Fantasia In G Major

The great "G Major Fantasia" for organ was composed between 1703 and 1707 during Bach's residence in Arnstadt. It was here, at the beginning of his career, that his music was found to be too full of "wonderful variations and foreign tones"; and certainly the Fantasia is strikingly dissonant in its constant texture of suspensions. But the breadth of the five-part polyphonic writing and the richness of the harmonic sonority make the Fantasia one of the grandest of all Bach's compositions for organ. It is also one that lends itself most perfectly to the sound and sonorities of the modern wind band.

The transcription by Richard Franko Goldman and Robert L. Leist was undertaken as a memorial to Edwin Franko Goldman, who was the first bandmaster to include the works of Bach regularly in the band's concert repertoire, and who did so much to introduce the music of this great master to wide audiences. In this transcription an attempt is made to recapture the sound of the Baroque organ through the medium of the modern band. The first performance of this transcription was given by The Goldman Band, Richard Franko Goldman conducting, on July 1, 1957.

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Difficulty 4 on a scale of 1 to 6 with 6 being the hardest.

Technical Notes: A contrabassoon is an optional instrument for the string bass.

Suggestions To The Conductor
The original time signature, preserved in this transcription, is 2/2, and the tempo given is "Grave." The use of the 2/2 designation in the early 18th century is still subject to some question, and there is no reason why the Conductor may not perform the work as 4/4. Many will feel a more comfortable pulse in 4, especially if a relatively broad movement is maintained. The Fantasia should certainly not be taken too fast, but on the other hand a too slow tempo is equally to be avoided.

The chief problem in performance is that of maintaining a smooth and sustained tone, with full note values at all times. Special care should be taken to ensure that tied notes, especially those resulting in dissonances to be resolved, are carried through without loss of tone or volume, and not released prematurely. Phrasing should be consistent, and phrases should not be too markedly separated. Special care should be given to transitions between sections where the registration and scoring change.

The clarinet parts (Solo, 1st, 2nd, 3rd) should be of approximately equal strength; and it is desirable that flutes and oboes be as strong as possible. All five voices of the music should be as nearly equal as possible, although the conductor may emphasize one voice or another at different places, as his musical ear suggests.

Estimated Performance Time: 6:30

Arranger(s): This piece was arranged by Robert L. Leist and Richard Franko Goldman.

Composer(s): "Fantasia In G Major" was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Publisher: "Fantasia In G Major" was published by Mercury Music Corporation.

Series: This piece was part of the series "Theodore Presser Spectrum Band Series".

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Front Cover

Front Cover Image 1
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Conductor Score

Conductor Score Page 1
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Conductor Score Page 2
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Conductor Score Page 3
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Instrumentation

Instrumentation Page 1
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Descriptive Page

Descriptive Page 1
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Instrumentation

1	-	Condensed Score
1	-	Piccolo in C
4	-	1st Flute
4	-	2nd Flute
1	-	1st Oboe
1	-	2nd Oboe
1	-	1st Bassoon
1	-	2nd Bassoon
1	-	E Flat Soprano Clarinet
2	-	Solo B Flat Clarinet
4	-	1st B Flat Clarinet
4	-	2nd B Flat Clarinet
4	-	3rd B Flat Clarinet
2	-	E Flat Alto Clarinet
2	-	B Flat Bass Clarinet
2	-	1st E Flat Alto Saxophone
2	-	2nd E Flat Alto Saxophone
2	-	B Flat Tenor Saxophone
2	-	E Flat Baritone Saxophone
2	-	1st & 2nd B Flat Trumpet
4	-	Solo And 1st B Flat Cornet
3	-	2nd B Flat Cornet
3	-	3rd B Flat Cornet
1	-	1st Horn In F
1	-	2nd Horn In F
1	-	3rd Horn In F
1	-	4th Horn In F
2	-	1st Trombone
2	-	2nd Trombone
2	-	3rd Trombone
2	-	Baritone T.C.
2	-	Baritone B.C.
5	-	Tuba
1	-	String Bass
2	-	Percussion
1	-	Timpani

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