The three-movement cycle Metamorphosen über den Namen B-A-C-H op. 40 was composed in 1971 in memory of the death of my mother and is based on the famous four-tone model already used by Bach, which has fascinated and inspired composers throughout the ages. Here it is fused with the techniques of twelve-tone music and provides the basis for the great variety of all chordal and melodic structures. At the beginning of the first movement, it is presented by the organ in its basic form like a motto, before appearing transposed, transformed and processed in a variety of ways in the form of a fantasy. There is not a single bar where the second-third-second model does not appear in one way or another. The organ and wind ensemble initially face each other like a dialogue in larger formal blocks, only to be interlocked with each other later on in the condensed movement or isolated at a central point like a cadenza. At the centre of the composition is the chorale "Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden" performed by the solo trumpet, which evokes thoughts of death and Bach's great Passion settings. The chorale lines are framed by melodic filigree and wind tutti, both again developed from the four-note model B-A-C-B. The baroque toccata in its additive sequence of varied, joyful sections provided the model for the final movement. Here, the contrasting sections - massive chordal towers, virtuoso passagework and cantabile wind ariosi - follow one another without any incoherent arbitrariness: The notes B-A-C-B, which also reappear in their original form at the very end, ensure coherence.

Bertold Hummel / Klaus H. Stahmer 1984

The theme is introduced very cautiously by the organ. The dramatic dialogue between the organ and winds, described as a fantasy - a kind of permanent development of the theme - leads to a solo cadenza by the organ, in which the technical possibilities of the instrument are used, which also leads into a condensed recapitulation. Here the dramatic situation of the first part is taken up again and brought to a conclusion.
The second movement focuses on the chorale "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden", which is of particular importance in Bach's oeuvre, counterpointed by B flat-A-C-B reflections in arabesque lines. The chorale-free sections have their own development, which finally leads to an episode of extreme calm and relaxation.
The last part of the work is a toccata developed solely from the 4-note motif; concertante elements emerge and are played back to each other by the two instrumental groups, twice abruptly interrupted by recitatives by solo oboe and solo trumpet with subsequent arioso sections. Towards the end of the movement, the structure becomes denser, all the elements of the movement are taken up, leading to an expansive conclusion.

Bertold Hummel 1971

Interview for Bayerischer Rundfunk 1974

Klaushinrich Stahmer:
The paraphrasing of the name B-A-C-H is not just a tribute to the person who commissioned the work, the Würzburg Bach Society. Mr Hummel, what effect do you think Johann Sebastian Bach's work still has after more than 200 years?
Bertold Hummel
The degree of perfection is probably the reason why Bach's works still have a worldwide impact today.
K.S.:
Are there any points of reference for New Music in this?
B.H.:
The polyphony, concertante elements of the Baroque, serial thought models of the highest intellectual discipline are things that can provide the contemporary composer with a wealth of inspiration. Movement types such as fantasia, organ chorale and toccata inspired me to write the above-mentioned work.
K.S.:
Could you say what significance the sacred reference has for your work or, more generally, what role sacred music can play in new music?
B.H.:
I am of the opinion that the sacred space is more suitable than almost any other for conveying a comprehensive spiritual communication. The opportunity to reach the listener, to find him in a self-chosen open-mindedness, is given here like hardly anywhere else.