The ciaccona is a dance in a triple meter of some kind, either 3/4 or 3/2. It is built upon an ostinato bass creating a repeating harmonic pattern. The repeating bass is usually four or eight measures long. This ciaccona is built upon a four-measure bass line in C minor. There are a few portions of the piece when Buxtehude allows the bass line to vanish and continues with the same harmonic progression implicit from the bass line. The bass line to Bach's Passacaglia which is also in C minor is not altogether very different from this bass line. It is quite likely that Bach used this work as a model for his Passacaglia.

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