Parallels Chords

The parallel and direct fifths in this passage probably remind you of the music of Debussy or of late 19th century composers:

However, this is a passage from the violin fugue in J. S. Bach's Sonata BWV 1001:

J. S. Bach, Sonata BWV 1001 for violin, Fugue

These parallel chords are a variation of the series of fifths. If we divide each chord into its upper and lower notes, the series of fifths becomes apparent: Eb, A, D, G, C, etc. By presenting the chords in arpeggio form, Bach conceals the parallel and direct fifths.

The same procedure can be seen in Invention BWV 772.

J. S. Bach, Inventio BWV 779

---

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. José Rodríguez Alvira.
Published by teoria.com