J.S. Bach's chorale settings of modal cantus firmi pose an interesting problem for the modern analyst: What assumptions'modal or tonal'does one bring to the music and what analytic techniques does one use? Are conventional tonal theories adequate to represent the harmonic techniques used in this repertoire? Are conventional modal theories adequate? Lori Burns explores these questions in her

A collection of all the known chorales of J.S. Bach in one easy to read format. This is a paperback version of these pieces designed for the musician. Each chorale is given it's own page with plenty of room for notes and large, easy to read notation. There is plenty of room for the music student to write in their own notes and analysis.A helpful index of existing versions of the 371 and 389 Bach chorales as well as BWV numbers is included in the preface for those who might wish to compare or cross reference these versions of the chorales as they appear in this volume of 413.

Bach's cantatas are among the highest achievements of Western musical art, yet studies of the individual cantatas that are both illuminating and detailed are few. In this book, noted Bach expert Eric Chafe combines theological, historical, analytical, and interpretive approaches to the cantatas to offer readers and listeners alike the richest possible experience of these works. A respected theorist of seventeenth-century music, Chafe is sensitive to the composer's intentions and to the enduring and universal qualities of the music itself. Concentrating on a small number of representative cantatas, mostly from the Leipzig cycles of 1723-24 and 1724-25, and in particular on Cantata 77, Chafe shows how Bach strove to mirror both the dogma and the mystery of religious experience in musical allegory. Analyzing Bach Cantatas offers valuable information on the theological relevance of the structure of the liturgical year for the design and content of these works, as well as a survey of the theories of modality that inform Bach's compositional style. Chafe demonstrates that, while Bach certainly employed "pictorialism" and word-painting in his compositions, his method of writing music was a more complex amalgam of theological concepts and music theory. Regarding the cantatas as musical allegories that reflect the fundamental tenets of Lutheran theology as established during Bach's lifetime, Chafe synthesizes a number of key musical and theological ideas to illuminate the essential character of these great works. This unique and insightful book offers an essential methodology for understanding one of the central bodies of work in the Western musical canon. It will prove indispensable for all students and scholars of Bach's work, musicology, and theological studies.

Following methods known to have been adopted by Bach himself, the exercises provided in chorale harmonization are graded in such a way as to encourage the student to develop both technique and imagination within a closely-defined framework. The instrumental counterpoint section is based on Bach's two-and three-part Inventions. By close analysis the author helps the reader to recognize the procedures Bach adopted in various musical situations. The exercises are taken largely from Bach's keyboard works.

Focusing on the works of J. S. Bach, this invaluable guide surveys the choral-orchestral repertoire.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s chorale settings have been vital to the teaching of music ever since they were composed, and this comprehensive Course provides a thorough re-appraisal of this inspiring music. In matching HARMONY closely to TEXTURE, it is founded entirely on the composer's own procedures. Each Chapter builds on the work of previous ones, so that the student is taken from the simplest harmonizations of single phrases through to the most complex settings of complete chorale melodies employing the full range of Bach’s harmonic resources. The materials are complemented at every stage by focused exercises using Bach's music as relevant exemplars. This book provides the keen student with practical working insights into the basics of harmony and counterpoint, and these insights can then be adapted and applied to music in other styles and genres. This edition is presented in American English and American musical terminology. It complements the printed edition which uses British English and British musical terminology.