UPDATE: One of my astute listeners pointed out that it is in fact Jones’ review of Butler’s work in Music & Letters, and the original work by Butler is this book. Thanks for the correction!

Don’t miss the end of this episode where I play three of Bach’s earlier settings of the same tune, BWVs 700, 701, & 738!

We finish our study of this late masterpiece by reading some scholarship on the two different versions Bach made of his canonic variations on Luther’s 1539 melody. Whereas Wolff suggests both versions could be ‘authentic,’ Gregory Butler reveals that he believes the Original Edition was a mistake— one that prompted the handwritten fair copy.

As for the signature in the augmented canon— the finale in the fair copy— it is first spelled out in bar 19. See the top line, G, F#, A, G#:

These are not the same notes, but it is the same shape as B-A-C-H. The line that imitates this upper line is moving at half its speed. Therefore, it must repeat the spelling twice as slow later in the piece. See how it is joined by an independent line of counterpoint, now singing out the signature in parallel 3rds:

Two signatures in two different final movements!

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Concepts Covered:

In this episode, we explore Bach canonic variations, as well as other chorale setting of BWV 700, BWV 701, and BWV 738, and their connection to the Luther 1539 melody. We dive into Bach scholarship, focusing on insights from P. 271 and Gregory Butler’s Bach Research. You’ll also learn about Bach's original editions and the handwritten fair copy Bach created, as well as the significance of the augmented canon signature — the iconic B-A-C-H motif. We examine Bach counterpoint techniques, analyze Baroque music in detail, and explore Bach's final movements in these canonic counterpoint studies. This episode serves as a gateway to understanding Bach's late masterpieces, with special attention given to the use of Bach’s signature in these variations.

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