Bach's symbolic motifs

[guest54]

Mr. Cope the curious northern american has come up with something interesting; he points out in his book "Computer Models of Musical Creativity" that this theme represents the Cross:

And he adds that "competent listeners of the time were familiar with this meaning and would have recognized it in Bach's fugue subject." (Actually I think he got this idea from a Mr. Eero Tarasti, whom he quotes, and who must be some kind of foreigner to have such a name must he not. A Finn perhaps?)

I realized it was a tremendously serious work but this signification had until now somehow escaped me. I suppose some one will come back now and point out how Bach's œuvre is full of such things.

[Neil McGowan]

I suppose some one will come back now and point out how Bach's œuvre is full of such things.

I believe our occasional member Baziron is especially well informed on such matters.  Let us hope he may drop by?

[ahinton]

I suppose some one will come back now and point out how Bach's œuvre is full of such things.

I believe our occasional member Baziron is especially well informed on such matters.  Let us hope he may drop by?

Well, while we wait for that to happen, would this not somehow make Bach himself a kind of flattened cross, given the nature of his widely known musical acronym by comparison to this motif? And might there be some kind of significance in the fact that this motif, transposed and with the order of its notes changed, can be made to turn into the almost equally well known acronym of Shostakovich? And what of the very similar four-note motif that is common to the second, third and fourth of Beethoven's last five quartets?

The answers here (if forthcoming) may well turn out to be vastly larger than the question, methinks!

[guest2]

. . . while we wait for that to happen . . .

I fear Mr. B. devotes more attention these days to his new-found interest of crop circles . . .