Beauty in Simplicity (Bach Chorale Music Analysis) - Inside the Mind of Bach

[@MusicMattersGB]

Learn Music Online - Check out our courses here! www.mmcourses.co.uk/courses

[@xavieroudin2791]

8:33 no quinte in the fifth chord...?

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@davidwhite2949]

Bach is the fountain from which all western music flows

[@MusicMattersGB]

Completely agree.

[@Marklar3]

I disagree somewhat. There were many great musicians before Bach. His music is more like a great river that hydrates all our crops, but was still fed by other rivers.

[@superblondeDotOrg]

The most popular music today& past decades however according to all streaming and trending charts is flowing from Africa, not Western Europe

[@pablom.5698]

@@superblondeDotOrg Popular =/= good.

[@superblondeDotOrg]

@@pablom.5698 ohhh gonna pull that tired debunked argument out of the cliche bag, huh??

[@youdidntseeanything5970]

Gareth helped me the most at undersanding music better.

[@MusicMattersGB]

I’m glad it’s helpful. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@thekantor1964]

Brilliant analysis. I love this chorale. Bach smiles on you from heaven, surely!

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@maffakah]

So glad you chose this chorale, I've been listening to it like a madman these past couple of weeks!

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s brilliant. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@philipkudrna5643]

Love the Bach analysis. This guy was a genius. Thanks for unlocking some of his secrets! I like best his „Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten“ (BWV 93), where the minor third suddenly changes into a major third!

[@MusicMattersGB]

Glad you’re enjoying it. Yes, that’s a fabulous moment!

[@CaptJackAubreyOfTheRoyalNavy]

Also, I always love the sound in the final cadence of the tritone in V7 being delayed until just an eighth note before the final chord. With the alto voice moving very neatly by step. Much more pleasing to my ear than a V7 block chord.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Yes it’s fabulous

[@josephinebrown6631]

Thank you kindly. I hope you have a very blessed & Merry Christmas❣️

[@MusicMattersGB]

Thanks. You too.

[@psypau]

thank youuuuuuuuu i love these videos

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s great. Thanks for your support.

[@marekgaazka7279]

Bach = Genius!

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely

[@musicarroll]

It is very helpful to not only look at the harmonic functions but also the melodic sense of each voice separately. First the soprano, then the bass, then the alto and finally the tenor. As with all of Bach's music you'll find that each voice presents a legitimate melody in its own right, even if sometimes only very modest melodies in the inner voices.

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s absolutely true

[@diesi7777]

Great topic. Thank you!

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@thefrozensea9314]

Thank you for this video and analysis, it was very interesting :)

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@Butlinsgvn6]

Thanks

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure! Thank you very much for your generosity and support for the channel!

[@quasi6243]

That VII modulation is beautiful - I imagine it's the combination of the strength of the diminished chord and the sudden modulation which gives it such power

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely.

[@geraldillo]

Great explanation, thanks

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@geraldillo]

Music Matters ; I would like to help you with that, but unfortunately I don't see a super thanks button...

[@MusicMattersGB]

No problem. It may not be available to you for some reason. Thank you for your kind comment.

[@simonsmatthew]

Wonderful. Many thanks.

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@riverstun]

Thank you again Gareth, and good health. This is an excellent example of how Bach could use a very few notes (about 60) to create an immense feeling. I was at Falmer Bar in Sussex once when my friends said, "Bach, he's so mathematical, no emotion". Amazing that I had friends with an opinion on Bach, I suppose (scientists), and one stood with me slack-jawed at how they could say that. This is two phrases that between them convey incredible pathos, with minimal materials. In the second phrase, the rising bass line really gives a strong sense of optimism - rising is good, falling is sad, and the stepwise ascent shows inexorability - hope that we can depend on. The A# in the tenor drives strongly, yearningly, to the B at the start of that phrase. Its like someone leaping for a branch that could save his life. The dissonances you point out add poignancy. I first got the impact of this at a friend's funeral - he died around age 20, a doctor at the start of his career, just after his finals, when he had all his ducks lined up, and then, *poof*. Drowned on a canal holiday. They played this at the funeral, and it really hit me in a way I never forgot, and to be honest, hearing it in this context really explained the emotion. I'd heard this before, and found it peaceful, but hearing it in the context of the death of someone I knew, albeit briefly, totally explained the emotional content to me. Decades later, I bore my mother's coffin into the Cathedral to this piece played on the organ above. I had chosen the music too well, and nearly broke down when I heard it. I should say that my mother used to tell me that she sang Bach chorales in school, so thats another reason I chose this particular piece. Entering, knowing that she would have loved hearing this played at her funeral, well, it was a perfect send-off gift. It's one of the most bittersweet emotional moments of my life. And that's what makes Bach so incredible. He understood, half rationally, half intuitively, how to create music with a specific emotional impact. In the context of his working life, I'm pretty sure he just dashed this piece off in 5 minutes, adding a dissonance here, a suspension there, in a certain key - but despite his professional cookie-cutter formulas (which he must have had to e.g., write the Matthew Passion in a few weeks), they worked - and still work today. I would love to have a weekend with the man to sit down and just discuss how he set about designing pieces like this. I'm sure he considered his work "craft" not "art" - so learning his go-to box of tricks would be incredible. There are some pieces that lay his technique open, if we can see; the chaconne, some of the cello works, a lot of the passions. And this is aside from the intellectual stuff I love, the fugues, canons, etc. When it all comes together, like the opening chorus of the Matthew Passions - its mindblowing. But the simplicity of this chorale you present here - once the listener has the context in which to place it - is the core of Bach. TO hear this at a concert is one thing - to hear it at a funeral is another.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Thank you for sharing such poignant personal experiences that really make the connection between great music and life.

