Structure and Symbolism in Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat, "BWV 552"

Author(s): Richard Benedum

Source: Bach, Vol. 10, No. 4 (OCTOBER, 1979), pp. 19-24
Published by: Riemenschneider Bach Institute
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 Structure and Symbolism in
Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat, BWV 552
By Richard Benedum
Universityof Dayton
Dayton,Ohio

Numerousscholarshaveexaminedthemusicof Bach to discoverthe

use and meaningof his symboliclanguage. Amongothers,Schweitzer,
Geiringer, Jansen,and Smendhave studiedtone-painting
Schering, and
its symbolicsignificance,
thesymbolism of Bachs use of canon,and the
use of numbersymbolism.1 When discussing symbolism in the musicof
Bach,the well-known Preludeand Fugue in E Flat, BWV 552, which
formstheopeningand closingsectionsof theClavier iibungIII. is one of
the firstorganpiecesto come to mind.2Symbolism in thispiece,how-
ever,runsmuchdeeperthanmerelythecommonly-cited Trinitarian refer-
ence to the keysignatureof threeflatsor the three-fold
divisionof the
Fugue.
The Preludeis cast in themodelof the Italianconcertogrosso,and,
as is typicalof concerto grossomovements, repeatstheopeningritornello.
in thiscase literally,at theconclusion.Bach uses thisda capo technique
to createsymmetry elsewhere,in instrumentalmusicas wellas in keyboard
music (see, e.g., variousmovements of the Brandenburg Concertos, the
Preludein С Minor, BWV 546, or theFugue in E Minor,BWV 548).
Further symmetry, albeitlessobvious,is foundin thePrelude:theextended
thirdepisode(measures111-174) is balancedby (and containsthesame
thematicmaterialas) the firstand secondepisodestogether(measures
32-51and 71-98):
RitornelloEpisode RitornelloEpisode RitornelloEpisode Ritornello
1-32 174-205
Measures:
32-51 51-71 71-98 111-174
98-111

Therearesevendistinct sectionsin thePrelude,as shownin thegraph

above. As farback as the MiddleAges the number"7" was considered
a holynumber:it impliestotality, for its constituentpartsare 3 (the
Trinity)plus4 (mankind).3In additionto this,thereis themoreobvious
numbersymbolism consistingof threeflats,threeprimary themesin the
Prelude,and threesectionsin theFugue.
Besidestheseinstances
of numbersymbolism,
one can venturefurther

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out on thelimboř musicalspeculation:Did Bachattempt to pictureeach
Personof theTrinityin sound? The broadly-conceived openingritornello
of thePrelude,withthecharacteristicdottedrhythms and rapidscalepass-
ages of a Frenchouverture, suggestswithlittleimagination the majesty
and powerof theFather.Followingthiscue,thefirstepisodethenmight
representthedual natureof theSecondPersonof theTrinity.The echo
figure(measures32-40), whichservesas a transition fromtheopening
in
is essencea statement a
ritornello, with variedrepeat- a variationin
timbre,whichBach showsbyforteand piano indications. The syncopated
sectionof thisfirstepisodeconsistsof a differenttypeof statement with
variation:measures41-44 are repeatedin measures45-49,but withthe
directionof figuraimotioninvertedand a changefrommajorto minor
modeeffectedÍ see Example1) .
This firstepisode,then,perhapssuggeststhetwoopposednaturesof
divineand human,unitedin thesingleSecondPersonof theTrinity.
Christ,
Afterthenextritornello (measures51-71), thesecondepi-
insertion
theHolySpirit( see Example2 ) .
sode mightthenrepresent

Bach frequently uses melismassimilarto the floridsubjectof this

to pictureder Geist. ( See Examples3a and 3b.)
fughetta
Each personof theTrinityis distinct, yetat thesametimethethree
personscomprisethe unifiedGodhead. Similarly,the themesof the
Preludeare structurallyrelated.The openingritornello spinsout a con-
stantlyunfoldingseriesof suspensions, in either
upper or innerparts;the
firstepisode,likewise,containsa seriesof embellished suspensions,used
here in syncopation.The firstepisode,then,cadenceswith the dotted
rhythms of theopeningritornello ( is Bach herepicturing theparadoxof
and unityin the Personsof theTrinity?).
distinctiveness

The secondepisodesharestheprominent use of suspensions(also in

sycopation) with thefirst
episode. To linkthedescending fifthof meas-
ures 1, 17, 19, and 30 (and elsewherein ritornello passages),Bach con-
tractsit to a descendingfourth in theechopassage( measure34 ) , butthen
expandsit to a descending octavein boththenextritornello(measures
54-57) and thefughettasubjectof the secondepisode (measures7 Iff.;
see Examples4a, 4b, and 4c.) . In thiswaythemusicalmaterialfromeach
sectionof thePreludecan be seento relate,notonlyin structural, butalso
in symbolicterms.

divisionalso symbolizes
The Fugue'stripartite as does
the Trinity,
theratiobetweenthenumberof measuresin eachof thethreeindividual
fugues:

