Excerpts from Eternity presents a structural, motivic and harmonic analysis of the Chaconne movement of the Partita in D minor, one of J.S. Bach’s most popular violin works (BWV 1004), relying on results of cutting edge Bach-research from the 21 century.
Excerpts from Eternity is the product of the comprehensive research conducted by the authors, composer Barnabás Dukay and violinist Márta Ábrahám, both of whom are professors at the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy, Budapest. The book offers the most detailed analysis of the Chaconne, Bach’s most famous violin work, published to this date. The two Hungarian professors’ work is, however, not only painstaking but also groundbreaking. They have discovered a unique time code encrypted in the structure of the piece, whose existence have been completely unknown for music historians for 300 years. Their discovery leads to new results beyond the narrow field of 21st century Bach research, some of which are significant from the perspective of art history in general. The unveiling of the unique temporal encryption is, in fact, so important that it is perhaps not too much to say: it solves ‘the mystery of the Chaconne’ itself. The book, which is illustrated with numerous music examples from the score and complemented with diagrams, guides the reader through the architecture of the musical processes built atop and annexed to each other in the 64 variations. It provides insight into the previously unknown, complex musical network within the piece, and illuminates the symbolic meaning of the formal relationships that goes beyond the realm of music. The Chaconne, which has a special significance even within J.S. Bach’s oeuvre, is the pinnacle of the formal and polyphonic musical compositional style of the baroque era. Becoming directly acquainted with the structural organization of the piece could be illuminating for a new generation of young violinists, and might perhaps lead to a breakthrough or a paradigm shift in interpretation. We recommend this fundamental book by B. Dukay and M. Ábrahám not only to all violinists but also to students and teachers of string or keyboard instruments, musicology or composition as well as to all educated music lovers. It is not only the Chaconne itself that a musician ought to know after all, but also the logic and order of Bach’s use of the formal technique of variation.
Title: Excerpts from Eternity Authors: Barnabás Dukay, Márta Ábrahám Category: music analysis, textbook Hardcover with sewn binding: 148 pp ISBN 978-963-12-8720-2 Publisher: BioBach-Music Book and Music Publishing CD insert: Johann Sebastian Bach Partita in D minor (BWV 1004), Márta Ábrahám – violin (39 mins