J. S. BACH Jonathan Berkahn - Victoria University - Victoria ...

Catholic tradition, but Albrechtsberger’s Gründliche Anweisung zur Composition
(1790) shows the distinct influence of J. S. Bach and the Lutheran tradition. 28 The
Viennese Classics left a few striking examples: the first movement of Haydn’s
Symphony no.22 (the ‘Philosopher’), the chorus of the armed men in Mozart’s
Zauberflöte, and Beethoven’s ‘Heiliger Dankgesang ... in der lydischen Tonart’; but
(apart from a brief mention of the latter in relation to Albrechtsberger’s instruction),
this is another bypath I shall not go down.
On the other hand there are many hybrid semi-fugal movements I shall look at
in some detail. To me this is one of the most interesting areas of study. Quite apart
from Reicha’s eccentric methods there were many ways in which composers might
adapt their fugal style to bring it more in line with contemporary tastes (or, conversely,
introduce fugal elements into their sonata style.) Some of the most imaginative
structures of the period fall into this category. As we shall see, there was no shortage
of attempts to bring about this fusion; but to do so was not as easy as it seems. There
are fundamental contradictions between fugue and sonata organisation. Most obvious,
of course is the (usually) much greater textural complexity of fugal writing, its faster
harmonic rhythm, and thematic uniformity. The deepest incompatibility, however, lies
in their differing approaches to tonality.
How far is it from tonic to dominant? It all depends on whether one are writing
a fugue or a sonata. In one sense of course it is practically no distance at all, as
thousands of minuets, songs, and hymn tunes can attest. It is perfectly easy to make a
cadence in the dominant half way through a movement, and just as easy to go straight
back to the tonic as if nothing had happened. Heinrich Koch may have had a point
when he regarded a tiny minuet as a sonata-form in embryo (or, conversely, a sonata
28 Mann, The study of fugue, pp.213-27.
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