[@michaelcalder9089]

Your story and reflections resonate with me. At all stages of my life Bach's music has given me joy, emotion and constant wonder.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely

[@dhpbear2]

13:20 - Perchance to modulate! ;)

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@timdovecool7202]

Best analysis ever.... thanks.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@alessandropradella4457]

Don't you think the chord at the third beat of the third bar could be a V sus 4 chord? The b in the soprano part seems to be a lower turning note of C# to me. Nice explaination

[@MusicMattersGB]

It is a V sus 4 in essence. It’s just that in Bach’s day it would have been regarded as a prepared 4-3 suspension. In more contemporary styles we sometimes use unprepared sus chords. Back then the 4 was treated as a prepared and resolved dissonance.

[@the_eternal_student]

I am not sure how you could make it concise, but I am finding that comparing Bach's multiple harmonizations of the same chorale can unlock alot of new doors.

[@MusicMattersGB]

That is a great revelation

[@lindacowles756]

G'day, Mr. Greene! I have managed to print out the 1st 4 bars of "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" as you have elaborated on here in this video. I am by no means a pianist but I practice those few measures on my piano and wonder if there is a way to get the rest of that chorale in the same key as is presented in this video. I would very much like to learn the entire chorale. It is so beautiful and moving as I think about its subject, the Passion of our Lord. Thank you for your videos. They are very interesting and informative. I especially enjoy "Name the Composer" quizzes also.

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. If you go on IMSLP you will be able to access a complete collection. You’ll find it there.

[@lindacowles756]

@@MusicMattersGB G'day, sir. If you please, what is IMSLP? Is it a website?

[@MusicMattersGB]

Yes. Have a look. Full of music scores.

[@gabrielfigueiredo4372]

thank you so much! love the Bach videos

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@sirfinxssealot2159]

Nice 👍🏽

[@MusicMattersGB]

A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

When you are doing analyses such as these, what level would you expect the students to have attained? I think I have to play another year or two to even think of taking a Beginner level piano course, so any progress I can make before then is just preparation. And thanks for your very clear explanations.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Thanks for your positive feedback. I think it’s best to worry less about your level. Keep engaging with these videos and your skills will improve.

[@HenriqueOliveiraBR]

Wonderful teacher!

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s most kind. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@riverstun]

As to why he tripled the root on that last chord (and indeed why he did almost the same on the second note of the phrase (BBDD)), I think its because of the hollow, empty sound that it creates.. a sense of emptiness, loss (the hollow feeling in your stomach). This feeling is pretty much throughout phrase 2; because of the rising bass, beat 2 (which has a full chord) sounds kinda like a passing note to beat three, which once again moves to FBFB, another hollow chord (although there is an accented passing note on the C in the soprano. So which is the non-chord tone here, the C as a passing note or the following B as a lower neighbor? Not really important, but we have again that hollow sounding empty, forlorn sound. So that's 3 times in that phrase we have a 2-note chord with the 5th omitted, giving a clear "affekt" - or at least, that's how I hear it.

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s a great interpretation

[@danil667hetman]

Hello! Why not consider the harmony in the third beat of the penultimate bar - as a dominant with suspention in a tenor ? Maybe it would be more logical. And the appearance of a passing note of B in the right hand later - could be explained by the softening of the dissonance.

[@MusicMattersGB]

It’s certainly a 4-3 suspension in the tenor. You could see the Soprano B as a lower auxiliary note.

[@Ilovetosingem]

Hi Gareth I couldn't work out the V7b as there was no 7th, and then I saw that you held the G from the IV and veolia! I've been watching this for about 3 hours, taking it all in hopefully. The time just flew by. When you say 9 8 above bass, isn't it really above the root note. Thanks great as usual.

[@MusicMattersGB]

I’m glad it’s helpful. 9-8 and all suspensions are always indicated above the bass note that’s sounding rather than referring to notes above the root of the chord.

