Aug 14, 2010 they both run about the same difficulty. Glenn gould 1932 1982 bach the welltempered clavier. The well tempered clavier, or preludes and fugues through all tones and semitones, relating to the major third, that is, ut re mi, as well as those related to the minor third, that is, re mi fa. He was born on or near march 21 1685 and died on july 28, 1750. Fugue i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier first. One of the 48 pieces is dedicated to someone or something you love or honor. The fortyeight preludes and fugues that make up the two books of the welltempered clavier were compiled at two different timesthe first book in 1722 while bach was in kothen and in 1742 in leipzig. This edition of johann sebastian bachs famous keyboard work the welltempered clavier was edited by ferruccio busoni, who also added historical information and a large number of performance notes that will relate to piano performance. Notes from kimiko ishizakas open well tempered clavier. Bach, the well tempered clavier, book i, prelude no 12 in f minor, bwv 857.
We know it was intended in some way to acknowledge its predecessor simply because the title page of most copies includes the words zweiter teil part two, though english usage is generally books 1 and 2, but it. The well tempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the well tempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. If youre a devotee of a particular pianist in this repertoiregould, schiff, richter, kempff, etc. Prelude and fugue in f minor from welltempered clavier. The first instance to look at, which is also the most authoritative one, is to study the composers original manuscripts. Well tempered clavier complete recordings of both books na recording list. Lossy files have been converted with lame, mp3 vbr v0. 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. Prelude and fugue in f minor, from welltempered clavier book i johann sebastian bach. Talking about the welltempered clavier, a very good source to get to the original scores is the website of the state library berlin together with bacharchiv. The first book of the welltempered clavier was composed in the early 1720s, with bachs autograph dated 1722. Prelude and fugue in b minor, bwv 869 bach, johann sebastian. This website is incredibly resourceful, and one can especially check the 1722 original of the well tempered clavier book 1. 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.
Books i and ii pieterjan belder hpd period instruments brilliant 93892 4 cds. Id buy book 2, learn these, and then go back to book 1. Sir andras schiff plays the welltempered clavier, book ii prelude in f minor. Sir andras schiff plays the welltempered clavier, book ii prelude. His works such as the brandenburg concertos are known for their technical depth and artistic beauty. Jandos recordings of bachs well tempered clavier rank among his very bestbrilliant, sensitive, giving all the inner voices of the music full play. The welltemperedclavier, book ii wtc 2 french title. Prelude and fugue in f minor from welltempered clavier book.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the creative. The g major fugue is fast and fun mostly arpeggios. This is a most amazing performance of the book ii of the. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. The well tempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. The link to which the comment is referring that a motive from the bflat minor prelude in book i is recycled for use in the bflat minor prelude of book ii is the most explicit and clearly intentional such likeness that i know of in the well.
Sir andras schiff plays the welltempered clavier, book ii. Song the welltempered clavier, book 1prelude and fugue no. Apart from the early versions of several preludes included in w. Which book of bachs well tempered clavier is easier. Free sheet music for the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier by j. Composed about 20 years apart, the two sets of 24 preludes and fugues that constitute the two books of johann sebastian bachs welltempered clavier didnt start off as one huge collection of 48 works in fact, the set of 24 preludes and fugues composed in 1742 were not issued as a sequel to the original wtc of 1722. Ten years ago angela hewitt recorded a version of the welltempered clavier book i which dazzled the critical world and recordbuying public.
Start studying prelude and fugue in c minor and well tempered clavier. Book 1 contains the more popular preludes and fugues. Now, fresh from her bach world tourin which she performed the complete welltempered clavier from august 2007 until the end of october 2008 in 58 cities in. The two volumes of bachs the welltempered clavier together represent a wealth of musical invention, ingenuity and delight. 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. The well tempered clavier flashcards and study sets quizlet. For an alternative reading of the welltempered clavier. The haunting fivevoice fugue in bflat minor has several characteristics which are notable. Bach, the welltempered clavier, book i, prelude no 12 in f. Provided to youtube by entertainment one distribution us book i.
