Bach the Transcriber : His Organ

ne lesson offered by historical studies of musical styles is that the greatest composers almost never abandon their musical heritage entirely even in their most progressive compositions. They tend to build their works upon existing styles and genres, and then transform them into new styles in ways unprecedented in their times. Josquin des Prez, the “Beethoven of the Renaissance,” has been regarded by many as the integrator of the different styles of the Mass prevalent in the continent in the early sixteenth century; Monteverdi, the father of modern opera, embellished the more oldfashioned Florentine monodic style with what he had learned from the Italian madrigalists in his operas; J. S. Bach, one of the greatest composers of all time, also absorbed into his music the styles of many composers of different nationalities. An Italian master whose compositions had significant impact on Bach was Antonio Vivaldi. In 1713-1714, Bach transcribed at least nine concertos of Vivaldi, three for solo organ (BWV 593-4, 596), and six for solo harpsichord (BWV 972-3, 975-6, 978, 980). In this article, we shall analyze Bach’s transcription process in his three organ concertos after Vivaldi, and discuss briefly some possible influence of these transcriptions on Bach’s later compositions. But before our analysis, it is instructive to examine Bach’s original purpose in writing these organ concertos. O