[@Ilovetosingem]

@@MusicMattersGB Although in this case the bass note is also the root note, but by convention or so, one doesn't say root. Although intervals are ref from the tonic/root note. Have I got it! I hope so!

[@MusicMattersGB]

Reference suspensions from the bass note that’s actually sounding at the time, whether it’s the tonic third or fifth of the chord.

[@Ilovetosingem]

@@MusicMattersGB That's clear. Sorry for not understanding earlier. This is the answer I was seeking, clear as a bell. It's just in this case the root and sounding were the same. Thanks again.

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@InfoDaggel]

Thank you Gareth! These are true gems. I enjoy these videos immensely. I was thinking, if repeated this phrase, taking the tenor from a# to f# would create parallels between tenor and bass going to th anacrusis (b-f# -> d-a) or is this irrelevant? Or could this be the reason for going with triple roots?

[@MusicMattersGB]

In this case the tenor could have moved from A# down to F# at the end and this would have filled out the final chord successfully. There’s no problem with consecutives in this case but yes, avoiding consecutives is sometimes the reason for creating a triple root.

[@InfoDaggel]

@@MusicMattersGB Thank you very much for taking the time to respond and for doing so quickly. I believe I may not have been expressing myself clearly. When I sing this I automatically want to repeat the two phrases, which I believe then creates parallels between tenor and bass *going back* from the last note and the anacrusis. In the attached example I am trying to "simulate" the repetition. I hope this is clear. If I am wrong, there is something I missed and I would be really interested in learning about it. Thanks a million. - And yes, those courses look very interesting.

[@MusicMattersGB]

You haven’t got consecutives between the TB when moving from the final chord to a possible repeat of the first chord but you would have consecutives had the tenor finished on F#.

[@InfoDaggel]

@@MusicMattersGB Thank you. This is exactly what I meant and I thought that maybe people did repeat these at some point or JSB thought they might and therefore went with the incomplete chord.

[@RudyWarman]

That B7 change is a thing of beauty. So is this going from the 1 to the 6?

[@MusicMattersGB]

It’s taking us from D major to it’s relative minor, B minor. I agree it’s a fabulous chord.

[@RudyWarman]

@@MusicMattersGB ah I see. Thanks for clarifying!

[@isaacshaw1596]

If he went to the B in the tenor part and did double the major third, wouldn't there be a secondary issue of the consecutive 8ves with the soprano as he moved down to the A in the second beat of the first complete bar? Also you said that he couldn't go down to the G because of the huge leap up to F# but couldn't he of gone down F# below the bass clef stave or am I missing something?

[@MusicMattersGB]

There are always solutions. It’s usually a matter of finding the best one, even if that sometimes involves compromise. Generally one would avoid consecutives. Major 3rd doubling is less serious and something that Bach often does.

[@canman5060]

The Passion Hymn.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Yes

[@the_eternal_student]

I think the dissonance of the penultimate chord in bar 3 is aided by the fact that it is a mixture of a cadential six four and a V chord, which happens alot, not unlike the retardation of the final tonic chord with notes suspended with or without preparation from the V chord against notes from the tonic.

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@Panos-Veria]

Nice video sir. With chord symbols, I think it is easier to understand the patterns that are used in any composition, no matter if it is classical or pop or any other kind of music in any mode. Without patterns that our brain can recognize and have heard before, a composition will sound rather weird.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Completely agree.

[@vramachandran4004]

In 2 phrase he's desending d , c#, b. As like first ( b , a , g , f , e ). And tenor part , 2 bar and 3rd bar is similar , thats why he might moved a# to b( how ever leading note has to move to tonic.) and piece mostly moved by step before, so . is that like that ?

[@MusicMattersGB]

The leading note often leads to the tonic but it doesn’t have to.

[@vramachandran4004]

@@MusicMattersGB ok

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@dahudge9]

This is my favorite one! It's my favorite one to play too. The version in my book of hymms is credited to Bach but is in C major instead of D. Where did this transcription come from?

[@MusicMattersGB]

There are various collections of Chorales and they are sometimes transposed. I agree this is a great Chorale.

[@zerksari]

@Gareth can you expand on Bach? Ie what makes him so superior, if you were to conjecture? I am a pianist (amateur such) and his note choices generally sticks out to me as.. Unexpectedly excellent. How this?

[@MusicMattersGB]

Keep watching this series of Bach videos. Each one reveals another aspect of what makes Bach a supreme composer.

[@zerksari]

@@MusicMattersGB will do, the day I had enough Bach theory is when it's time to abandon ship. Excellent videos, please continue :).

