Without Buxtehude (1637-1707), there would have been no Bach
Here we have his passacaglia, the clear source of inspiration for Bach's monumental apotheosis of the form.
Compared to the logical perfection and mathematical precision of Bach, Buxtehude's counterpoint is softer, more subtle, a gentle dance between delicate melodic lines. There is less harmonic innovation, but a greater emphasis on the careful exploration of a musical field within the boundaries of its harmonic mode (take for example, the extended sections of repeated syncopated eighth notes: a gentle but unwavering ceiling demarking the upper limit of the harmonic boundary while chords undulate beneath, buoyed by the bass ostinato).
In many respects, it's unfair to compare him to Bach, but it's also inevitable. Let his music speak for him.

















