Search - Harold Chaney :: Bach at the Zenith -- Clavieruebung, Part III

Part III of the Clavier-Übung, presents an unprecedented collection of twenty-one chorale preludes. The entire cycle of chorale preludes and the four duets are enclosed within an imposing prelude and fugue. The musical skill and variety of treatment which Bach has given the chorales have rarely if ever been surpassed elsewhere within his vast ?uvre. In a sense, the Third Part of the Clavier-Übung is of significance to the organ in the way that the Goldberg Variations are to the harpsichord. In fact the pre-eminent authority, Christoph Wolff has asserted that: "In part III, Bach created not only his most extensive but also his most significant organ work." It stands, together with his Musical Offering and the Art of Fugue, as several of the most profound musical monuments of all time.