ANALYSIS

Bach 's Chaconne stands apart from the traditional form customary at the time. The monumental size and the deceptively simple harmonic language and rhythmic patterns makes of this piece a landmark on its own. Every note, its value and relation to the rest, is crafted onto a work of art as precise and inexplicably simple as it is beautiful and brilliant.

This is one of the most studied and analyzed pieces by Bach. It is not and exaggeration to assert that a thorough and exhaustive analysis of this piece brings sufficient material for a dissertation on its own.

The following analysis is just a series of approximations from different perspectives that help to understand the basic features of the Chaconne in order to produce an initial edition and a satisfactory performance.

According to Dr. Robert U. Nelson, there are twelve points that describe a chaconne piece in general: (*14)

1. The chaconne is invariably in triple meter.

2. Also quite common is the division of the set into sections, usually three, in
opposing modes rather than contrasting keys, although the latter is also
encountered.

3. The accented second beat of the old chaconne is carried over from the original dance form.

4. Stock themes, based on or derived from ascending or descending tetrachords, were much used.

5. The harmonic structure is invariably as important as the theme itself as a basis for variation, although there is no fixed practice of either rigid conformity to, or departure from, the original harmonies.

6. In some of the chaconnes based on the descending tetrachord, the ascending tetrachord is substituted as a basis for variation in one or more variations.

7. Pairing of couplets is a common practice.

8. Transpositions of the ostinato from the original voice to some other are common.

9. Contrapuntal devices, such as imitation and pedal point, are widely used.

10. Sequential treatment of figuration ideas is prominently featured in variations based on the tetrachord.

11. Increased rhythmic movement is a prominent feature of the chaconne.

12. Other musical forms are often suggested by returning to the original or related settings.
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(*14) ; Robert U. Nelson. The Technique of Variation: A Study of the Instrumental Variation from Antonio de Cabez? to Max Reger. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1962), 152. 20


In particular, Bach's Chaconne is a set of strophic variations divided into three parts. Part I has 133 measures, part II 76, and part III has 48. The proportions are approximately 8:4:3.

Modeled on the French orchestral chaconne, Bach reverses the usual order of mode: minor-mayor-minor, although he uses the customary key of D. The major mode provides Bach with a means of formal contrast. The very use of the major mode fosters a more peaceful mood by giving a simpler chord material: more simple triads and fewer secondary dominants.

Rhythmically, Part II is more relaxed (see table in page 24). The shortest note value is 16th notes, in contrast to the long passages of thirty-second notes in Parts I and III.

The sarabande rhythm, which appears briefly to frame parts I and III, is a prominent feature of Part II. Regarding thematic content and texture, Part II is simpler than parts I and III. There is no more than one tetrachord used within a variation. There are fewer themes in upper voices. The polyphonic devices of voice-exchange and imitation of Part I are absent here. The fact that Part II is simpler than the outer parts by no means implies that it is anti-climatic. In fact, 21 the calm beginning of the section gradually gains in intensity and leads to a peak in variation 22 through 24 (mm. 177~200).

Bach uses the dotted (sarabande) rhythm as an underground seminal pulse that is maintained almost throughout. In the original, some variations this 'pulse?is almost, if not completely, imperceptible. However, the process of transcription and the performance practice of this piece lead to very interesting discoveries (see in The Present Transcription for Guitar, page 30). This dotted rhythm is typical also of the contemporary French passacaglia, the sarabande and fol? (see in: The Chaconne and Related Dance Forms: Historical Relationships, starting in page 4).

Although the traditional accented second beat, derived from the initial anacrusis, is evident from the first measure and for a while thereafter, it disappears in measure 24 and does not reappear until the close of the first section. In Part II, and in the concluding part III, the accented second beat is used in several successive variations, and them temporarily abandoned.
In this way Bach avoids rhythmic monotony and actually intensifies the effect of the traditional chaconne rhythm by highlighting it.(*15)
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(*15) ; Byron Cantrell, "Three B's - Three Chaconnes.?Current Musicology, 12. 22

There has been a great debate that has endured for more almost two centuries about the nature of the theme. Schweitzer thinks that the theme is the opening 8-bar melody in the top voice. Spitta gives no less than five themes: some are explicitly stated in the bass, others are extracted from figuration. Robert Erikson believes that the Chaconne is a fine example of the
type of piece organized by chord progression, not melodic basso ostinato. Cedric Thorpe Davie asserts that "here, as in many chaconnes, the variations are as much upon the simple noble harmonies which accompany the bass at the outset as upon the bass itself. Reinhard Oppel concluded that the theme of Bach's Chaconne is a descending tetrachord." (*16)
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(*16) ; Sister Felicitas Curti, "J. S. Bach's Chaconne in D minor: A Study in Coherence and Contrast,?in The Bach Chaconne for Solo Violin, A Collection of Views, edited by Jon F. Eiche (Urbana, IL, 1985), 76.

