Passacaglia in C Minor for Harpsichord

The Passacaglia in C minor Op. 50a is characterized by a ¾ Tempo on a repetitious 8 bar ground bass in a “modified circle of fifths with inserted thirds” pattern with a series of 20 variations encompassing four-part writing.

The Passacaglia in C minor Op. 50 served as the basis for the harpsichord version. Since harpsichords do not have sustaining pedals, the scoring had to reflect the characteristics of harpsichordal playing.

A Passacaglia originated as a street dance (from the Spanish “passé” and “calle”). It was thought to have originated as a dance form in 17th century Spain that was adapted by other countries such as Italy and France.

Another unconfirmed source places the Passacaglia as originating in the New World as a Native American sex dance with its triple rhythm and emphasis on a prolonged downbeat, which was exported to Spain. The form consists of a triple meter of long-short beats (i.e., 1-2, 3). Classically the rhythm is played over notes in the bass voice for 8 measures (as a “ground bass”) that is maintained throughout. A series of variations on the theme or harmonic progressions occurs over subsequent measures.

Acoustic mastering of the piece employed sound sampling from a Flemish Rutgers harpsichord.

The piece was written from 20 August 2020 to 24 October 2020.