Dog Logan and The Musical Offering: Difference between pages

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Reverted last change. Dog Logan is not confirmed to be Sabretoth, just suspected.
 
 
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'''''The Musical Offering''''' (German title '''''Musikalisches Opfer''''' or '''''Das Musikalische Opfer'''''), [[BWV]] 1079, is a collection of [[canon (music)|canon]]s and [[fugues]] and other pieces of [[music]] by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]], based on a musical theme by [[Frederick II of Prussia]] (Frederick the Great) and dedicated to him.
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==The music==
'''Dog Logan''' is a [[fictional character]] from [[Marvel Comics]] that appeared in the limited series ''[[Origin (comics)|Origin]]'' (co-written by [[Bill Jemas]], [[Paul Jenkins]] and [[Joe Quesada]], drawn by [[Andy Kubert]]). The series was published from November, [[2001]] to July, [[2002]].
===The theme from the king===
The collection has its roots in a meeting between Bach and Frederick II on [[May 7]], [[1747]]. The meeting, taking place in the king's residence in [[Potsdam]], resulted from Bach's son [[Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach|Carl Philipp Emanuel]] being employed there as court musician. Frederick wanted to show a novelty to Bach: the [[pianoforte]] had been invented a few years earlier, and the king owned such experimental instrument, allegedly the first Bach ever saw. Bach, who was well known for his skill at [[improvising]], was given the following theme by Frederick to improvise a fugue upon:
 
[[Image:Musical offering.png|frame|none|The ''Thema Regium'' ("theme from the king")]]
Dog is a critical character in the [[origin]] of the [[superhero]] [[Wolverine (comics)| Wolverine]]. Much of his personal details remain a mystery.
 
According to the press of the day, Bach succeeded pretty well in producing an instant fugue, although he must have confided afterwards he felt not very much at ease playing the new type of instrument.
==Character biography==
 
Two months after the meeting, Bach published a set of pieces based on this theme which we now know as ''The Musical Offering''. Bach inscribed the piece "Regis Iussu Cantio Et Reliqua Canonica Arte Resoluta" (the theme given by the king, with additions, resolved in the canonic style), the first letters of which spells out the word ''[[ricercar]]'' (an old name for a fugue).
Dog first appeared in [[Wolverine: Origin]] when he encountered the new servant girl to the Howlett Estate, a young Irish girl named Rose. He is the son of [[Thomas Logan]] the groundskeeper to the Howlett estate, in [[Alberta]], [[Canada]]. Born sometime during the late [[19th century]], his exact date of birth is not known, but his age was somewhere around that of James Howlett. His mother (Thomas Logan's wife) is not seen, so it is assumed that she probably was dead by the time of the story.
 
===Structure, instrumentation===
He became a childhood friend to Rose, (being shy, he did not tell her his feelings for her) and the son of the estate owner, James Howlett. His friendship with the two was brought down by the heavy abuse of his father, Thomas Logan who also introduced him to the drinking of [[alcoholic beverage]] at late [[child]]hood. He remained reclusive from the Howlett estate until he returned as a cruel [[adolescent]], to the Howlett estate.
In its finished form, ''The Musical Offering'' comprises:
*Two ricercars, written down on as many [[Musical staff|stave]]s as there are voices:
** a ricercar a 6 (a six voice fugue)
** a ricercar a 3 (a three voice fugue)
*Ten [[canon (music)|canon]]s
*A four-movement [[trio sonata]] featuring the [[flute]], an instrument which Frederick played.
 
Apart from the trio sonata, which is written for flute, [[violin]] and [[basso continuo]], the pieces have few indications of which instruments are meant to play them.
He attempted to make unwanted sexual advances toward Rose, but was spotted by James, who reports him. He killed James' [[pet]] [[dog]], in return, causing his own and his father's expulsion from the Howlett estate. He and his father soon returned to the Howlett estate, taking Rose with them, to forcefully take Elizabeth Howlett, James' mother whom Thomas was having an affair with.
 
The ricercars and canons have been realised in various ways: The ricercars are frequently performed on keyboard instruments, an ensemble of [[chamber music]]ians with alternating instrument groups, comparable to the instrumentation of the trio sonata, often playing the canons. But also recordings on one or more keyboard instruments (piano, harpsichord) exist, as well as with a more ample orchestra-like instrumentation.
This would imply thatThomas was the real father of James who in adulthood would become his spitting image. Dog would be a half-brother to James. This was not clearly stated though.
 
