• Canon for eight voces / Trias Harmonica

BWV 1072

^GND

Genre

• Canon

Scoring

unknown

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Date of origin, Work history

• approx./ from 1741 (in Kirnberger's Leipzig period)

• It is possible that this is a canon for Johann Philipp Kirnberger from his "Stammbuch"; to this only fragmentary preserved source (D-B: Mus.ms.theor. Kirnberger, J. Phil. 2) it is said "that one of the first (lost) leaves was Bach's memorial leaf" (Seiffert 1889, p. 364). Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg took canons from the book, which was later also used by Kirnberger as a composition book (see Marpurg 1754, Tab. XXXVII, Fig. 3 = Dok. III Nr. 655).

Comment

• Early print in: Marpurg 1754, Tab. XXXVII, Fig. 3 (resolution for eight voice double choir) and p. 97 with explanation „Canon […] Mit gleichen Intervallen.“: <i>Der seel. Herr Capellmeister Bach als Verfasser hat diesen Canon die Trias Harmonica, den harmonischen Dreyklang, betittelt, weil keine andere Harmonie als diese darinnen enthalten ist.</i> (see Dok. III Nr. 655)

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Additional sources

D-LEb Go. S. 80, Faszikel 2 [Score]

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Edition

NBA VIII/1, S. 3 (Christoph Wolff, 1974) – Critical report (1976), S. 15

Literature

• Max Seiffert, <i>Aus dem Stammbuche Johann Philipp Kirnbergers</i>, in: Vierteljahrsschrift für Musikwissenschaft, Jahrgang 5 (1889), S. 365–371<p>Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg, <i>Abhandlung von der Fuge</i>, Band 2, Berlin 1754

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persistent ID

BachDigitalWork_work_00001258

Static URL

https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00001258

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Last changed

2026-04-22 01:47:52