Bach and the Chaconne

Abstract

In the evolution of musical genres, as in the evolution of biological species, changes are sometimes brought about by a sudden mutation, which turns out to have survival value and thus gives rise to a new type or subgenre. In a musical genre, such a mutation may be the consequence of a composer's desire to endow a composition with special meaning by introducing features that will distinguish it from prior specimens-that in fact may even go counter to the traditional concept of the genre. An obvious example would be the introduction of voices in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. We can call such a work marked, as opposed to the unmarked norm.' Most of these mutations have little effect beyond the reception of the work itself; however, when the message is especially powerful, the mutated features may be emulated in other works and eventually become dominant characteristics of the genre or give rise to a new genre tradition in which they no longer function as markings but have become the norm.2 Bach's chaconne for unaccompanied violin and his passacaglia for organ provide examples of mutations that had particularly strong survival value; they became the prototypes of the chaconne and passacaglia