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Bach uses the musical devices of canon, melody in pedal, and full organ, to reinforce Luther's theological organization in the following manner. Sections 1 & 3 interlock as they quote from Biblical canon: the ten commandments of the Old Testament and the "Our Father" of the New. Bach uses canon to reinforce Luther's pairing of these two sections. Similarly, Bach sets the melody in pedal to reinforce Luther's pairing of sections 4 & 6: the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Finally, in sections 2 & 5, Bach uses full organ to reinforce Luther's confessions of faith: the Creed "I believe in God" and Penitence "I will hope in God."
As mentioned earlier, the two canons of the Clavier-bung III exist to reinforce the theological outline of Luther's Catechisms. Such use of a musical technique to make a theological point reveals Bach's conception of canon as expressive of spiritual realities transcending technique or sound. The two texts set in canon--the Ten Commandments and the "Our Father"--come from the Old, and New, "Canons" respectively. But Bach's use of canon does more than reinforce the symmetrical structure of Luther's Catechisms. In the Ten Commandments, canon functions as a text-generated guration reminding Israel to "teach them diligently to your children," reciting them literally "when you sit, walk, lie down, and rise up" (Deut. 6:7). In the "Our Father," canon can be seen as a guration of Jesus commandment "in this manner you should pray" (Matt. 6:9). Of the many image-evoking structures in Bach's music these canonic preludes are evidence that the composer thought deeply about his texts. The musical idea was not imposed upon them but quite the opposite.
In Vater unser im Himmelreich Bach weaves a tapestry of independent voices employing more than 250 reverse-dotted rhythms in the Lombardic style. Bach normally restricts Lombard rhythm to his vocal music and nearly always with extra-musical intentions. Here Lombard rhythm portrays the majesty of God in his Himmelreich.
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