Evidence, however, points to the tetrachord as Bach's "theme.?Beneath the surface, at a level abstracted from the actual notes, lies the unifying factor of the Chaconne. Underlying the chord-progressions and the various bass melodies is a descending tetrachord, a traditional chaconne bass. The tetrachord appears in several forms (Ex. 5).

Ex. 5



Sometimes the tetrachord is stated explicitly, especially in the chromatic and inverted forms. More often, it is in a deeper level of abstraction. It often appears prominently either as the first note of every measure (Ex. 6); or in the form of a frequently recurring bass theme derived from it (Ex. 7).

Ex. 6



Ex. 7



Bach uses different harmonic progressions as elements of variation. Four of them are quite predominant:




Developing a model of analysis that is compatible with the present performer's edition of the Chaconne is a challenging task. From Schweitzer to Curti the points of view diverge enormously. This is the question: is the tetrachord theme the ultimate answer about basic structure or there is another solution? It is possible to speculate that there is indeed a fourmeasure theme that is included in a two-period phrase: antecedent and consequent (Ex. 8). From now on, the term 'Theme?refers to this eight-measure phrase.

Ex. 8



However, Bach sometimes extends this eight-measure phrase by using pedal points not only upon the bass, but also in top-middle voices. Such are the case of variation 18, mm. 149~160, and variation 27, mm. 229~240. The obvious reason for these four-measure extensions is that of tension builders since they break with the eight-measure pattern by extending the usual time allowed for the dominant. Other times Bach only uses either a variation of the antecedent or consequent for a single four-measure variation, like in variation 26, mm. 225. Bach features another technique that is used very often: Bach states a variation of the antecedent or the consequent followed by the diminution. Examples are variation 3, mm. 25~32 and variation 7, mm. 57~64.

Although the traditional Chaconne's rhythmic characteristic is of an increasing
movement, Bach is successful in keeping the flow for 257 measures doing exactly the opposite. There is an evident arch form, not only rhythmic but also regarding the number of voices used, thus implying a three part sub-structure within every main section. For instance, Part I has elements of contrast and return: the sarabande rhythm gives way to increasingly shorter notevalues, to reappear at the end. The number of voice parts starts with four, is reduced in the middle, and ends again with four. The bass and soprano melodies of the beginning also disappear, to return at the end of Part I. The following charts are based on Curti's analysis: (*17)
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(*17) Ibid, 80.


Part I, D minor :


Part II, D major :


Part III, D minor :



There may be a suggestion of rondo form: The division into three sections and the use of variants of the antecedent and consequent to finish parts I and III. These overall structural pillars give greater cohesiveness to such and extended work and conveys a sense of musical unity and coherence to the listener and the performer. Further examination of these fragments shows that there are direct and subtler connections between them, both through motivic development and chord progressions (Ex. 9).

Ex. 9



From the former example, it is easy to observe that:
1. a) and b) have similar top lines.
2. b) and c) have similar chord progressions.
3. Bass lines of a) and c) begin, and all three end similarly.
4. Hemiola rhythm appears in top or inner voices in all three.

Another issue regarding analysis is whether the Chaconne is an integral part or an appendix to Partita II. Spitta writes: "It is longer than all the rest of the suite put together, and must not be considered as the last movement of it, but as an appended piece; the suite proper concludes with the guigue." (*18)  However, there is enough evidence to think otherwise.
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(*18) ; Spitta, Phillip. Johann Sebastian Bach, His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany, 1685-1750, trans. Clara Bell and J. A. Fuller-Maitland (London: Novello, 1899), 564.

Indeed, the four preceding movements are standard movements in a Baroque suite. The comparative length of the Chaconne is in fact disproportionate:




However, this is not exceptional in Bach's work: three of the six solo violin Sonatas and Partitas have long movements. Both Sonata II and Sonata III include a movement, in both cases a fugue that is longer than the other movements put together. Yet, it is very clear that these fugues are essential to the Sonatas.

Physical evidence in the manuscript supports the idea of the Chaconne as an integral part of the partita: After the Chaconne Bach continues with the opening Adagio of the following Sonata III in the same page (see the reproduction of the manuscript, page 59).

Further analysis proves that there is a musical relationship between the movements of Partita II. There is a "signature?that opens all the movements: The bass motion from d to c# and back to d (Ex. 10).



"As the Chaconne is an essential part of the Partita, so the Partita is part of a larger plan involving the six solo violin pieces. Several of Bach's large-scale works show his predilection for symmetrical cyclic organization, such as, for example, the Mass in B minor, The Musical
Offering, or the Clavier?ung, Part III." (*19)

There is also another fact regarding the Chaconne as an integral part of the Partita and the six solos as a whole: The Chaconne falls in the Golden Section, the ancient Greek architectural theory of perfection.
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(*19) ; Sister Felicitas Curti. Op. cited, 84.