Mattheson’s Concept of Klangrede in Two Fugues by Bach and Mozart

Maximilian Nickel

In this article, Mattheson’s concept of Klangrede (Der vollkommene Kapellmeister, 1739) is applied to two distinct fugues. The analysis focuses on the rhetorical structure and form of the pieces and links the art of rhetoric to compositional techniques. First Klangrede is demonstrated in Bach’s D major fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier, vol. 2, which was composed close to Mattheson’s theoretical description of the phenomenon. Then, Mozart’s use of Klangrede in the Kyrie fugue from his Requiem, K. 626, is demonstrated. Therefore, Mozart’s knowledge of Bach’s fugal compositions is discussed. This leads to a more accurate understanding on Bach’s influence on Mozart’s contrapuntal skills, Mozart’s knowledge in rhetorics and his mastery of the Baroque compositional style, which is sometimes attributed to him.

Keywords: church music, fugue, golden ratio, Klang=Rede, rhetoric

DOI: generating in process

Source(s), object(s) and method(s) of analysis
Source(s) of analysisScore
Year of creation1739–42, 1791
Target group / Study level
Level of Music Analysis knowledgeIntermediate
Study cycleBachelor, Master

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