Baroque · 1690
Passacaglia in D minor
D. BuxtehudeBuxWV 161
- Key
- Dm
- Time
- 3/2
- Tempo
- ♩=50
- AO focus
- AO3
Incipit
Form
Organ passacaglia — 4-bar bass theme + 28 variations. A direct model for Bach's BWV 582 (Bach famously walked 250 miles to hear Buxtehude play in 1705).
Teaching points
- Buxtehude's influence on Bach — discuss the 1705 trip to Lübeck; Bach overstayed his leave
- Passacaglia bass — 4-bar theme stated alone, then varied
- AO3: north-German Baroque organ tradition (Reincken, Buxtehude, Tunder) as Bach's foundation
Full score ↓Public domain
Score: IMSLP (Breitkopf urtext + later editions, all public domain).