Bourrée in E minor
J.S. Bach 'Bourree in E minor' (BWV 996)
Bourrée in E minor is a popular lute piece, the fifth movement from Suite in E minor for Lute, BWV 996 (BC L166) written by Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece is arguably one of the most famous pieces among guitarists.[1]
A bourrée was a type of dance that originated in France with quick duple meter and an upbeat.[2] Though the bourrée was popular as a social dance and shown in theatrical ballets during the reign of Louis XIV of France, the Bourrée in E minor was not intended for dancing.[2] Nonetheless, some of the elements of the dance are incorporated in the piece.[2]
Bach wrote his lute pieces in a traditional score rather than in lute tablature, and some believe that Bach played his lute pieces on the keyboard.[2] No original script of the Suite in E minor for Lute by Bach is known to exist.[3] However, in the collection of one of Bach's pupils, Johann Ludwig Krebs, there is one piece ("Praeludio – con la Suite da Gio: Bast. Bach") that has written "aufs Lauten Werck" ("for the lute-harpsichord") in unidentified handwriting.[3] Some argue that despite this reference, the piece was meant to be played on the lute as demonstrated by the texture.[3] Others argue that since the piece was written in E minor, it would be incompatible with the baroque lute which was tuned to D minor.[4] Nevertheless, it may be played with other string instruments, such as the guitar, mandola or mandocello, and keyboard instruments, and it is especially well-known among guitarists.[5] The tempo of the piece should be fairly quick and smooth, since it was written to be a dance. It also demonstrates counterpoint, as the two voices move independently of one another.[1] Furthermore, the Bourrée in E minor demonstrates binary form.[6]
 | Lute Suite No,. 1 - BWV 996, E Minor - V Bourrée Performed on a lautenwerck by Martha Goldstein J.S. Bach "Bourrée in E minor" (BWV 996) Performed on an organ |
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Contents
1 In classical music
2 Jethro Tull version
3 In popular culture
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
In classical music
Robert Schumann quotes the first 14 notes of this memorable theme (transposed to G minor) in #3 of the Op. 60, 6 Fugues on B–A–C–H, where he neatly combines it with the B♭ A C B motif. There also appears to be an echo of this reference in the next fugue, #4.
Jethro Tull version
| "Bourrée" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Jethro Tull | ||||
| from the album Stand Up | ||||
| B-side | "Fat Man" | |||
| Released | 1969 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 3:46 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis, Island, Reprise, Fontana | |||
| Songwriter(s) | J.S. Bach, arr. Ian Anderson | |||
| Producer(s) | Ian Anderson, Terry Ellis | |||
Jethro Tull singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Jethro Tull used the piece in the third track in their August 1969 album Stand Up, "Bourée",[7] which was also released as a single that year. Alternative versions of the same track appear on The Jethro Tull Christmas Album and A Little Light Music and is a band favorite for live concerts. In April 2011, a portion of this was also played as a duet by Cady Coleman from the ISS and Ian Anderson on tour in Perm, Russia.[8]
In popular culture
The piece has been used by a number of musicians:
Paul McCartney has said in interviews and on tours that the songs "Blackbird" and "Jenny Wren" were both inspired by variations and alterations to the bourrée.[9]
- The London Blues-rock group Bakerloo released their arrangement of the tune, titled "Drivin' Bachwards", as a single on Harvest Records (HAR 5004) in July 1969. The same recording appeared on their self-titled debut album (Harvest SHVL 762) the following December.
Led Zeppelin has used this piece in live performances while playing "Heartbreaker".[10]
Tenacious D used it for their songs, "Rock Your Socks" and "Classico", which was played in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.[11]
Yngwie Malmsteen has also been known to integrate this, among other works by Bach, into his live sets.[12][1]
Leo Kottke performs "Bouree" on the album Mudlark.[1]
Lenny Breau re-harmonized this piece and recorded it on the album Minors Aloud under the title "On a Bach Bouree".
Alter Bridge used this riff as the chorus to "Wayward One", the closing track of their 2007 album Blackbird.
Jam-80 a short-lived Icelandic band featuring Björk recorded it on a demo cassette.- It has been adapted for the Commodore 64 version of Black Lamp.
Blizzard composer Glenn Stafford used it in the soundtrack for Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness in the second half of the song titled "Human 2".- Jon Lord composed Bouree on his album Sarabande.
See also
- List of compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach
References
^ abcd Mark Phillips; Jon Chappell (2008). Guitar Exercises for Dummies. For Dummies. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-470-38766-5..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ abcd Nancy Bachus; Daniel Glover (2000). The Baroque Spirit, Bk 2: Book & CD. Alfred Music Publishing. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7390-0502-6.
^ abc Hannu Annala; Heiki Mätlik (2008). Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers. Mel Bay Publications. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7866-5844-2.
^ Johann Sebastian Bach; Jozsef Eotvos (2002). J. S. Bach: The Complete Lute Works. Mel Bay Publications. p. vi. ISBN 978-0-7866-6819-9.
^ Elizabeth T. Knuth. "Bourrée". Retrieved 2007-12-18.
^ Bill Purse (2003). The PrintMusic! primer: mastering the art of music notation with Finale PrintMusic!. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-87930-754-7.
^ Jethro Tull, Scott Allen Nollen, Ian Anderson (McFarland, 2001) Page 47
^ Stephanie Schierholz (2011-04-12). "NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Perform First Space-Earth Flute Duet". Archived from the original on 2017-11-12. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
^ Bass Player. "He Can Work It Out". Archived from the original on 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
^ Songfacts. "Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin". Retrieved 2007-12-18.
^ Kickass Classical. "The Most Popular Classical Music". Archived from the original on 2006-04-02. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
^ Chordie. "Bachs Bouree by Yngwie Malmsteen". Retrieved 2007-12-18.
External links
Lute Pieces, BWV 995-1000: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)- Sheet Music
- Sheet Music from Mutopia
- Guitar Information
- The Origin of Jethro Tull's Bourrée
