ciaccona

As long as music requires any kind of interpretation whatsoever, its form defines itself through the tension between the composition's essence and its sensuous appearance. To identify the work with the latter is only justifiable when the appearance is a manifestation of the essence. Yet, precisely this is achieved only through subjective labour and reflection. The attempt to do justice to Bach's objective content by directing this effort towards abolishing the subject is self-defeating. Objectivity is not left over after the subject is subtracted. The musical score is never identical with the work; devotion to the text means the constant effort to grasp that which it hides. Without such a dialectic, devotion becomes betrayal; an interpretation which does not bother about the music's meaning on the assumption that it will reveal itself of its own accord will inevitably be false since it fails to see that the meaning is always constituting itself anew. Meaning can never be grasped by 'pure' rendition, allegedly purged of all exhibitionism; rather, such a presentation, which is meaningless in itself and not to be distinguished from the 'unmusical', becomes not the path to meaning, as which it sees itself, but a wall blocking all the way.
[...]
It is conceivable that the contradiction between music and sound-material - especially the inadequacy of the organ tone to the infinitely articulated structure - had already become visible at the time. If this were the case, Bach would have omitted the sound and left his most mature instrumental works waiting for the sound that would suit them.
[...]
Perhaps the traditional Bach can indeed no longer be interpreted. If this is true, his heritage has passed on to composition, which is loyal to him in being disloyal; it calls his music by name in producing it anew.

Adorno -- Bach defended against his devotees (german)



Die Chaconne ist mir eines der wunderbarsten, unbegreiflichsten Musikstücke. Auf ein System, für ein kleines Instrument schreibt der Mann eine ganze Welt von tiefsten Gedanken und gewaltigsten Empfindungen. Wollt ich mir vorstellen, ich hätte das Stück machen, empfangen können, ich weiß sicher, die übergroße Aufregung und Erschütterung hätte mich verrückt gemacht. Hat man nun keinen größten Geiger bei sich, so ist es wohl der schönste Genuss, sie sich einfach im Geist tönen zu lassen.

Brahms, Brief an Clara Schumann June 1877