E D I T E D B Y H A N S B I S C H O F F

J. S. BACH CHROMATIC FANTASY AND FUGUE BWV 903

FOR THE KEYBOARD

Copyright © 2015 by Alfred MusicAll rights reserved. Printed in USA.ISBN-10: 1-4706-2279-3ISBN-13: 978-1-4706-2279-4

No part of this book shall be reproduced, arranged, adapted, recorded, publicly performed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the publisher. In order to comply with copyright laws, please apply for

such written permission and/or license by contacting the publisher at alfred.com/permissions.

A N A L F R E D M A S T E R W O R K E D I T I O N

Cover art: Vanitas Still Life (1662)By Edwaert Collier (Dutch, ca. 1642–1708)

Oil on wood

2

About Hans Bischoff and This Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Introductory Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Table of Embellishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

CHROMATIC FANTASY AND FUGUE, BWV 903

Fantasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Fugue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Execution of the Arpeggiated Chords in the Fantasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

The publication of this work was based on a manuscript belonging to the Berlin Royal Library and bearing the date Dec. 6, 1730. A description of this is given by Spitta in his biography of Bach (vol. 11, page 842). I have compared the other important manuscripts in the Berlin Library mentioned by Spitta, also a manuscript from the Dresden Library, one from the estate of Princess Amalie bearing Kirnberger’s signature and containing corrections and fingerings, finally the old Rust manuscript dated 1757, which has been reprinted by Peters (S. 1, C. 4).

After considering the above documents there can remain no doubt as to the necessity of the essential changes in our text. In considering variants of equal importance I

Contents

ABOUT HANS BISCHOFF AND THIS EDITIONHans Bischoff (1852–1889) was a German concert pianist, chamber musician, and music educator. He studied piano with Theodor Kullak (1818–1882) and later taught piano performance and music theory at Kullak’s school, Neue Akademie der Tonkunst, in Berlin. Bischoff became a well-regarded music editor, respected for his thorough research, attention to detail, and careful consideration of source materials. His critical editions for the Steingräber publishing house include seven volumes of the keyboard works by J. S. Bach and 11 volumes of the keyboard works by Robert Schumann, as well as editions of works by Clementi, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, and Weber.

Bischoff’s footnotes and prefatory commentary have been preserved in this edition, as well as his editorial markings—suggested dynamics, metronome marks, fingering, articulations, and pedaling. Measure numbers and BWV numbers have been added. Square brackets have been used to indicate suspected missing elements from earlier Bischoff editions.

&

?

b

b

c

c

®œ œ œ RÔœ œ2

œn œ# œ œn œb œœœœ œ œ#4

œ œ œ œ2

œ œ œ ŒAllegro molto

(�)

f≈ œ

4

œn œ# œ1

œ2 œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œœ1

œœ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œ Œ(�)

f

&

?

b

b

3 ≈ œ1 œ2 ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œ ≈ œ#

2 œ1 œ œ œ œ œ2

œ ‰œ�

œ�

œ�

œ� Rœ ≈ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ

p

(q = 96) ≈ œ2 œ ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œ rœ# ≈ ‰ ‰ œ œ œœ�

œ�

œ�

œ� ≈ œ

2

œ1

œ œ# œ œ œ œ ‰

&

?

b

b

5 ≈ œ œ jœ ≈ œ œ jœ ≈ œ# œ jœ ≈ œ œ# jœJœ ≈ œ œ Jœn ≈ œ œ Jœ ≈ œ œ Jœ ≈ œ œF

≈ œ œb ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œ# ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œ ≈ œ œœ�

œ�

œn�

œ� œ œ# œ œ

p

&?

b

b

7

≈ œ2

œ4

œ# œ œ ≈ œ œ œ# œn œ ≈ œb œ œ# œ œ ≈ œ œ œ œ œJœ ‰Jœn ‰ Jœn ‰ Jœ ‰

cresc.1)

≈ œ œ œn œn œ ≈ œ œn œ œ œ ≈ œ# œ œ œ ≈ ≈ œ œ œ œ ≈

Jœb ‰ Jœ# ‰ Jœ ≈ ≈ Rœ# Jœ ≈ ≈ RœF

&

?

b

b

9

≈ œn œ œ# œ œ≈

œ œ œ œ# œ≈ œ œ œ# œ œ

≈œ œ œ œ œ

Jœ ‰ Jœ# ‰ Jœ ‰ Jœ ‰p 1)

1)

≈œ œ œn œ# ≈ ≈ œn œ œ œ# ≈ ≈ œ œb œ# œn œ œ œ ≈ ‰Jœ# ≈ ≈ Rœn Jœ ≈ ≈ Rœb Jœ ‰ ≈ ≈ Rœn œb œ œ#cresc.

Bülow has E instead of E-flat and B instead of B-flat; however, this is not authentic.

4

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)BWV 903

ChromatiC Fantasy and Fugue

Fantasy

&?

b

b

43

43

œ œ œn

∑

Allegro moderato (q = 104)

pœ œ œn œ

∑œ œ œ#

∑

œ œ œ# œ1 œ

∑

œb œ œ

∑

œn3 œ œ œ œ

∑

&

?

b

b

7

œ œ œ#∑

œ œ œ œ œ1 œ œ œ

1 œn

∑

. .œ3

œ œ œ#2

∑1)

œ œ œb œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ# œ

∑

.œn œ œ#

∑

&

?

b

b

12 œ œ œ œn œ3 œ œ œ2

œnœ œ3

œ# œ œ

∑

.#Ÿœ œ œ

∑

.œ œ

1œ

œn œ∑

œ œn œ œ# œ œ# œ œ4 œ

œn 1

œ œ#∑

2)

œ œ œ œ1 œn œœ œ

3

œ#œ1 œ3 œn œ œ3 œ

∑cresc. un poco

&

?

b

b

17

œ œb œ œ œ œ œb œ œ œ œ œ.

∑

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ3

œn

∑pœ1 œ œ œ œb œ œ œ œn œ œ.œ5

œ œnF

œ Œ Œœ œ2

œn œ œ2

œ œ œ3

œnœ œ

1

œn œ

&?

b

b

21

.≈ œ1

œ œb œ œ œ œ œ4

œ# œ œ

œ œ œ#

1)

2)

œ œ5 œ œ œ œ œ œ œn2

œœ œ œ# œ œ

.24 .#Ÿ( )

œn( œ)

œb œ œ

œ13 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .œ

Ÿœ œ.

œ œ œ œ œ

The Bülow version is obviously arbitrary.

In the original text there is an F instead of F-sharp.

&b

œœ œ#

11

Fugue