Review

Johann Sebastian Bach
Twenty-Four Fugues in all Major and Minor Keys from The Well-Tempered Clavier : Volume One, fugues 1-12 (#2432); Volume Two, fugues 13-24 (#2437); or all 24 in one volume (#2446)

Arranged by Ralph Sauer


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2011
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Bach’s preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier date from 1722 to 1742.  They are now regarded as demonstration pieces for the then-new system of tuning half-steps equally, allowing the clavier to play in all twenty-four keys (major and minor) without retuning the instrument for each key. Musically, the two dozen works show a wide variety of styles and moods and have been transcribed for almost every conceivable combination. Even though the pieces are intended for keyboard, I believe this is “pure” music that, because of the intricate line-crossing and octave jumps, sounds best when performed by a homogeneous ensemble. This transcription is just so, scored for three tenors and one bass trombone. I am not sure of Sauer’s sources but the reference I used for this review is the Bach-Gesellshaft Ausgabe editions from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a common and reliable collection and the source for most modern editions that followed.
							 
Sauer has wisely kept the trombones in the original keys, which progress chromatically up for each fugue from C major to C minor, C sharp major to C sharp minor, up to the final fugue in B minor. He changed some difficult keys, for example C-sharp and D-sharp major, into easier equivalents, while lowering the original music one octave. The voices similarly remain the same with most fugues beginning in the middle parts. The top two parts are given in tenor clef, the bottom two in bass; the first part requires high d2 and the fourth part is for a seasoned bass trombonist. Compared to my Bach Society editions, a few older (12/16) time signatures are also updated, and fugue number ten is changed from alla breve with triplets to a much more manageable meter of 12/8. Some final chords are re-voiced to a closer spacing and sound fine; Sauer has also added tempo indications for each fugue. All of this points to a thoughtful respect for the original, an approach sometimes not found in brass transcriptions.

The most important issue when transcribing older music for modern brass players is the question of articulation: Bach wrote none, but brass players today expect them. My personal opinion is that less is more, but playing these as written by Bach would result in every fugue sounding the same - short and detached. Sauer has opted for a moderate, I think tasteful, approach. The rapid passages are usually slurred, and those with shorter motifs are usually marked separated. He is consistent throughout and adds ritardando at the end of each piece. Obviously every articulation reflects the musical interpretation of the transcriber, and trombonists who disagree with Sauer’s markings can certainly play these pieces however they want.  
						
The entire collection is a massive and impressive addition to the quartet literature, and represents a thoughtful and highly musical approach to older music. They are quite difficult (good college players and professionals) but musically rewarding. The “theoretical” nature of the original means this transcription avoids the orchestration problems we have when we try to reset Bach’s cello suites or violin partitas for trombone.  The typesetting is first-rate and error-free. These transcriptions work equally well for practice or performance and are most highly recommended.

-David Mathie
Boise State University