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 Fugue I Fugue II Fugue III
36 measures 45 measures 36 measures
36 : 45 = 4 : 5; 4 + 5 = 9 (= 32)
The symmetry of theoutersections, comparableto theritornello repe-
titionof the Prelude,is obvious. Furthermore, the sum of each pair of
digits(i.e., 3 + 6 and 4 + 5), equals9. The entireFuguecontains117
measures, thedigitsof whichalso add up to 9 ( 1 + 1 + 7 ) . Finally,to
carry numerical manipulation thethree9's whichare the
to itsconclusion,
digit-sums of the three individual fuguesequal 27 ( =33 ) , the digitsof
whichalso equal 9 (2 + 7).
The musicof the Fugue also displaysnoteworthysymbolism.The
primary as
subject, is well occurs
known, in alteredformsin
rhythmically
thesecondand thirdfugues(see Examples5a and 5b).
once again, Bach's attemptto symbolizethe
This may represent,
ofeachofthePersonsof theTrinity.
unityanddistinctiveness
simultaneous
whenthe barlinesare removed,
Furthermore, one can see thatBach has
eachof thesealteredsubjectsintotriplemeter:
transformed
II
Fuque Гз1 оI в1 оI 0I о1. о! •I
J t

III
Fuaue Г5Л 1 #■
'Mо- «• о-
l'I
I^J t €.j ^

to note,moreover,
It is interesting thatthe firstappearanceof the
alteredprimary subjectoccursat theprecisemid-point(measure59) of
theentirepiece.

Beyondtheuse of therhythmically alteredprimarysubjectin thelast

twofugues, one can see thematic
other throughout
relationships theFugue.
The outlineof the second fugue'ssubject foreshadowed, shortened
is in a
manner,in the counterpoint of the firstfugue- in the lowestvoice,
measures29-30, and in the upper voice,measures31-32. The austere
grandeurof the firstfuguemightbe representative of the Father,while
thethirdfuguemightagainrepresent, withthecircling,melismatic motion
of itssubject,theHolySpirit.And fora final numericalreferenceto the
Trinity,in the entireFugue thereare 27 wholeor partial statements of
theprimary subject,in eitheroriginalor rhythmicallyalteredform, which
at timesinvolveclosestretto:
FugueI - 12 entrances (4 X 3)
FugueII - 6 entrances (2X3)
Fugue III - 9 entrances(3 X 3)

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Again,the number"3" is a factorof each subtotal,and the sum of the
otherfactors(4 + 2 -b 3) is,again,9.
That Bach was concernedwith musicaland numericalsymbolism
cannotbe questioned.What is open to speculation,however, is thedegree
to whichBachappliedthissymbolism. to finda sanemiddle
It is difficult
groundbetweentheextremes of excessivecautionand abandon.Whether
or notBachwas consciousof eachinstance of symbolism mentioned above,
through theprocessof searchingforsuchsymbolism we can at leastgain
an insightintotheprofound of hismusic.
spirituality

FIGURE1: QUALITYOF INTERVALS

Footnotes
1Albert J.S. Bach(Paris,1905); English
Schweitzer, translationbyE. Newman
(London, 1911),revised 1952;KarlGeiringer,
edition, Symbolism in theMusic
ofBach(Washington, D.C.,1956); Arnold Schering, Das Symbol in derMusik
(Leipzig, 1941),pp.24-49,alsoavailable in theBach-Jahrbuch (1925), pp.40-
63; Martin Jansen, BachsZahlensymbolik an seinen Passionem untersucht,in the
Bach-Jahrbuch (1937), pp.98-117;Friedrich Smend, Die Johannes-Passion von
BachintheBach-Jahrbuch (1926), pp. 105-128,andBachsh-moll-Messe: Entste-
hung , Überlieferung intheBach-Jahrbuch
, Bedeutung, (1937),pp.1-58.
2Symbolism in thechorale preludesof theCiavierübung III is discussed,
among
other inChristoph
places, AlbrechťsJ.S. BachsClavier Übung, Dritter Teil: Ver-
sucheinerDeutung ; seetheBach-Jahrbuch ( 1969), pp.46-66.
3Vincent Foster
Hopper, MedievalNumber Symbolism (NewYork,1938),pp.68-
86; seeespecially,
p. 84.

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 Musical Examples

Ex. 1. J.S.Bach. Preludein E-flatMajor,BWV 552,

meas.40-44and 44-51.

Ex. 2. BWV 552,meas.70-73.

Ex. 3a. Bach,Der Geisthilftunsrer

Schwacheit
auf,BWV 226,
meas.1-8,Soprano.

Ex. 3b. Jesu,meineFreude,BWV 227, movement

6, meas.1-3.

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Exs.4a-4c. Prelude,BWV 552,meas.1-6,54-57,and 88.

Ex. 5a. Bachfuguein E-flatMajor,BWV 552,Fugue,meas.59-63.

Ex. 5b. Bach,BWV 552,Fugue,meas.89-91.

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