J.S. Bach, The Well-tempered Clavier
Intellectual challenge and source of inspiration
Johann Sebastian Bach (JS Bach)'s Well-tempered Clavier consists of two collections (book I / II) of preludes and fugues (P/F), each book going through all "tones and semitones", thus climbing the 12 semitones from C to B, and presenting a P/F for each tone in both major and minor key, making it 24 P/F per book, and in total 48 P/F ("the 48").
As is also well known, JS Bach completed the first book in 1722 when he was "Hofkapellmeister" at the court in Köthen, while the second book (which technically has not been named "Well-tempered Clavier book II" by JSB) was completed much later when he was holding the post of "Thomaskantor" in Leipzig. The 2 books thus result from two quite different periods of JSBs life, which is reflected in the character of the 2 books.
The Well-tempered Clavier belongs to the major musical achievements of the Baroque age in Europe, and it is until today an intellectual challenge for musicians and listeners alike, as well as a deep and seemingly inexhaustible source of inspiration. JS Bach, like no other composer in musical history, managed to combine rather abstract and formal concepts, such as counterpoint, fugues and canons, with an incredible sense of beauty. The variety and depth of the pieces, the mastership with which JS Bach uses popular musical forms and types of the time (such as italian concerto, trio sonata, ricercare, and many others) and transforms them into something unique and entirely sophisticated, provides a vast playing field for musicians to both learn from and express sublime musical thoughts.
As is also well known, JS Bach completed the first book in 1722 when he was "Hofkapellmeister" at the court in Köthen, while the second book (which technically has not been named "Well-tempered Clavier book II" by JSB) was completed much later when he was holding the post of "Thomaskantor" in Leipzig. The 2 books thus result from two quite different periods of JSBs life, which is reflected in the character of the 2 books.
The Well-tempered Clavier belongs to the major musical achievements of the Baroque age in Europe, and it is until today an intellectual challenge for musicians and listeners alike, as well as a deep and seemingly inexhaustible source of inspiration. JS Bach, like no other composer in musical history, managed to combine rather abstract and formal concepts, such as counterpoint, fugues and canons, with an incredible sense of beauty. The variety and depth of the pieces, the mastership with which JS Bach uses popular musical forms and types of the time (such as italian concerto, trio sonata, ricercare, and many others) and transforms them into something unique and entirely sophisticated, provides a vast playing field for musicians to both learn from and express sublime musical thoughts.
Why this Website?
This website intends to provide input in developing practically applicable concepts to improve the understanding and interpretation of JS Bach's Well-tempered Clavier, whether one uses the piano, the harpsichord, organ, electronic keyboard, or any other instrument. My approach to this is a combination of music analysis to make the structure of the pieces better understandable, remarks on technical execution (e.g. discussing the fingering of difficult passages) to improve the flow, and remarks that relate to tempo, articulation and other stylistic aspects (e.g. by analyzing recordings of Gould, Koroliov, Gulda, Hantai, Schiff, and other great performers, as well as referring to other music of JS Bach and his contemporaries). The website also provides audio samples of my own recording project on the Well-tempered Clavier. Apart from that, the website provides access to various resources (scores, weblinks, etc) which may prove useful to get a deeper understanding of the works.
I am aware that many of the statements on this website are subjective and can therefore be challenged and debated. Knowing this, my points of view are meant to provide input, rather than to represent "truth".
Please note that this website is constantly growing, as I continuously add analysis sections and audio files. Please keep stopping by for more.
I am aware that many of the statements on this website are subjective and can therefore be challenged and debated. Knowing this, my points of view are meant to provide input, rather than to represent "truth".
Please note that this website is constantly growing, as I continuously add analysis sections and audio files. Please keep stopping by for more.