Such thoughts perhaps passed through bachs mind too when surveying his own keyboard output, and the profound differences in sensibility that distinguish the second volume of the. I own 20 different recordings of the wtc and this is by far my favorite. Bachs welltempered clavier is one of the cornerstones of western classical music. It is the first prelude and fugue in the second book of the welltempered clavier. Well tempered clavier book 2 by johann sebastian bach. The welltempered clavier, book 2 preludes and fugues nos. Download a free and public domain recording and musical. Major prelude and fugue with its sobachian ornamental twists and turns. A welltempered clavier book i to savor classics today. The welltempered clavier, book 2 johann sebastian bach. The welltempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the welltempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. The well tempered clavier is two books of music for solo keyboard by js bach, the first written in 1722, and the second twenty years later in 1742. This prelude is an intentionally simple series of chord arpeggios, walking through some modulations in the vicinity of and returning back to c maj. The welltempered clavier simple english wikipedia, the.
Piano, pianokeyboard sheet music book by johann sebastian bach 16851750. Bach loved numbers, symbolism, and symmetry, so this is very likely his way of showing that he intended to write 24 fugues altogether. Such thoughts perhaps passed through bachs mind too when surveying his own keyboard output, and the profound differences in. Prelude c minor the c min prelude of book 1 finds a parallel in wilhelm friedemann bachs clavierbuchlein keyboard booklet and, as ledbetter points out, it is quite clearly an exercise to make all fingers of both hands busy which, today, may seem nothing special, but at jsbs time it was a rather modern concept. With pairings of preludes and fugues for each major and minor key, bachs masterwork still serves as one of the most potent tools for students of the piano. The title page is missing from the manuscript, but its similarity to the first book of the well tempered clavier led editors to entitle it book ii.
The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, is a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, composed for solo keyboard by johann sebastian bach. Incidentally, this subject is an example of double dotting or. Richter bach well tempered clavier book 2 bwv 870 prelude. Johann sebastian bach the welltempered clavier, book 1. This is the greatest welltempered clavier book 1 on the piano, period. The well tempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the well tempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. Explaining the importance of the welltempered clavier, alexandre prokoudine writes over at libre graphics world. Bach, from the second book of the welltempered clavier, performed by colin booth, with an animated. Johann sebastian bach was a noted german composer, keyboardist, and violinist. Fugue i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier first. In a conventional baroque fugue, the subject is first stated by itself. Some of the preludes and fugues date from the 1720s. Fugue i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier first book. It is generally far more difficult than book 1 however, with greater technical and structural difficulty for the performer.
Well tempered clavier book i, prelude c major we start our analysis with the, so to say, entry door into the 48, the well tempered clavier book i, prelude c maj. Well tempered clavier book 1 by johann sebastian bach. First, it is one of the rare fugues with five voices there are two in book 1 of the welltempered clavier, and none in book 2. Prelude in c major bwv 846 robert hill, harpsichord harpsichord after mietke by keith hill recorded in st. Book 1 was written in 1722 towards the end of bachs period as capellmeister at cothen and book 2 appeared some twenty two years later in 1744. It explores the intricacies of each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys and constitutes the largestscale and mostinfluential undertaking for. The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742.
The welltempered clavier also known as wtc, bwv 846893 is the title of two collections of musical works for solo keyboard instruments by the baroque composer johann sebastian bach. The well tempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. Free sheet music for the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier by j. In thomas manns novel lotte in weimar an old goethe muses on the achievements of his youth and of his maturity the former the work of genius, the latter the work of greatness. The first collection was written in 1722 and the second was written in 1742, but they were not published until 1801, fifty years after bach died. S welltempered clavier the, book 2 by jeno jando on.
Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 870, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. Harpsichord performances of various parts of book i by martha goldstein are in the. Shop and buy well tempered clavier book 2 sheet music. It was the ultimate workbook, open to constant change and refining by bach himself. In jill crosslands own words, no other music is so perfect an integration of emotional. If my reaction to book i was tepid, it was more than thawed by my enthusiasm for book ii. Among classical music connoisseurs, the welltempered clavier book 1 wtc, or the 48 for short is widely regarded as one of the most influential works by j. In bachs time clavier keyboard was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding. Forget gould, aldwell is the true successor to tureck. Mar 21, 2015 the welltempered clavier, book 1, prelude no. Bachs welltempered clavier, performed by kimiko ishizaka, with an animated graphical.
Bach gave the present title to the work, which was composed for the use and practice of musical youth eager to learn and for the amusement of those already skilled in this study. Listen, for example to the sheer joyousness of the c. The welltempered clavier, complete book 1 by johann. Bach, prelude and fugue in c major, welltempered clavier book ii. Second, the theme features a dramatic and expressive leap of a minor 9th the big jump upwards between the 2nd and 3rd notes. Shop and buy well tempered clavier book 1 sheet music. Pienaar shows great range in taking on the extraordinarily wide range of styles represented in this body of work, and all four albums in this series prove. Johann sebastian bach fugue 1, c major welltempered clavier, book i, bwv 846. In fact, i no longer listen to any other piano version. An exceptionally great welltempered clavier played with deep expressiveness and intelligence, danielben pienaar blends the gentle with the strong in this recording for a brilliant interpretation of johann sebastian bachs solo piano music. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. From all the works written in the baroque era, no other work has been so wellcherished, frequently performed and.
His works such as the brandenburg concertos are known for their technical depth and artistic beauty. S welltempered clavier the, book 1 landowska 19491951 wanda landowska, who continued to perform and record up to her death in 1959, was renowned as the greatest harpsichordist of the first half of the twentieth century, resurrecting the instrument and taking a scholarly approach to the performance of music from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. From all the works written in the baroque era, no other work has been so well cherished, frequently performed and thoroughly studied than this work of bachs. With its magnificent and magisterial performances by sviatoslav richter, one would have imagined that this 1970 recording of the first book of bachs well tempered clavier would be on the shelf of everyone who reveres richter and worships bach. Harpsichord performances of various parts of book i by martha goldstein are. Completed by 1742, book 2 was intended as a complement to book 1, not as a replacement. Provided to youtube by sony music entertainment the welltempered clavier, book 2. Bach composed a paired prelude and fugue in each of the 24 keys to demonstrate the viability of the new equal.
The welltemperedclavier, book ii wtc 2 french title. The well tempered clavier consists in its entirety of two books, each of 24 preludes and fugues, in which there is one for each major and minor key. Bach worked on the second book over a long period of time, even reworking pieces he had written for other purposes, as he had in the first book. Richter bach well tempered clavier book 2 bwv 870 prelude and fugue no 1 in c major.
Bach, aldwell, edward well tempered clavier book 1. It explores the intricacies of each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys and constitutes the largestscale and mostinfluential undertaking for solo keyboard of the baroque era. As a quintessential baroque fugue, bachs d major fugue from book 1 of the welltempered clavier will make for suitable illustration of how to analyze a fugue. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. Things in the welltempered clavier always come in pairs, but pairs that. In bachs time clavier was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding an organ either the modern german spelling for the collection is.
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