Composer

:

Franz Liszt

Genre

:

Keyboard

Style

:

Cantata

Compose Date

:

1860

Publication Date

:

1869

Average_duration

:

4:59

Franz Liszt's "Einleitung & Fuge aus der Kantate (after J.S. Bach, BWV 21), S. 6" is a composition for organ, based on the opening chorus of Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata No. 21, "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis." Liszt composed this work in 1855, and it premiered in the same year in Weimar, Germany. The composition consists of two movements: the "Einleitung" (Introduction) and the "Fuge" (Fugue). The "Einleitung" is a slow and solemn introduction, featuring a melody played by the pedals and accompanied by chords in the manuals. The melody is based on the first phrase of the cantata's opening chorus, and it is presented in a grand and majestic manner, with rich harmonies and a full organ sound. The "Fuge" is a complex and virtuosic fugue, based on the second phrase of the cantata's opening chorus. The fugue subject is presented in the pedals, and it is then imitated by the manuals in a series of entries. The fugue features a variety of contrapuntal techniques, such as inversion, augmentation, and stretto, and it builds to a powerful climax before resolving in a triumphant coda. Liszt's "Einleitung & Fuge aus der Kantate" is a masterful example of his skill as a composer and organist. The work showcases his ability to transform a simple chorale melody into a grand and complex organ composition, while also paying homage to the music of Bach. The work is characterized by its rich harmonies, virtuosic organ writing, and grandiose style, which are typical of Liszt's organ music.

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