The White Hat Guide to Composer's Signatures in Classical Music

What do we mean by a 'composer's signature?

Sometimes a composer will chose insert a musical motif into a piece of music which 'identifies' the composer, much in the same way that an artist would sign a painting. At White Hat we have chosen to call this a composer's signature. It is not an official term - just one that we chose to use.

This is not to be confused with key signatures or time signatures. It also doesn't refer to key characteristics of a composer. For instance Janáček's music is often instantly recognisable by its repetitive use of of short musical phrases, but that is not what we mean by a musical signature. It is easiest to illustrate, so here are some examples below.

J. S. Bach

J. S. Bach would sometimes 'sign his work with a four note phrase B-A-C-H. In German nomenclature, these are the notes known in the English speaking world as B flat - A - C - B natural.

Not surprisingly, this B-A-C-H theme was sometimes used by later composers writing in homage to Bach. Perhaps the best known example is Liszt's large scale organ work Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H.

Bach also used number symbolism to 'sign' some of his works.

Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich sometimes used D-S-C-H as a signature. The first for letters of D. Schostakovich (in one Anglicised version of his name) are the Russian note names for what in the English speaking world are known as d - E flat - C - B. He uses this as a motto in some of his more personal works such as the String Quartet No.8.

Rachmaninov

Rachmaninov sometimes finishes his major works with the same rhythmic flourish - crotchet-quaver-quaver-minim -

to reflect the rhythm of his own name - Rach-man-in-ov.