A STUDY OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM IN JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACHS

WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER

A PROJECT REPORT
Presented to the Department of Music

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California State University, Long Beach

In Partial Fulfillment

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of the Requirements for the Degree

Master of Music

By Vemon G. Snyder
B.A., 2005, Southern Oregon University
May 2007

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UMI N um ber: 1448174

Copyright 2007 by
Snyder, Vernon G.

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Copyright 2007
Vemon G. Snyder

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WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE,

HAVE APPROVED THIS PROJECT REPORT

A STUDY OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM IN JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACHS

WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER
By
Vemon G. Snyder

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Roger Hickman, Ph.D.

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'lACtilA, M. 0 M/

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Shun-Lin Chou, D.M.A. (Chair)

Music

Music

Music

Mark Uranker, M.M.

Music

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Alicia M. Doyle, PhJT ^

ACCEPTED AND APPROVED ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY

Jfjpi A. Carnahan, M.A.

Department Chair, Department of Music

California State University, Long Beach

May 2007

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ABSTRACT
A STUDY OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLISM IN JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACHS
WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER
By
Vemon G. Snyder

May 2007

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Johann Sebastian Bachs devotion to his Lutheran faith greatly influenced the type
and quality o f music he composed. In The Well-Tempered Clavier, there are abundant

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examples of religious symbolism that Bach incorporated to express his faith. This
symbolism includes numerology, quotations from sacred hymns of the day, and

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references to Bible verses.

This study will focus on the most significant examples of symbolism found in
Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier in both volumes, thoroughly analyzing key preludes and
fugues. This will include the Passion Fugues and will also give an overview to the
many symbolic signatures of Bach, found in innumerable parts of The Well-Tempered
Clavier. Although brief score excerpts are included to guide the reader, one should read
this study with a full score of the preludes and fugues at hand and be familiar with the
chorales that are quoted.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Kristine Forney for her invaluable advice and
unwavering ability to keep her students informed and on track. Many thanks also to Dr.
Alicia Doyle and Dr. Roger Hickman for their editing, knowledge, and advice that
allowed me to successfully complete this study.
I would also like to thank Dr. Shun-Lin Chou for all the efforts he made to make

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my attendance at this University possible, as well as extremely rewarding and productive.

His mentoring has allowed me to grow musically as well as personally.
Finally, my most sincere gratitude to Dr. Alexander Tutunov for teaching me

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what music-making is about, and giving me further insight into the music of Bach, which
was the original inspiration for this Project Report.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................

iii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS...........................................................................................

CHAPTER

1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................

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1

2. THE MUSIC OF J. S. BA CH ...............................................................................

The Pietist Movement and Orthodox Lutheranism.....................................

Evidence o f Bachs Spirituality in His Music..............................................

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6

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Music in the Judeo-Christian Tradition........................................................

3. THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER................................................................. 11

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Passion Fugues ...........................................................................................

Fugue No. 4 in C-sharp minor, BWV 849, Book 1...............................
Fugue No. 14 in F-sharp minor, BWV 882, Book I I ............................
Fugue No. 24 in B-minor, BWV 869, Book 1.......................................

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14
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Two Other Symbolic Fugues........................................................................ 28

Fugue No. 16 in G-minor, BWV 885, Book I I ..................................... 28
Fugue No. 8 in D-sharp minor, BWV 853, Book 1............................... 29

4. CONCLUSION..................................................................................................... 32
The Well-Tempered Clavier's Place in Keyboard Literature..................... 32
APPENDICES............................................................................................................... 34
A. RECITAL PROGRAM............................................................................ 35
BIBLIOGRAPHY......................................................................................................... 38
iv

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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
ILLUSTRATION

Page
13

2. C-sharp minor fugue subject.............................................................................

14

3. C-sharp minor fugue m. 1 0 ...............................................................................

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4. C-sharp minor fugue m. 102.............................................................................

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5. C-sharp minor fugue ending..............................................................................

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6. C-sharp minor fugue m. 3 6 ................................................................................

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1. Chorale O Haupt voll blut und wunden...................................

7. F-sharp minor fugue subject..............................................................................

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8. F-sharp minor fugue m. 7 ................................................................................... 21

9. F-sharp minor fugue m. 36................................................................................. 21
10. C-sharp minor fugue m. 6 9 ................................................................................ 22

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11. F-sharp minor fugue m. 47................................................................................. 23

12. B-minor prelude.................................................................................................. 24
13. B-minor fugue subject........................................................................................

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14. B-minor fugue m. 4 ............................................................................................

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15. G-minor prelude m. 1.........................................................................................

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16. G-minor fugue subject........................................................................................

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17. Chorale Aus defer Noth schrei ichzu dir........................................................... 30

18. D-sharp minor fugue subject................................................................................
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30

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Music in the Judeo-Christian Tradition
Music has always been an integral part of Judeo-Christian worship and devotion,
and much of the greatest music in the tradition of Western art music was created for the
Christian church. Given the strong connection between Western music and Christianity

during the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods, methods used to express the

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Christian faith grew to greater sophistication. In the Christian church, music abounding
with religious symbolism has been employed by composers in a variety of ways.

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Composers deeply devoted to their faith have used such devices as key signatures, time
signatures, structure, and numerology to help express the profundity of the musics
messages.

Johann Sebastian Bach was no exception. As a devout Lutheran, a large

quantity of his compositions was written specifically for the church. Before the time of
Bach, the newly founded Lutheran church lacked the musical resources of the Roman
Catholic Church from which it sprung. In reference to the music of the Lutheran
Reformation, Paul Hindemith noted that it suffers from obvious weaknesses if one
compares its musical possibilities to those of the Roman Catholic Church.1 This

'Pelikan, Jaroslav, Bach Among the Theologians (Philadelphia: Fortress Press

1986), 27.
1

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changed dramatically with the music of Bach, breathing new musical life and vibrancy
into the reformed Lutheran church.
Many o f Bachs sacred compositions are inscribed by his hand with religious
phrases. Common examples include Jesu, Juva (Jesus, help), Soli Deo Gloria (To God
alone be the glory), In nomine Jesu (In the name o f Jesus), and most importantly
Christus Coronabit Crucigeros (Christ crowns those who bear His cross). Because of
Bachs passionate devotion, his faith and the type and quality of his music are
inseparable. It is not surprising that he tirelessly used every aspect of his music,

including a wide array o f symbolism and lusus ingenii (intellectual games) to express
his religious fervor, whether it was vocal or instrumental.

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This study will focus on the most significant examples of Christian symbolism
found in Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier, in both volumes, thoroughly analyzing

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selected preludes and fugues. This will include the previous described Passion
Fugues and will also give an overview to the many symbolic signatures of Bach, found

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in numerous parts of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Although brief score excerpts are
included to guide the reader, one should read this study with a full score of the preludes
and fugues at hand and be familiar with the chorales that are quoted.
In The Well-Tempered Clavier and other instrumental works, the symbolism
must lie in the pitches themselves without any aid from texts used in vocal music. The
B-A-C-H motive (from Die Kunst der Fuge), in which Bach spells his own name with
the pitches B-flat, A, C, and B-natural, is a prominent example. It is also an example of
a musical chiastic: downward half-step, upward skip of a minor third, and downward
half-step (Illustration 2). This is an element frequently used in Bachs music, including

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