The Title Page as Philologisches Tresespiel (‘A Letters and Numbers’ Game) and the Question of Authorship

Authors

  • Anatoly P. Milka St. Petersburg Conservatory and the St. Petersburg State University Author

Abstract

The article discusses the authorship of the title of Bach’s The Art of Fugue, which has been questioned since Ph. Spitta’s work – and which remains controversial. The four existing variants of the title are analyzed in the article, showing that two of them are composed in a paragrammatic technique. The comparison of these two versions and their assessment within Bach’s personal context and the circumstances of his work on The Art of Fugue strongly point to the conclusion that it was Bach himself who composed the text of the title page. 

Author Biography

  • Anatoly P. Milka, St. Petersburg Conservatory and the St. Petersburg State University

    Anatoly Milka is a Professor and Dr Habil. of Musicology. He conducts research and teaches at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and the St. Petersburg State University. Among his Russian-language books are Theoretical Foundations of Functionality in Music (St. Petersburg, 1982); Bach’s Musical Offering: Toward Reconstruction and Interpretation (Moscow, 1999); Intriguing Bachiana (with Tatiana Shabalina; St. Petersburg, 1997, 2001), Gottfried Kirchhoff, L'A.B.C. Musical von Gottfried Kirchhoff: Facsimile Edition of the Original (Amsterdam, c.1734): edition, introduction, and commentary (St. Petersburg, 2004, in Russian and German); Bach’s The Art of Fugue: Toward Reconstruction and Interpretation (St. Petersburg, 2009). He is the author of articles in Bach Jahrbuch and other international journals. 

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Published

2024-04-26

Issue

Vol. 12 (2014)

Section

Articles