolve to the tonic or dominant.
• Presence of Gravity: In Bachʼs music, musical “gravity” is always at work, and chromatic melodies play a role within it. In contrast, atonality intentionally eliminates the “gravity” of tonality.

Bach used chromatic movements not as “detonalization” but as a means of “exploring and expanding tonality.”

3. The Path to Atonality: Expansion of Tonality

In Bachʼs music, there are moments that suggest the possibility of later atonality, but these are always developed within the framework of tonality.

• When chromatic themes are extremely developed, they may feel atonal. However, this is not to exceed the limits of tonality but to explore them.
• For example, in works like “The Musical Offering” and “The Art of Fugue,” where chromatic movements frequently appear, there are parts that seem atonal, but these are techniques to enhance the tension of tonality.

4. Atonality and Bachʼs Musical Philosophy

Bachʼs music was perceived as symbolizing order and divine harmony. Atonality, seen as disrupting that order, was incompatible with Bachʼs musical philosophy.

• For Bach, music was part of a sacred order, and tonality was a fundamental element supporting that order.
• Atonality emerged more than 100 years after Bachʼs death, in the early 20th century (e.g., in the works of Schoenberg), as a result of a change in the philosophy of music itself.

5. Exceptional Cases?

Some of Bachʼs pieces have sections where tonality is very ambiguous and may sound atonal to modern ears.

• For example, in the 18th piece of “The Art of Fugue” (the unfinished quadruple fugue), complex chromatic progressions are developed, making the tonal center unclear.
• However, these are still constructed within the framework of tonality and do not reach complete atonality.

Conclusion

In Bachʼs music, while chromatic melodies may blur tonality, they never reached complete atonality. Instead, Bach used chromatic elements to expand the possibilities of tonal music and pursue the beauty of its tension and resolution. This is one reason why his music is appreciated across ages.

In relation to the above questions, I asked about the relationship between Romanticism, Schoenberg, and atonality, which is written in the following sections.

• Did Romantic composers avoid atonality!?
• The background to Schoenbergʼs active composition of atonal music

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