Prelude and fugue in C major
BWV 547 performed by Leo van Doeselaar
Walloon Church, Amsterdam
Behind the music
Story
Story
Extra videos
Extra videos
Credits
Credits
Movement and motionlessness
Just when the end appears to be in sight, the pedal enters unexpectedly
In this piece, Bach plays with movement and motionlessness. The 9/8 time signature of the Prelude almost automatically evokes a rocking motion, which is underlined in the first bar by the clear division into three groups of three notes. It is almost like a procession striding into the church and is reminiscent of the opening chorus of cantata BWV 65. Whereas there the orchestra sounds “like a wonderful organ”, in this case we really hear Müller’s wonderful instrument from 1734. From the opening of the Prelude onwards, a world of movement unfolds. The hands start to play faster notes and the pedal enters below with a hop, step and jump.
Bach plays with motionlessness as well. Towards the end of the Prelude, we hear long, motionless notes in the pedal and at a certain moment the movement seems to falter to a halt in a series of chords that go off the harmonic rails. In the Fugue, too, Bach strategically breaks the ongoing movement. Just when the end appears to be in sight, he makes your heart jump when the pedal suddenly enters unexpectedly! This brings the feet of organist Leo van Doeselaar into action again as well. The fugue theme is heard in a tempo that is twice as slow. In the Fugue, too, there is a short chromatic ‘faltering’ near the end, after which the pedal comes to rest on the home base with a throbbing low C, while the rest of the parts run the final stretch.
- BWV
- 547
- Title
- Prelude and fugue in C major
- Instrument
- organ
- Genre
- organ works
- Year
- unknown
- City
- Leipzig? Also dated earlier (1719)
With support from
The Miller Family Charitable Foundation
Vocal texts
Original
Translation
Credits
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- Release date
- 22 March 2019
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- Recording date
- 10 February 2018
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- Location
- Walloon Church, Amsterdam
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- Organist
- Leo van Doeselaar
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- Organ
- Christian Müller, 1734
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- Director and editor
- Bas Wielenga
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- Music recording
- Guido Tichelman, Bastiaan Kuijt, Pim van der Lee
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- Music edit and mix
- Guido Tichelman
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- Camera
- Merijn Vrieling, Ivo Palmen, Martin Struijf, Bjorn Tiebout
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- Director of photography
- Merijn Vrieling
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- Lights
- Zen Bloot, Henry Rodgers, Patrick Galvin
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- Video engineer
- Vincent Nugteren
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- Set technique
- Dennis van Hoek
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- Data handling
- Jesper Blok
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- Project manager nep
- Peter Ribbens
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- Interview
- Onno van Ameijde, Marloes Biermans
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- Producer concert
- Imke Deters
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- Producer film
- Jessie Verbrugh
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- With support from
- The Miller Family Charitable Foundation
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