Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: german
Song Meaning of “Das Wohltemperierte Klavier: Book 1, BWV 846-869: Fuge cis-Moll, BWV 849” by Johann Sebastian Bach
This stunning fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach is a masterful exploration into the musical concepts of polyphonic texture and counterpoint. The title “Das Wohltemperierte Klavier”—which translates to “The Well-Tempered Clavier”—refers to Bach’s set of keyboard works composed over the two volumes in 1722 and 1744.
The piece begins with a single line that slowly intertwines with itself, shifting in the tonal center between relative major and minor keys to provide a rich texture. The motifs borrowed from the main melody reflect Bach’s fondness for variations and circle around each other to create a sense of longing and tension. This ebbs and flows throughout the piece, but never seems to get resolved as if in search of something perhaps unattainable. There is an air of melancholia that echoes the drama of life, the impermanence of joy, and the tragic notion of existence.
These concepts become particularly poignant when performed on a single instrument. The instrument serves as a metaphor for an individual on a journey of self-discovery: though one may become lost in the struggle of searching, giving up is inconceivable. Through the piece, Bach expertly captures the ongoing quest for passion and self-understanding.