Musical Offering, The

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Musical Offering, The (Das musikalische Opfer). Coll. of 13 comps. by Bach (BWV 1079) in various contrapuntal forms, all using a theme given to Bach for extemporization by King Frederick the Great of Prussia in Potsdam in 1747. Some are for kbd., 2 for fl., and others for no particular medium. Nos.1–8 constitute the actual offering, the remainder having been added later. Modern performing edns. exist and various composers have orchestrated certain items, e.g. Webern Ricercare. The pieces are: 1. Ricercare a 3, 2. Canon perpetuus, 3. Canon a 2 violini in unisono, 4. Canon a 2 per motum contrarium, 5. Canon a 2 per augmentationem, 6. Canon a 2 per tonos, 7. Canon a 2, 8. Canon a 2 quaerendo invenietis, 9. Canon perpetuus, 10. Canon a 4, 11. Fuga canonica, 12. Trio sonata, 13. Ricercare a 6.