As the printed version gives the impression to be organised for (reduction of) page turning when sight-playing the score, the order of the pieces intended by Bach (''if'' there was an intended order), remains uncertain.
In a scuffle that resulted, Thomas Logan killed the man James had believed to be his father, John Howlett. James Howlett retaliated by unsheathing his claws for the first time, striking "'Dog'" and killing Thomas Logan with a jab to the chest.
 
===Musical riddles===
Dog Logan survived the attack that he received from James, but had his face slashed, leaving three large [[scar]]s upon it. He also witnesses Elizabeth Howlett commiting [[suicide]]. He was then taken in by James' grandfather, after giving a false report that Rose was the killer, to the [[police]]. He then disappeared from the plot for a number of years.
Some of the canons of the Musical Offering are represented in the original score by not more than a short monodic melody of a few measures, with a more or less enigmatic inscription in [[Latin]] above the melody. These compositions are called the '''''riddle fugues''''' (or sometimes, more appropriately, the ''riddle canons''). The performer(s) is/are supposed to interpret the music as a multi-part piece (a piece with several intertwining melodies), while solving the "riddle". Some of these riddles have been explained to have more than one possible "solution", although nowadays most printed editions of the score give a single, more or less "standard" solution of the riddle, so that interpreters can just play, without having to worry about the Latin, or the riddle.
 
One of these ''riddle canons'', "in augmentationem" (i.e. the length of the notes gets longer), is inscribed "Notulis crescentibus crescat Fortuna Regis" (may the fortunes of the king increase like the length of the notes), while a [[Modulation (music)|modulating]] canon which ends a tone higher than it starts is inscribed "Ascendenteque Modulationis ascendat Gloria Regis" (may the king's glory rise like the ascending modulation).
Dog reappeared at the request of James' grandfather to find James. Dog, at the time of his return, Dog was large in stature and possessed great physical strength. He appeared to have [[Brunette|light brown]] or dirty [[blond]] hair instead of the dark brown hair he had during childhood. Instead of only trying to find James and return him to his grandfather, Dog tried to kill him, first by rigging a cage fight, then by attacking James himself. In desperation, James was able to defeat him. However, before James could kill him, Rose stepped in front to prevent the killing and was fatally wounded. James then fled into the [[forest]].
 
==Reception==
What became of Dog after this encounter is unknown. Much speculation has arisen among readers on the basis of what became of him. Much speculation has been brought up that he could have ended up becoming a prominent [[supervillain]]. Two suggested candidates include [[Sabretooth (comics)|Sabretooth]] and [[Cyber (comics)|Cyber]]. This has never been officially confirmed.
Little is known about how Frederick would have received the score dedicated to him, and whether he tried to solve any riddle or played the flute part of the trio sonata. Frederick's musical taste supposedly did not very much cherish ''complicated'' music, and soon after Bach's visit he was on his next war campaign, so it is possible it was not well received.
 
==20th century adaptations and citations==
Dog was enormous in size, [[Antisocial personality disorder|psychopathic]] and appeared to have razor-sharp teeth. He did not appear to have had a healing factor activated by that time, as he still possessed years-old faded scars on his face. He may have had a slight loss of memory or was simply trying to torment James, when he claimed that he was the murderer of James' father, when the true killer was Thomas Logan. But nevertheless, much of Dog is left unknown.
===Arrangements===
The "Ricercar a 6" has been arranged on its own on a number of occasions, the most prominent arranger being [[Anton Webern]], who in [[1935]] made a version for small [[orchestra]], noted for its [[Klangfarbenmelodie]] style (i.e. melody lines are passed on from one instrument to another after every few notes, every note receiving the "tone color" of the instrument it is played on):
 
[[Image:Webern's Ricercar arrangement opening.PNG|550px|The opening of Webern's arrangement of "Ricercar a 6"]]
==External links==
*[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/dogorign.htm Dog bio] from the [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/ Appendix to the Marvel Universe]
 
===As reference===
[[Category:Marvel Comics characters]]
''The Musical Offering'' is cited and deliberately interpreted by [[Douglas Hofstadter]] in his famous book ''[[Gödel, Escher, Bach]]''.
 
==See also==
* [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]
* [[List of compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach]]
* [[Bach compositions printed during the composer's lifetime]]
* [[Perpetuum mobile]]
* [[Canon_%28music%29]]
* [[Fugue]]
 
== External links ==
* [http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/musoffcanons.html Canons of the Musical Offering]
* The [[Mutopia Project]] has some of the music of [http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/make-table.cgi?preview=1&searchingfor=1079&Composer=BachJS&Instrument=&Style=&timelength=1&timeunit=week&lilyversion= The Musical Offering]
 
[[Category:Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach]]
 
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[[ja:音楽の捧げもの]]