Bach composed a paired prelude and fugue in each of the 24 keys to demonstrate the viability of the. This is a most amazing performance of the book ii of the well tempered clavier, with mr. Master tracks available here lossless files are 96 khz24bit, compressed with flac. The f major fugue is fast but not really very complicated, if youve played something like a gigue from a french suite. Song the well tempered clavier, book 1prelude and fugue no. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. 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 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. If you are a beginner or an advanced player, the question which score to use is always an important topic. Which book of bachs well tempered clavier is easier overall. Fugue i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier first book. 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.
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. This chapter is an extract from my critical commentary, vol. 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. Obviously there are certain points of detail which are always open to. The b minor fugue of book 2 refers us back both to the the f major fugue of book 1 which also draws on the rhythm of the passepied, and to the monumental final work in that volume with which it shares a key signature, and sets there a fresh set of associations, both for the dance and for the key of b minor. The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. Note that every pepper location is abiding by all federal, state, and local regulations regarding covid19, as well as cdc guidelines. Complete score of the welltempered clavier, book 1, by johann sebastian bach open welltempered clavier project. Well tempered clavier book 1 from christiane jaccottet. 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 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.
Johann sebastian bach was a noted german composer, keyboardist, and violinist. 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. By building a major and minor diatonic 7 tones scale from each of the 12 semitones, we arrive at 24 keys, the complete circle of fifths, and the number of preludefugue pairs in each book of the well tempered clavier. Learn the well tempered clavier with free interactive flashcards. 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. For book 2, to view originals is a more complex exercise, given the lack of the one authoritative original from js bachs hand and the fragmentation of historical copies see the work of yo tomita for more info on this. Are there any musical motifs connecting the welltempered.
Notes from kimiko ishizakas open welltempered clavier. It was followed shortly afterwards by book ii which was similarly received. The fortyeight preludes and fugues that make up the two books of the welltempered clavier were compiled at two different timesthe first book in 1722 while bach was in. Some of the preludes of the welltempered clavier based on dances are the f minor, book 2. First, it is one of the rare fugues with five voices there are two in book 1 of the well tempered clavier, and none in book 2. We work thru a lot of stuff like that in my lessons. 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. Johann sebastian bach the welltempered clavier, book 1. Choose from 33 different sets of the well tempered clavier flashcards on quizlet. Book 2 of the welltempered clavier was collected from 1738 and probably completed by 1742, about twenty years after book 1. Aldwell enunciating the various voices of the fugues in the clearest and most creative possible manner, and bringing his awesome originality to the preludes as well.
The score is from the open welltempered clavier project, and was made using musescore software. By building a major and minor diatonic 7 tones scale from each of the 12 semitones, we arrive at 24 keys, the complete circle of fifths, and the number of preludefugue pairs in each book of the welltempered clavier. 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. In a typical sarabande, the accentuation often happens on the second beat but. It is tempting to imagine that bach chose these details as clever, creative constraints. Second, the theme features a dramatic and expressive leap of a minor 9th the big jump upwards between the 2nd and 3rd notes. Jandos recordings of bachs welltempered clavier rank among his very bestbrilliant, sensitive, giving all the inner voices of the music full play. Such thoughts perhaps passed through bachs mind too when surveying his own keyboard output, and the profound differences in sensibility that distinguish. Welltempered clavier prelude and fugue 12 in f minor bwv857. And sometimes something i like, he doesnt so we negotiate well sortof, cuz hes usually right anyway, hang in there and just enjoy the process.
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. I d buy book 2, learn these, and then go back to book 1. The two major primary sources for this collection of preludes and fugues are the. A, e, b and fsharp majors where the tonecolour is modulated in the most subtle way. Theres even one by yours truly of a 36cd brilliant classics collection. And in the sentimental piety of the fugues in aflat major and b major with their tender elisions of phrases something of the deep harmoniousness of some later fugues in book two of the welltempered clavier 1744 is prefigured.
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