We have a collection of 3 arrangements for Johann Sebastian Bach - Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582
What monumental Baroque organ masterpiece is built upon a simple, repeating bass line that transforms into a complex double fugue? Learn!
Who's behind the notes? Discover Johann Sebastian Bach: Master of Baroque Music
Johann Sebastian Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582, is a towering masterpiece of the Baroque organ repertoire. The work begins with a stately passacaglia, a form based on a ground bass—a short, recurring melodic pattern in the bass line. Over this relentless, repeating eight-measure theme, Bach constructs 20 variations of increasing complexity and inventiveness. Without pause, the passacaglia flows into a monumental double fugue. The first subject of this fugue is derived from the first half of the passacaglia theme, while the second subject is a new, rhythmically driving countersubject. Bach's genius is displayed in the flawless integration of these two forms and the overwhelming architectural power and emotional depth of the entire work, which moves from somber gravity to triumphant grandeur.