Bach and number

Helmut Wabnig wrote:
> The most astonishing discovery, at least to me, is something
> quite unexpected, unbelievable surprise:
> Bach himself has coded his tuning scheme into his signet!

The amount of numerical symbolism Bach has put in his music is
astonishing too. Below are some references. Especially the book "Bach
en het getal" (Bach and number) by van Houten and Kasbergen contains
many discoveries. It has a summary in French, German and English. The
conclusions are vulnerable to criticism but intriguing or spectacular,
depending on how convincing one finds the material. I won't write here
what they are, since it's better not to take them out of the context
in which they are presented. If you are interested in this subject,
lack of knowledge of Dutch shouldn't withhold you from reading it I
think. There is probably much still undiscovered.

C. Coppens: Getallensymboliek in 'Das Wohltemperierte Klavier' van J.S.
Bach. Musica Antiqua vol.1 nr.6, aug. 1984, p.12-15, Neerpelt, Belgium.
C. Coppens: De wereld van het getal in de 48 preludia van Bachs DWK,
Gent, Belgium, 1980, dissertation of 1200 pp.
Kees van Houten & Marinus Kasbergen: Bach en het getal, De Walburg Pers,
Zutphen, Netherlands, 1985, 216 pp.
Kees van Houten & Marinus Kasbergen: Die Kunst der Fuge en het getal, De
Walburg Pers, Zutphen, 1989, 96 pp.
Hans Brands Buys: De passies van Johann Sebastian Bach. L. Stafleu,
Leiden, Netherlands, 1950, 379 pp.
M. Jansen: Bachs Zahlensymbolik, BJb (?) 1937.

Manuel Op de Coul coul@ezh.nl

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