Bach Chaconne D Minor Essay Example

J.S. Bach is quite possibly the most respected composer of any time period. His compositions continue to be performed today because of their untimely beauty as well as the incredible technical ability one gains from playing such works. They not only challenge the performer technically but conceal a wealth of musical complexity which appeals to any musician regardless of their ability because it can be appreciated by individuals on various levels of musical understanding. The Partita no. 2 in d minor is only one of these masterpieces produced by J.S Bach. The partita for solo violin consists of five movements; Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, and Chaconne. The Chaconne is the last of the five movements of the partita and is unusually long compared to the other movements. The Chaconne from the Partita no. 2 in d minor is an example of continuous variation form that is built off of the first four measure progression in the piece. A Chaconne is a form which consists of Theme and Variations in which a short subject is repeated and varied throughout the piece. Bach held true to the form of the Chaconne when we wrote the last movement of the Violin Partita no. 2. At first glance this movement seems incredibly complicated and would intimidate any student whom was preparing to analyze or perform the work. However upon closer inspection it is apparent that the entire piece follows a distinct layout which creates a very substantial work in violin repertoire. This Chaconne is a set of theme and variations in ¾ time. The theme is stated at the very beginning of the piece until the second beat of the fourth measure. These four measures lay a solid framework form which the rest of the movement will develop from. Throughout the work the variations continuously differ from the theme however always stay true to the theme's length . Throughout the piece the variations are all four measure long. This creates a unique quality to the piece because even though you are