Repeating bass line

[jayne lee wilson]

IIRC from the 1970s, Christopher Hogwood introduced the Animals' classic track on The Young Idea, referring to it as "the best passacaglia since Brahms' 4th Symphony"....,

[Keraulophone]

A "ricercare" is more akin to a Fugue, isn't it?

...and one of the grandest of all is the 6-part Ricercare from Bach's Musical Offering. Apparently Charles Rosen reckoned it to be the greatest piece of keyboard music ever written. Here's a live recording by a 29-year old Claudio Abbado in Naples with the RAI Alessandro Scarlatti Orchestra.

https://youtu.be/5MknvHSNZ8s

It's quite often played in an organ transcription by the late Jean Gillou, which it might be in this rather muscular rendition from Yalta:

https://youtu.be/EPWUAvKFiko

Not forgetting Webern's effort...

https://youtu.be/uSQCclchJIE

.

[Joseph K]

Apparently Charles Rosen reckoned it to be the greatest piece of keyboard music ever written.