Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor

An organ work by Johann Sebastian Bach, BWV 582, consisting of a passacaglia and a fugue built on its recurring bass theme.

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Passacaglia: A variation form built over a recurring bass line or harmonic pattern. The work’s opening movement uses this form to present its recurring bass.
Johann Sebastian Bach: A German composer and organist of the Baroque era, born in 1685 and died in 1750. He composed BWV 582, one of his best-known organ works.
Bach's organ works: The body of music Johann Sebastian Bach composed or adapted for the organ. BWV 582 belongs to Bach’s substantial repertory for the instrument.
Leopold Stokowski: An English-born conductor known for his orchestral career and distinctive arrangements. His orchestral transcription brought the organ work to a broader concert audience.
Fugue: A contrapuntal composition in which a principal subject enters successively in different voices. The second movement develops a fugue subject related to the passacaglia theme.
Organ: A keyboard instrument that produces sound by sending air through pipes or other tone-producing systems. Its sustained tones and multiple keyboards shape the work’s performance possibilities.
Weimar period: The period when Bach served as a court musician and organist in Weimar, especially from 1708 to 1717. The work is often associated with Bach’s early maturity, though its precise date is uncertain.
Organ transcriptions: Arrangements that adapt music written for or associated with the organ to another instrument or ensemble. The work’s orchestral versions recast its contrapuntal textures and climaxes.
Ground bass: A recurring bass pattern that supports successive musical variations. Its repeated bass pattern provides the work’s structural foundation.
Baroque music: European art music associated with the period from about 1600 to 1750. The work’s counterpoint and variation writing belong to Bach’s musical era.