Passacaille

The passacaille - one finds also the name Italian passacaglia -, is a Musical genre applied to.

Initially, the passacaille is a popular Danse of Spanish origin which goes back to the Renaissance. Transplanted in other countries of Europe, it becomes there a dance appraisal by the nobility. It is then a part of great proportions, at three times, slow and solemn, based on the repetition and the Variation of a topic with low stubborn person.

At this stage of its evolution, it becomes indistinguishable Chaconne, because the names seem interchangeable according to the type-setters: Louis Couperin entitles one of its parts “chaconne or passacaille”; François Couperin makes in the same way in its first continuation for Viole (passacaille or chaconne) and seems to avoid the problem by naming one of its compositions for harpsichord the amphibian ; according to Mattheson, the chaconne is slower than the passacaille but D' Alembert says the opposite, etc

These two parts are built according to three processes which can combine:

  • the rondo (a refrain repeated between varied verses);
  • the Variation melody or rhythmic;
  • the low stubborn person (reason set of themes repeated with low who can sometimes pass to the higher voices in the passacaille).

The passacaille, as the chaconne is used in an occasional way in the Suite of dances, of which it is almost always the final part. It is also often used, in France, like final piece of the important lyric parts: lyric tragedies, opera ballets.

This process will be abandoned during one century and half, to be finally redécouvert at the end of the 19th century by Johannes Brahms in the last movement of its 4 {{E}} Symphonie. Brahms did not call explicitly this movement passacaille , but used a basic reason stubborn person found in the cantata n°150 of Bach: Nach to dir, Herr, verlanget mich . This reason crosses all the orchestra during the entirety of the movement without interruption, but without to be the main theme.

To be complete, it should be noted that, in England, at the 16th century, the ground is a form rather similar to the passacaille and the chaconne. These three forms (ground, passacaille, chaconne) rest on the principle of the ostinato , Basse continues which repeats the same drawing indefinitely on which the other parts build various variations. One finds a marvellous example of ground in the Aria of Didon and Énée of Purcell.

During the 20th century, the passacaille is again abundantly employed.

Some passacailles remarkable

  • for Organ: Johann Sebastian Bach, Passacaille and running away in C minor BWV 582 , the masterpiece of the kind. But one also finds marvellous a Passacaglia for organ (BuxWV 161 in minor D) under the feather of Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707), type-setter north-German who had a very great influence on Jean-Sebastien Bach. In the Passacaille in C minor of Bach, one clearly finds the memory of that in minor D of Buxtehude. Dietrich Buxtehude also left us for the organ two very beautiful ciaconas (Chaconne S, forms close to the passacaille). Lastly, let us not forget to mention Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) which also wrote to him for the instrument of church a charming chaconne in minor F.
  • for Harpsichord:
  • for Viol: François Couperin: Passacaille or chaconne of the first continuation
  • for Violin only: Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: Passacaille in minor ground concluding the cycle from the 15 sonatas on the mysteries of the rosary
  • for orchestra: Georg Muffat, N°6 Sonata of Armonico tributo;
  • for orchestra and choruses: Jean-Baptiste Lully: large passacaille of Armide (act V)

20th century

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