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀 You might enjoy our Bach Chorale course at www.mmcourses.co.uk

[@YourFavouriteColor]

Just a question. The chord that opens the second phrase, that you're calling an inverted vii, I would definitely interpret that as a second inversion F# dominant. would that be considered incorrect? I know fully diminished sevenths and inverted dominants are kind of interchangeable, but is there any reason to use one over the other in this case?

[@Bbqkick]

They have a similar sound and function, but that chord can't be F#7 second inversion because it there's no F#

[@YourFavouriteColor]

@@Bbqkick yes I considered that but in secondary dominant motion with those inversions and leading tones, if the sorority and function is heavily implied, can't the root he omitted? To me the only time I really feel dim 7s are appropriate is when the seventh(in this case the G) is in the chord and isn't a b9-1 passing tone. I'd say the absence of a G makes it a stronger case for a 2nd inversion F# dominant than the absence of an F# making it a stronger case for a vii. Just sharing my personal rationale

[@MusicMattersGB]

It’s a good discussion point. V7 and VII are often interchangeable because all the notes in VII are contained in V7. Diminished 7ths contain those characteristic minor 3rds and it’s important to key reference them in relation to enharmonics. All three often perform a dominant chord function.

[@armansrsa]

Thanks Gareth. Is there a place you can recommend where I can get some more scores of these chorales to to look at?

[@MusicMattersGB]

The Riemenschneider book is an excellent resource: amzn.to/38Rxk60

[@LSpencer777]

IMO the reason why the second phrase ends in a chord that lacks a third has to do with the lyrics. The "empty" cord conveys the emptiness of "Voll Schmerz und voller Hohn" -- in English, "full of pain and full of scorn" (via Google Translate). You see a lot of this in Bach, where the music conveys the meaning of the words in ways that we in the 21st century are not always attuned to.

[@MusicMattersGB]

There’s certainly plenty of word painting in Bach.

[@gabrielapodaca1102]

I have been trying to figure out if there are any principles from chorale writing that can be applied to chord writing with five or more voices

[@MusicMattersGB]

You can certainly apply the principles beyond 4 parts.

[@gabrielapodaca1102]

@@MusicMattersGB thanks so much any tips on how to go about it, or resources. Greatly appreciated !!! youre videos are helping many

[@MusicMattersGB]

We will make a video or two to assist in due course.

[@phatato]

Hi thanks for your video, I'm confused though as to why the A# note makes it the key of B minor? B minor and D major being relative to each other, wouldn't they have the exact same notes in the scale?

[@MusicMattersGB]

B minor and D major share a two sharp key signature but in the harmonic minor scale we also raise the 7th degree of the scale - A# in the case.

[@phatato]

@@MusicMattersGB Ahhh ok that makes sense now, thanks so much for clarifying! :)

[@keithcitizen4855]

Compound thirds ? does that mean an octave combined with a third ? , Mozart used running tenths in a little night music passing notes.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Yes Compound 3rds are the same as 10ths.

[@keithcitizen4855]

@@MusicMattersGB wow thanks , I have just learned there is "simple" intervals too.

[@CaptJackAubreyOfTheRoyalNavy]

When you say "chord I B" is B referring to 1st inversion? I've never heard this naming convention.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely. It’s one of the two main international systems - the one you know plus a root position b first inversion c second inversion

[@Patrick_Bruno]

That's the convention used in the UK

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely. And in many other parts of the world.

[@YasmeenKauserZiaudeen]

What kind of chord is the third beat of the third bar?/ Is it a Ic chord sir?

[@MusicMattersGB]

Third beat of the third bar has to be seen in the light of the following chord because it’s a 4-3 suspension resolving on to chord V

[@YasmeenKauserZiaudeen]

@@MusicMattersGB thank you sir!

[@MusicMattersGB]

@user-bx8xd5pz9c 😀

[@zishumusic]

it's look so easy. but it's not only “easy”

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀 Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here kzbin.info/door/8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.

[@eriksatieofficiel]

Nice. I believe this one chorale has been used by Liszt in his Via Crucis.

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@JBorda]

Bach was like : “ok kids im going to show how music will be for the next 400 hundred years.. sit down listen and write down”

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely!

[@MiguelBaptista1981]

So this is where Paul Simon stole the harmony for American Tune.

[@MusicMattersGB]

I’ve no idea but it’s an interesting thought.

[@bobhoffer5426]

Paul took Bach's melody almost note for note, added a beautiful break, and genius lyrics. The song is more relevant today than when he wrote it. You're exactly right, but I would say he was inspired rather than stealing.

[@MusicMattersGB]

😀

[@johnnyjames7139]

I don't like the music of J. S. Bach, never have. I say Bach humbug!

[@MusicMattersGB]

That’s a pity. Wonderful composer!

[@Tyrell_Corp2019]

lol. "What's going on with keys". Bach bored by diatonic doldrums. Tension. It's a thing.

[@MusicMattersGB]

Absolutely