Sebastian Bach Harmony

(1685-1750)
Johann Sebastian Bach, a Baroque composer, is widely recognized for his contrapuntal music, characterized by many notes, simple rhythms, and steady shifts of underlying harmony. Bach is not only known for his vast compositions, which consist of hundreds of choral and instrumental works, but was also as an astoundingly gifted organ player and improviser. Compared to the other composers in his time, Bach explored much more harmony in his music. Bach's music can contain extraordinarily 'jazzy' chords and surprising dissonance, and will sometimes jump off to many different harmonic areas.
The clavichord and harpsichord were the instruments Bach used in his time as the piano had not yet been invented. This is perhaps one of the
The necessary hand-crossing also adds visual effect. The assimilation of rhythms in the next lyrical Allemande (playing the dotted rhythms to coincide with the triplets) brings an extra touch of grace to the music. The Allemande is paired with an Italian Corrente, a harmonically simple dance form in the set, which requires swiftness and lightness of touch. An exquisite Sarabande follows immediately after that, in which ornamentation is an essential part. The use of double-dotting gives the rhythm extra grace and expressivity. The next movement, Tempo di Minuetto, is rather confusing due to its curious cross accentuation in its simple texture. A minuet usually has three beats to a bar, not two. Nevertheless, Bach combines the two to make a comical yet delicate dance. The Tempo di Minuetto then leads to a Passepied, a triple-time dance of French derivation. The 3/8 swing of the Passepied has almost the same simple charm of Bach’s fourth variation of the ‘Goldberg’. The final Gigue, the last movement of the Partita, is slightly more difficult and technically challenging as it takes the form of a double