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ORIGINS AND FEATURES Originally a slow Italian or Spanish Dance in 3/4 Time , the passacaglia later came to be an instrumental work in 3/4 based on a ground (that is, a Melody which repeats unchangingly throughout while other lines are freely varied). The passacaglia is very closely related to the Chaconne , except that in the chaconne, the repeating melody is always in the bass (that is, it is a Ground Bass ). Today, the term ''passacaglia'' is often used to denote a piece (not even necessarily in 3/4 time) which has a fixed bass line (ground bass) or Chord Progression (sometimes both) that is repeated consecutively throughout most or all of the piece. In this sense, it is little different from the (often alternative) name Chaconne . The ground bass or chord progression usually lasts 8 or 16 Bars , and forms a complete Musical Sentence . WELL-KNOWN THEMES A number of passacaglia themes became well known enough to merit their own names. Many '') have used the ''La Follia'' theme, although not always composing a passacaglia based on it. Another example is the ''Passacaglia in D Minor'' by Christian Friedrich Witt (Germany, 1660-1716) for organ or clavier, often falsely attributed to J.S. Bach (BWV Anh. 182). One of the best known examples of a passacaglia in Western Classical Music is the one in C minor for Organ by Johann Sebastian Bach , BWV 582 . Another Baroque example is Dido's lament, "When I am Laid in Earth," in Purcell 's opera '' Dido And Aeneas ''; and a 19th Century example is the finale of Josef Rheinberger 's 8th organ Sonata . Perhaps the most frequently heard passacaglia, however, is the finale of Johannes Brahms ' '' Symphony No. 4 '' (although Brahms did not call it a passacaglia, it follows the rules of one and the repeated figure is based on one found in Bach's Cantata No. 150, '' Nach Dir, Herr, Verlanget Mich ''). Halvorsen also composed a passacaglia that is based on a Handel theme and written for a duet of violin and viola, considered among the most popular pieces for both instruments due to its simplicity and depth. MODERN EXAMPLES The passacaglia proved an enduring form throughout the 20th century. Other examples of uses of the passacaglia form include the following.
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