SKU: 33375119575

Bach: The Musical Offering by Hermann Scherchen (2021 Remastered, Vienna 1965)

Sale price$16.20 Regular price$18.00
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $4.50 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 23 - Jul 28

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

Bach: The Musical Offering by Hermann Scherchen (2021 Remastered, Vienna 1965)Bach: The Musical Offering by Hermann Scherchen Hermann Scherchen (2021 Remastered, Vienna 1965) 1 disc(s) 17 track(s) Total length: 00: 50: 09 The Musical Offering includes 17 or 23 different pieces (depending on whether one counts the two ricercare as single or multi part compositions.) For just six of them Bach had indicated the instrumentation. The miraculous beauty of this music is itself sufficient justification to orchestrate the other eleven

Bach: The Musical Offering by Hermann Scherchen

Hermann Scherchen (2021 Remastered, Vienna 1965)

1 disc(s) - 17 track(s)
Total length: 00:50:09

 

The Musical Offering includes 17 or 23 different pieces (depending on whether one counts the two ricercare as single or multi-part compositions.) For just six of them Bach had indicated the instrumentation. The miraculous beauty of this music is itself sufficient justification to orchestrate the other eleven pieces, some of which were simply sketched out like a sort of musical puzzle.

Bach, who loved this kind of game, left it to the curious to figure it all out. Vuataz's version has nothing in common with his orchestration of the Art of the Fugue (also at Scherchen's request): in fact, this orchestration is based on the principle of an orchestra physically arranged like an organ, with four separate keyboards: the entire polyphony is subdivided accordingly.

The origins of the Musical Offering are the stuff of legend. Bach's third son Carl-Philipp-Emanuel had been hired as a musician in the chapel of Frederic Il, the King of Prussia. The king repeatedly expressed his wish that the famous Kantor of Leipzig come to his Court. In May 1747, Bach accepted his request and came. Frederic asked the Maestro to try out all his keyboard instruments.

Bach invited the King to give him the theme for a fugue, which he then improvised. The King asked Bach to take his theme and compose a single fugue in six parts. But Bach realised the King's theme couldn't really handle this difficult request, so he proposed a fugue in six parts on a theme of his own choice. In fact, problems with the royal theme became obvious as soon as Bach came to the strettos - (overlapping fugal entries).

The king's theme of the Offering offered no real possibilities for natural strettos. The frue subject of the fugue is in fact a melody so well conceived that at the end of the work one realises that the conclusion is contained in its initial presentation. On July 7, 1747, Bach sent the King eight pieces including the Ricercare in three parts.

Later, Bach sent three more pieces, including a Ricercare in six parts. Finally, Bach sent a last shipment of a Sonata in trio in four movements. We don't now how the Prussian King reacted to these compositions in which all the canons are in the forms of musical puzzles, which has led several musicologists Albert Schweitzer amongst them - to declare that they are an intellectual conundrum.

Later, Bach sent three more pieces, including a Ricercare in six parts. Finally, Bach sent a last shipment of a Sonata in trio in four movements. We don't now how the Prussian King reacted to these compositions in which all the canons are in the forms of musical puzzles, which has led several musicologists Albert Schweitzer amongst them - to declare that they are an intellectual conundrum.

It would be wrong to pretend that some canons are not extremely abstract but this characteristic stems from certain rare associations of different musical sounds. Roger Vuataz later said: "The Royal theme ofthe Offering is a bridge with three unequal arches, its two endsfirmly rooted in the bedrock of the tonic scale. That in itselfmakes it a closed theme that contains its own unity instead ofopening up towards the dominant and letting the answer return to the tonic. Through the simple artifice of a modulating appendix (an added bar) Bach finds an answer which also satisfies tonal laws."

Scherchen recorded this work in 1950, in the Vuataz version. He probably wasn't satisfied with this release, so he recorded his own orchestration for Westminster, in stereo in 1964. (Similarly with the Art of the Fugue: after having first played the Graeser version as early as February 1928, then his friend Vuataz's version, he made his own - extraordinary - arrangement which he premiered in Lugano on May 14, 1965).

Enjoy your listening

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 33375119575

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 26 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
J
Verified Purchase
Jimmy Snow
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 5
Boat repair
Size: 89-96158T 2PCS
Excellent for price and quality
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2025
C
Verified Purchase
Curtis M
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Fixed the no boat start
Size: 89-96158T 1PC
Fixed my problem so far working good
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2025
C
Verified Purchase
CHARLES H.
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Direct Connection
Color: Black, Size: 25-Feet
Received the package in good condition. This wire is a decent quality. I made a set of jumper cables with it and they work excellent.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2026
C
Verified Purchase
Christopher Hauck
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
bought twice to make custom UPS setup battery leads, not disappointed
Color: Black, Size: 25-Feet
bought this item(25ft 2awg) twice, the first time I did was to create some quick connect cables between my batteries and my distribution block to my 4kw invertor(24v 165a peak calculated load) I may have oversized due to knowing that the bigger you go the less you stress components and loose power to voltage drop these cables are a nice high-grade rubber jacket and the 30awg strands are ideal for maximum flexibility while remaining fairly easy to terminate this cable also includes a backer paper wrap that allows for easy stripping(of the rubber) without too much strand loss damage(from cutting too close to the core) overall, would buy again, like I did, if I need larger runs(say for feeding an RV solar AC distribution panel) I would buy this brand again, in the 100ft range or so THHN is not ideal for flex connections(strands are way too stiff) but a couple runs of welding cable like this inside something like "smurf tube" would be a perfect high-power temporary connection system, or just a way to isolate a large battery stack used for a solar setup in fact I may do that someday, set up a pallet of LiFePO4 batteries with a large quick connect, and just recharge the massive array(s) at a secondary location where solar is more ideal(or other renewables)
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
A
Verified Purchase
AM
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Custom wires for winch solenoid pack relocation.
Color: Black, Size: 25-Feet
Wire is nice. Flexible. Seems good. However the inner liner is not moisture blocking as I assumed from the pictures, it's paper.. still seems like a good price per foot.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2020

recommand products