Van Doeselaar on Bach Fantasia and fugue in G minor BWV 542 | Netherlands Bach Society

"The Fantasia is a very free composition with incredible dissonances and an incredible rhetoric." Organist Leo van Doeselaar talks about the Fantasia in fugue in G minor, which he performed for All of Bach.
For more information on BWV 542 and credits of this production go to www.bachvereni...
For the complete performance of Fantasia and fugue in G minor go to • Bach - Fantasia and fu...
Recorded for the project All of Bach on October 8th 2013 at St Martin's Church, Groningen. If you want to help us complete All of Bach, please subscribe to our channel bit.ly/2vhCeFB and consider donating bit.ly/3J5uprM.
All of Bach is a project of the Netherlands Bach Society, with the aim to perform and record all of Bach's works and share them online with the world for free. Visit our online treasury for more videos and background material on www.bachvereni.... For concert dates and tickets go to www.bachvereni....
Leo van Doeselaar, organ
Instrument: Arp Schnitger, 1692

[@ginadutschke7102]

Fantastic! Thank you so much for this educational lesson on the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor. We are so blessed to have you teach us from afar. With our heartfelt thanks - all those who live outside of Europe.

[@SDGRTX1455]

This kind of mini documentary are the gold of this channel, and can listen to it, the whole day long

[@wolkowy1]

Not only we don't know how the audience reacted to this most powerful Fantasia and Fugue at Bach's time but even today it must have a tremendous effect on us - modern listeners, especially with the organist Leo van Doeselaar's amazing performance on this specific giant organ! Thanks for referring to Bach's rhetoric elements, the choosing of the original major Picardy third at the end of the Fantasia, and the enthusiastic attitude in general' as revealed in the organist's performance and interview.

[@geiryvindeskeland7208]

wolkowy1, Wim Winters has chadowbanned me, therefore I need to use others videos to tell you this: You are not qualfied to jugde Winters’ fugue BWV 543 the way you do. The lack of knowlegde is obvious.

[@charleyedwards2121]

there is nothing else like this out there, this is god level playing of a god level song, just incredible

[@orstorzsok6708]

I love it as Van Doeselaar tells about this piece and of course I love as He plays it! The passion and perfection is genuine!

[@teunvandesteeg7836]

For every Dutch organist is the following remark nice to know. 'Assuming this is correct, the theme or subject of the Fugue, a Dutch popular tune (called 'Ik ben gegroet van...'), would have been given to Bach to demonstrate his talents as an improviser.' So this famous piece, the fugue has Dutch roots...

[@abricio]

It is believed that the fugue was improvised by Bach on the Dutch folk song "'Ik ben gegroet van" during an audition for the position of organist of the St. James Church, in Hamburg, and that the Dutch theme was chosen to honor Johann Adam Reinecken, who was born in Holland.

[@orstorzsok6708]

Thanks for the comment. It confirms me about this fact that I read several years ago, but I did not know the song "title".

[@geiryvindeskeland7208]

Antonio Bricio, I refuse to believe that Bach was able to improvise the Fugue the way we know to day. If he really did, he wasn't a human, he was GOD!

[@Klausvans]

Thank you so much for this spirited rendition of this incredible masterpiece by Bach! It is so compelling!

[@evwk]

Wonderful and fascinating remarks from an amazing musician. This matter of the Picardy third at the end of the Fantasia is an interesting one. In the Bach-Gesellschaft edition of this piece (published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1867), there is no b-natural in that final chord. In this video, we see a handwritten score (1:40) in which the Fantasia likewise ends with a G minor chord. So perhaps Mr. van Doeselaar is not entirely correct in suggesting that this performance practice began around 1900? Regardless, his performance of the piece is nothing short of breathtaking. I love these videos!

[@karlheinzivanessamov1230]

Félicitations pour le tempo fugue Mr.bonne continuation.

[@geiryvindeskeland7208]

I have some knowlegde when it comes to Bach’s organ music, but zi don’t know or understand everythng. So who can answer me on this: van doeselaar play the demisemiquavers in the prelude BWV 535 much faster than the 32’ in the fantasia BWV 542. Is there any good reasons for that?

[@arjenbij]

If there's one piece where the picardi third doesn't work, then it's this one, sorry Leo. Stellar playing non the less.

[@WennAde]

I have to disagree on the Picardy issue, though of course there may only be different opinions on the question. After all it is, as noted in the comments before, disputable whether a major or a minor chord was the original ending here. And there are reasons to believe there should be a minor third. To me, the major chord sounds there like acknowledging that "oh come on, just kidding, we weren't actually that serious with all this music. Uh I should bother to play now this last chord but I don't feel like pretending anymore that we're having it this deep: why won't we relax and tell a joke instead". For me it isn't at all logical and there is no place for such a emotion there, if a major chord even tells me of any emotion in that place. It's like totally ridiculing the dignity, credibility and seriousness there is to the piece and a fraud right in the last minute. There are of course places where a Picardy is absolutely necessary and sounds truly beautiful, fulfilling, comforting. But generally, I bet the ears of Baroque-time people were different on that matter and they heard the Picardys in a different manner, as more whole and satisfying endings, whereas a closing minor chord didn't sound so concluding to them but more or less incomplete. For me it is exactly the other way around and in many many instances I must regard the Picardy as a mere anticlimax and "cheap" sounding, and a weakness in many minor key compositions of the period. Though also Bach uses a lot of the Picardy with more or less success to my ears, he still seems more often than maybe many other composers of the era have a taste similar to mine: there are indeed instances in Bach's oeuvre where I think a Picardy would totally ruin the conclusion of the piece (which you can state by playing the pieces on a keyboard instrument and try one, well, maybe the voice leading should have to be changed also prior to the last chord) and Bach indeed _has_ decided to abstain from using it - eg. in BWV 883 which has not even a minor third but instead no third at all in the last chord. Yes, even a minor third would be too pathetic, let alone a Picardy, which would sound horrible there. This BWV 542 Fantasie is to me one of those minor key compositions that heavily call for a minor third in the last chord. I have to admit my dearest Bach favourites tend to be in a minor key, and the dearest and most unique feature or quality in Bach's music for me is this (also in his instrumental music) profoundly religious, deep-felt solemnity and unconditionality, which, I think, gets here totally watered with a Picardy. Yes, the fugue is to an extend playful and not as serious in character - but you can't steal that feature from the Fugue into the Fantasie ending. The Fantasie has to go consistently, until the very end, just where it's bound to go.