Molly Sanford

J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-sharp Major, Book 1 (BWV 848)
Beethoven: Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110
Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 No. 19 in E-flat Major
Prelude Op. 28 No. 21 in B-flat Major

J.S. Bach arr. Busoni: Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1004 mov. 5

Liszt: Variationen über das Motiv von Bach, S.180
Debussy: Etude, L. 136 No. 1 “pour les cinq doigts” (after M. Czerny)
Etude, L. 136 No. 5 (for octaves)
Prelude, L. 117 No. 4 “les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir”
Messiaen: Prelude No. 4 “Instants défunts”

(73 minutes)

My recital program consists of composers throughout the eras of music history that

directly inspired each other. Between quotes, compositional concepts, and transcriptions, we can

trace direct influences from Bach and Chopin to Liszt and Debussy. The first half is arranged by

key, ascending through the circle of fifths, beginning with J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No. 3

in C-sharp Major from the ​Well-Tempered Clavier​ Book 1. This is an important precedent for a

key-arranged program, because the ​Well-Tempered Clavier​ originated with Bach utilizing the

new ability to write in any key signature for keyboard besides just those closely related to C. The

second piece, up a fifth enharmonically, is Beethoven’s Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major (Op. 110).

As the second-to-last Beethoven sonata written at the end of his life, this is piece is a highly

emotional and spiritual journey: the final movement uses a quote from Bach’s ​St. John Passion

in the “arioso” sections.

Next I have programmed two of Chopin’s preludes, continuing to ascend by fifths, in

E-flat Major and B-flat Major. Chopin wrote his 24 preludes as a set modelled after Bach’s

Well-Tempered Clavier​. They are arranged by tonal plan, feature one prelude and fugue set in

each key, and use thematic material throughout.

Molly Sanford

The second half begins with transcriptions of J.S. Bach. The first is a transcription of the

Chaconne in D minor from Bach’s Violin Partita No. 2 (BWV 1004), written by Busoni in 1893

and including elements of virtuosity typical of this time period. The second is Liszt’s

Variationen über das Motiv von Bach​, S.180. Liszt takes the ostinato from BWV 12, writes in

variation form corresponding to Bach’s, and quotes another hymn from Bach’s cantata (“Was

Gott tut das ist wohlgetan”) in the coda. By using this hymn to contrast the dark and lamenting

ostinato, Liszt uses Romantic-era features to “characterize a composition that takes its structural

procedure from the Baroque,” creating a fusion of genres and styles between Bach and Liszt

(Kirby 224).

To bridge the gap between the Classical, Romantic, and late Romantic/Impressionistic

eras, I programmed two Debussy etudes. Debussy’s first etude, “pour les cinq doigts (after M.

Czerny),” took the purely technical teaching exercise of Czerny and created a stylistic piece

meant for the concert hall. This can be traced back to Chopin, who was a creator of the concept

of concert etudes, or pieces that would typically only serve to exercise a technical problem and

not serve for performance. The next etude, number five from book one (for octaves), takes

another typical technical issue and weaves it into a piece that is made of octaves but causes the

listener to focus on more than just that. Finally, I have paired a Debussy prelude (book 1, number

4, “les sons et les parfums”) with a Messiaen prelude (number 4, “Instants défunts”). Debussy’s

preludes reflect Chopin’s preludes in compositional inspiration and descriptive titles, becoming

almost small character pieces. Messiaen continues using these titles, and was influenced by

aspects of Debussy’s harmonic writing when composing his preludes. I have paired these two
Molly Sanford

particular preludes because the opening motives bear resemblance regarding contour and

intervals.

Sources: ​Kirby, F. E. ​Music for Piano: A Short History​. Amadeus Press, 2004.