Introduction and Overview
The idea of this paper is an analysis of Bach’s Sinfonia 9 in f minor, BWV 795, first with the tools of structural analysis I learned in counterpoint and harmony classes, then with a semiotic approach. The project is to try to determine whether semiotic analysis can help us in understanding highly “abstract”, non-programmatic instrumental music. I have chosen this piece for two reasons. The first is simply experience. I have done analyses of it before, in a counterpoint class. I remember the sessions about this piece being hard work, but then there was a moment of understanding and suddenly it all seemed so simple. (A look at the harmonic issues will show it is still very complicated.) The second reason is the seemingly abstract nature of the piece. In spite of this abstraction, I do get emotionally involved when listening to this piece, I cannot ignore the emotion of sadness and suffering. So the semiotic part of this analysis is about the referential elements under the abstract surface, about the expressive content of an instrumental, non-programmatic piece. The goal is to show one of the possible ways in which meaning is attributed to music: in this case, by conventionalized signifiers.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
“EIN HARMONISCHES VEXIERSPIEL” (HINDEMITH)
COUNTERPOINT ISSUES
HARMONIC INTERPUNCTIONS AND FORMAL ISSUES
SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS
A SEMIOTIC APPROACH: SIGNIFIERS IN BWV 795
RAYMOND MONELLES ANALYSIS OF BWV 886
THE SUBJECTS AND THEIR POSSIBLE INTERPRETATION
SUBJECT
COUNTERSUBJECT
SECOND COUNTERSUBJECT
WHAT IS DIFFERENT IN BWV 795?
SPECULATIONS
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper aims to analyze Johann Sebastian Bach's Sinfonia 9 in f minor, BWV 795, by integrating structural musical analysis with a semiotic approach to determine if semiotic theory can effectively interpret abstract, non-programmatic instrumental music.
- Structural and contrapuntal analysis of the fugal composition.
- Identification of conventionalized signifiers and baroque rhetorical elements within the piece.
- Comparison of thematic subjects and their expressive, often dysphoric, content.
- Investigation into the tension between formal rigor and individual emotional expression.
- Exploration of how dialogic musical forms serve to make personal suffering intelligible.
Excerpt from the Book
The subjects and their possible interpretation
In the first one and a half measures, upward movement is dominant, compensated by a fast scalewise descent in the last half of the second measure. The melody encompasses two suspiratio-shapes, the third three-eighths-group might be interpreted as a varied appogiatura-figure (chromatically leading upward instead of falling down). The alteration of e flat to e (second measure, beat 2) is taken back at once (beat 3). Here, this can be explained as a characteristic step in melodic minor. But alterations that are taken back immediately afterwards occur also in the second countersubject and in extenso in the interludes (e.g. in measures 9 and 10). Rhythmically, the heavy eighths are left out by pauses or syncopation. The beginnings of the three eighths-figures have an upbeat-character. The movement seems mainly in equal values, but by “defusing” each first and third beat, the melody appears as if without gravity.
There is one really exceptional step in this melody: the tritonus leap b flat – e, a “forbidden” step. Though it may be explained contrapunctally, it still bears a notion of “syncopatio catachrestica”, for the dissonance is resolved upwards, an unusual feature. So the subject may be characterized as a shape of highly subjective, even intimate expression of pain and sin, or of a suffering that breaks social laws.
Summary of Chapters
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW: This chapter outlines the motivation for the study, which combines structural analysis with a semiotic lens to explore the emotional depth of Bach's abstract instrumental work.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS: An investigation into the contrapuntal nature of BWV 795, referencing Paul Hindemith’s theories to explain the harmonic dissonance and resolution patterns.
SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS: This section applies baroque music rhetoric to identify conventional signifiers like the passus duriusculus and explores how structural rigidity contrasts with the expressive content of the subjects.
Keywords
Bach, BWV 795, Semiotics, Musical Rhetoric, Fugue, Counterpoint, Passus Duriusculus, Suspiratio, Neapolitan chord, Structural Analysis, Musicology, Baroque music, Subjective expression, Symbolism, Formalism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental objective of this analysis?
The primary goal is to determine if a semiotic approach can provide meaningful insights into highly abstract, non-programmatic instrumental music, specifically Bach's Sinfonia 9, BWV 795.
What are the core thematic fields covered in this paper?
The paper focuses on the intersection of formal contrapuntal structure and musical symbolism, exploring how conventionalized rhetoric communicates human emotions like grief or suffering.
What methodology does the author employ?
The author uses a two-fold method: first, a technical structural analysis derived from counterpoint and harmony studies, followed by a semiotic inquiry into signifiers and symbolic musical shapes.
What does the main body of the work examine?
The main body investigates the harmonic interpunctions, the specific roles of the subject and countersubjects, and the interplay between these elements as defined by baroque rhetorical standards.
Which key term describes the emotional content of the themes?
The author characterizes the thematic shapes in this work as bearing the "common trait of dysphory," reflecting deep-seated expressions of pain and mourning.
What characterizes a "permutation fugue" according to the text?
It is described as a highly formalized musical structure that denotes an artificially shaped and very cultivated expression, often subject to rigorous contrapuntal constraints.
How does the author differentiate between BWV 795 and BWV 886?
The author notes that while BWV 886 displays sharp contrasts and clear linear "oddities," BWV 795 is more rigid and avoids such dramatic opposition, distributing its dissonances more uniformly.
What is the significance of the "tritonus leap" mentioned in the analysis?
It is highlighted as an exceptional, "forbidden" melodic step that suggests a sense of "syncopatio catachrestica," representing a unique emotional departure from traditional contrapuntal expectations.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anne Camilla Kutzner (Autor:in), 2004, Bach's Sinfonia 9 BWV 795. A Semiotic Analysis, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/42028
