The influence of JS Bach on the music of Unsung Romantic Composers

[Peter1953]

In a recent thread on Ashton we recognized hints of baroque in some of his piano sonatas. Raff showed his love and admiration for JS Bach in many ways, amongst others in his arrangements for piano of the six cello suites BWV 1007-1012 (a valuable project in 4 CD volumes on the AK Coburg label by the late Dr Alan H Krueck). Another name is Hans Huber, who composed Präludien und Fugen in allen Tonarten für Pianoforte zu Vier Händen, op. 100. The Fugues are very much JS Bach inspired.

These are just 3 names. Do you know other examples?

[ahinton]

In a recent thread on Ashton we recognized hints of baroque in some of his piano sonatas. Raff showed his love and admiration for JS Bach in many ways, amongst others in his arrangements for piano of the six cello suites BWV 1007-1012 (a valuable project in 4 CD volumes on the AK Coburg label by the late Dr Alan H Krueck). Another name is Hans Huber, who composed Präludien und Fugen in allen Tonarten für Pianoforte zu Vier Händen, op. 100. The Fugues are very much JS Bach inspired.

These are just 3 names. Do you know other examples?

I've gone through the Ashton sonatas and other works and find them profoundly ordinary and disappointing. As to the influence of Bach, however, as far as I am concerned it's omnipresent; without His example, I've not much idea where I'd be, for starters and for what that admission may or may not be worth...

[John Hudock]

Well, Reger and Villa Lobos immediately come to mind, although neither is particularly unsung. For more unsung composers, the pianist-composers who wrote transcriptions or interpretations of Bach pieces like Tausig, Moscheles, Siloti, Busoni (and the sung Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Mendelssohn).

Contemporary Ronald Stevenson wrote an epic tribute to Bach in his massive Passacaglia on DSCH.

Kenneth Leighton's Fantasia Contrapuntistica is a hommage to Bach.

Some other works that come to mind, all the prelude and fugue collections by:
Henry Martin
Rodion Shcedrin
Sergei Slonimsky
Nikolai Kapustin

Julius Rontgen Preludes and Fugues for Orchestra

And also in this group you could probably include Cowell's Hymn and Fuguing Tunes.

[eschiss1]

(and maybe lesser-known examples by the sung Schumann, Mozart, Saint-Saëns ... )
Carl Reinecke: Variationen über eine Sarabande von J.S. Bach, Op.24 (also, another work, his op. 52, is Bach-related?)
Arthur Foote: Transcription of a Bach Sarabande and Courante
Gyorgy Catoire: Concert transcription of J.S. Bach's Passacaglia in C minor for Piano
(The list expends exponentially into non-Romantic composers but that was not the question asked nor is this the right board . Re Schumann I have too much trouble resisting mentioning although, again, not at all unsung unless you count the work in question - symphony no. 2's opening sounds to me much inspired by Bach as well, and what should happen to precede op.61 in the list of his published works but, well, the op. 60 studies on BACH...
and I forgot to mention Elgar, whose half of a famous exchange with Respighi of transcriptions was of the same Passacaglia in C minor, but this time for orchestra (well-enough known.) Respighi in turn had his Tre Corali, three chorale preludes for organ by Bach arr. for orchestra. (I consider Schoenberg a Romantic composer and he did himself, and of course his Bach arrangements are well-enough known, esp. that of the St. Anne Prelude and Fugue BWV552, but that's pushing it.)
Eric

[chill319]

Wilhelm Berger wrote some of the most internalized Bach-derived music of the late 19th century. By 'internalized' I mean that his development of textural, harmonic, and especially voice-leading subtleties found in J.S. Bach occurs in all genres, not just in fugues and fugatos.

[Amphissa]

 
Khandoshkin's Sonatas for Violin Solo are very obviously modeled on Bach.

[gentile]

I agree that Bach influence is so far reaching as to being detectable in almost every composer after him (or Him). Thus, instead of trying to nominate a long list of unsung composers influenced by Bach I would better like to point out some pieces in which unsung composers have unashamedly (but somehow successfully) imitated Bach style. And I am not meaning Bach the Master of Counterpoint but Bach the Master of Melody. In particular, the shadow of the Air of the Third Orchestral Suite looms large over the following pieces (all of them are among the best examples I know of serene beauty akin to that of the Master):

A. Foote      Air from the Serenade Op.25
C. Reinecke  Andante con variazioni (2nd movement) from Piano Quintet Op. 83
D. Páque    Aria from the String Qt. No. 4
B. Tchaikovsky  Moderato (1st movement) of the Clarinet Concerto

Among them, I would like to highlight the figure of the Belgian composer Desiré Páque (1867-1939), who appears to be now largely forgotten. In the early 90's Koch published two CDs of his very interesting string quartets and another one with piano sonatas. Then, when it appeared that a Páque revival would take hold, Koch did not longer issue and no other label showed interest for his cause (as far as I know). Páque composed no less than 8 symphonies, 2 piano concertos, a cello concerto, a Requiem, 10 string quartets, 3 piano quintets, 3 piano trios, 4 violin sonatas,... During his creative life he appears to have evolved from a late romantic to a more advanced (almost polytonal) style. Judging from the few works I have heard (those on the above CDs), I believe that his music deserves to be rescued from oblivion.