Passacaglia (Webern)

The Passacaglia in D minor op.1 is a Passacaglia for orchestra by Anton Webern . It was composed in 1908 and premiered that same year on November 4th in Vienna . The playing time is approximately 10 minutes. The work was written at the end of his musical studies and is one of the longest pieces by Webern.

Orchestral line-up

The orchestra consists of late romantic strings, triple woodwinds, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, a bass tuba, percussion and a harp.

music

The work is characterized above all by its contrapuntal lines and expressive expression. It also has chamber music approaches.

The Passacaglia theme, which consists of the eight notes d-cis-b-a-flat-fead, separated from each other by quarter rests, is introduced by the strings in eight bars at the beginning of the piece. Over the course of time, this theme is gradually being dismantled; instead, counter-melodies are presented ostensibly, which appeared earlier as counterpoints in the first variations of the basic theme. This not only gets stuck in the bass, but is also used again and again in a hidden way in the middle and upper parts, without sticking out. Meanwhile, Webern lets contrapuntal lines bloom to the motif in the foreground.

The piece continues to build up as it progresses, has a lyrical middle section and ends in a fortissimo passage, which is followed by a calm pianissimo finale.

literature

• Harenberg, cultural guide concert . Meyers Lexikonverlag, Mannheim 2006, ISBN 978-3-411-76161-6 .