Piano solo sheet music book by johann sebastian bach 16851750. Bach prelude 1 book 1 from the welltempered clavier, transposed into all 12 keys and notated in express stave es by john keller using finale. The well tempered clavier is a comprehensive collection of preludes and fugues, one in every major and minor key. The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, is a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in.
He is a graduate of the eastman school of music where he earned the degrees bachelor of. Shop and buy well tempered clavier book 2 sheet music. Compare the fugue of book i to the kyrie of the bminor mass. 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. Bachs klavierbuchlein 1720 there is an almost complete collection of prelude and fughetta versions predating the 1722 autograph, known from a later copy by an. The first book of the welltempered clavier was composed in the early 1720s, with bachs autograph dated 1722. By and large i enjoyed it, while remarking that egarr perhaps laid greater emphasis on bachs declared didactic purpose than on its bravura elements. Completed by 1742, book 2 was intended as a complement to book 1, not as a replacement. The well tempered clavier is a work in two volumes. An astonishing demonstration of bachs mature understanding of the compositional techniques and. Book 1 contains the more popular preludes and fugues. In some of the areas, the fingering is driving me crazy. It is generally far more difficult than book 1 however, with greater technical and structural difficulty for the performer. 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.
Piano, pianokeyboard sheet music book by johann sebastian bach 16851750. Here are a few interesting points about how famous composers about this piece of work. What is the easiest prelude and fugue in the first welltempered clavier. 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. His flight through the 15th prelude is a marvel of lightness and vivacity and in the fugue from no 17 every voice is given its due without a trace of that heavy underlining. Second, the theme features a dramatic and expressive leap of a minor 9th the big jump upwards between the 2nd and 3rd notes. What a triumphant sense of homecoming he achieves in the fugue from no 2, what musical rather than academic authenticity in the doubling or fillingout of the sixth prelude. Bachs welltempered clavier is now available on cd, and for download. Book 11722, book 21724 significance of title well tempered. The welltempered clavier youtube vivaldi cello concertos christophe coin duration. Bac h the welltempered clavier, book i prelude and fugue no. The two books of the the welltempered clavier the first dated 1722 and. Complete score of the welltempered clavier, book 1, by johann sebastian bach open welltempered clavier project.
This new recording, and score, were made possible by kimiko ishizaka, musescore, and over 900 fans who supported the project. Glenn gould 1932 1982 bach the welltempered clavier. The well tempered clavier consists of two books of preludes. Id buy book 2, learn these, and then go back to book 1. 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. I would appreciate any info on ranking of the difficulty of the preludes in the well tempered clavier. The c sharp major prelude lilts with air in between the notes, even when the tempo marginally slows to allow the bass notes more resonant oomph, but the. Please note the id wristband is for content id dispute purposes. Bach, the welltempered clavier, andras schiff recording.
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. It is almost three years ago since richard egarr recorded book 1 of bachs welltempered clavier harmonia mundi hmu 907432. The well tempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. 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. From the palazzo labia, venice, 2000 the welltempered clavier book ii nikolai demidenko piano johann sebastian bach prelude. It was the ultimate workbook, open to constant change and refining by bach himself. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. Beethoven used to practice the well tempered clavier in all scales. If you ask me, the c major prelude book 1 and the c minor fugue book 1 are the easiest of their types, but the c minor book 1 as a set is the easiest. You can hear the subtle differences in each tuning in these three performances of the c major prelude. The first pair is in c major, the second in c minor, the third in c. The well tempered clavier by bach david piano play it. Each volume contains a prelude and fugue in every major a nd minor key, totaling 48 pairs.
Aldwells performances are an outstanding demonstration of the operation of instinct and insight, imagination and understanding, wrote richard dyer in the boston globe. Weve begun with the well tempered clavier the prelude and fugue in cminor from book 1. Apart from the early versions of several preludes included in w. 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. 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. The prelude in d minor is written in a twopart texture with four. In jill crosslands own words, no other music is so perfect an integration of emotional. Johann sebastian bach was born on march 21, 1685, in eisenach, thuringia, germany, into a large and. Likewise, his 1989 recording of book ii of the welltempered clavier garnered high praise from musicians, scholars, and critics alike. Licensed to youtube by sme on behalf of sony classical.
Three centuries ago johann sebastian bach combined his. Prelude 1 c major, welltempered clavier book 1 transposed into all 12 keys this famous piece is originally in c major. This prelude is an intentionally simple series of chord arpeggios, walking through some modulations in the vicinity of and returning back to c maj. 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. The two books of the the welltempered clavier the first dated 1722.
Bach the well tempered claiver book 2 feinberg youtube. Lossless files are 96 khz24bit, compressed with flac. I only like about half the pieces in bachs book ii of his welltempered clavier composed c. I know there have been discussions of ranking the difficulty of the well tempered clavier for example, bartok, but it is my understanding that those take into account the fugues as well. In this recording i used the 4th harmonic pedal in resonance position only. Ranking of difficulty of well tempered clavier preludes.
The prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. Harmonic tension and release govern the book 1 c major preludes varying phraselengths, although its fugues majestic stretto textures become congested at butts impatient pace. Prelude and fugue in b minor, bwv 869 bach, johann sebastian. Terms in this set 20 the welltempered clavierdemonstrates craftsmanship bondering on wizardryemployed a vast array of contrapuntal devicesgreat variety from one piece to anotherenduring and monumental. Well tempered clavier prelude in c minor fingering. Lossy files have been converted with lame, mp3 vbr v0. Well tempered clavier book 2 by johann sebastian bach. What is the easiest prelude and fugue in the first well. It is the first prelude and fugue in the first book of the well tempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. Bach most likely played the great 48 as they are sometimes called, since there are two books of 24 sets of pieces on all of the keyboard instruments of the time. 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. Bachs welltempered clavier book 2 interpreted by s d.
The welltempered clavier, book ii 1740 complete recording by breemer, c. Which book of bachs well tempered clavier is easier. Books i and ii, complete dover music for piano johann sebastian bach. In a book with this piece given to me there is a mordent in tact 34. Free sheet music for the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier by j. 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. Prelude and fugue in c minor and well tempered clavier. The open welltempered clavier an essential musical masterpiece, full of joy, pain, and passion, j. Shop and buy the welltempered clavier book ii, bwv 870893 sheet music. Through her generosity, they are provided here at earsense where they play an. The welltempered clavier book ii, bwv 870893 by johann. The welltempered clavier, composed in 1722 and 1744 and widely considered bachs pinnacle of keyboard music, is divided into two books, each containing 24 preludes and fugues, with each prelude and fugue moving successfully upwards in key, starting with c major. Indepth analysis and interpretation, siglind bruhn has crafted 48 jewels of her own, 48 elegant and eloquent visualizations of bachs precious fugues. An early version of the prelude, bwv 846a, is found in the klavierbuchlein fur wilhelm friedemann bach.
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