Bach well tempered clavier book 2 harpsichord sound

Some 20 years later bach compiled a second book of the same kind, which became known as the welltempered clavier, part two in german. For most arrangements, see the separate pages for the individual preludes and fugues. Bach s monumental collection of 48 preludes and fugues better known as the well tempered clavier was issued in two volumes. In the world of johann sebastian bach, as in the world of this magazine, the word clavier implies any keyboard instrument. Bach and the clavier by joan benson clavier, volume 29, no. Bach well tempered clavier sheet music, music books. The welltempered clavier, book 2 christophe rousset harpsichord he combines virtuoso technique and sharp intellect, underscoring the extremes of freedom and rigour that lie at the heart of these works, and the playing is by turns pliant, controlled, spartan. Tidal is the first global music streaming service with high fidelity sound, hidef video quality, along with expertly curated playlists and original content making it a trusted source for music.

Elizabeth anderson the welltempered clavier, book 2, part 2. 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. Book one of the welltempered clavier is performed on the piano while book two is performed on the harpsichord. Jsb introduces one of his rare tempo indications in the prelude, marking the second section of the prelude with presto. After complete cycles of the mozart and schubert sonatas and an account of the goldberg variations, danielben pienaar continues his ambitious pursuit of the whole, this time with a fourdisc complete recording of both books of bachs welltempered clavier. Informed by the spikier sound of the harpsichord, schiff avoids the temptation. Bach s well tempered clavier the 48 preludes and fugues stands at the core of baroque keyboard music and has been a model and inspiration for performers and composers ever since it was written. A setting for unison chorus with keyboard accompaniment from the bach welltempered clavier, part i. Print and download in pdf or midi the welltempered clavier book i x j. Christine schornsheim harpsichord, ruckerscembalo, 1624. For this listener his piano keyboard bach is more interesting than his harpsichord bach and im not at all certain why he elected to change instruments.

By and large i enjoyed it, while remarking that egarr perhaps laid greater emphasis on bachs declared didactic purpose than on its bravura elements. Print and download in pdf or midi the welltempered clavier book ii xxiv j. Johann sebastian bachs well tempered clavier posts. The sound, the volume and the mechanics may be different but the actual. I was very impressed with the set and have been looking forward to his recording of book ii which has just been issued. Book ii of her recording of bachs welltempered clavier was made between 1951 and 1954 at her home in lakeville. Such thoughts perhaps passed through bachs mind too when surveying his own keyboard output, and the profound differences in sensibility that distinguish.

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. At any rate, the sound of the pedal harpsichord on isolde ahlgrimms version has been a real revelation. Beausejour plays in a refreshingly straightforward manner with. Notable performances there are lots of recordings of the welltempered clavier available, and one can find them easily either through itunes and amazon, or in the more specialist eshops, such as presto one can find even rare records, such as giesekings or pollinis recordings of the welltempered clavier. Kenneth weiss teil ii nr 1 bwv 870 cdur sinfonia tanzfuge 0. Prelude in d major continuous semiquavers from the right hand and a staccato bass.

For starters, the present release is splendidly engineered. His explorations led to an astonishing achievement two books of 24 pre. By contrast, watchorns detailed writings extol this tuning, which he uses throughout the recording, and lehman here also provides a full account of how bachs calligraphic swirls to the titlepage of the welltempered clavier, book 1, could be an encryption for a correct and pure temperament. Continue from part 1 donald satz wrote february 16, 2001. This guide to the 96 pieces explains bach s various purposes in compiling the music, describes the rich traditions on which he drew, and provides. Well tempered clavier book 1 from christiane jaccottet. Until this weekend, most versions id heard of the welltempered clavier were played on piano glenn gould and others and, correct me if im wrong, but i believe ralph kirkpatrick played a nonpedal harpsichord. Both volumes appear to be out of print, but i found volume one at cd universe. I picked up rubsams book 1 not book 2 and his naxos goldbergs a few months ago, largely out of curiosity for the instrument. Sebastian bach set out to explore a new way of thinking about sound. The one exception is the aminor fugue in book 1 of the wtc.

Recording the welltempered clavier is a bit like climbing everest, and this new recording by christophe rousset devoted to book i has been eagerly awaited. 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 first book was completed by 1722 with the second from around 174243. Bach for solo harpsichord early music oxford academic. I need to revisit it, but i recall it as a very interesting first listen my impressions were a bit more positive than san antones but not wholly dissimilar i.

The welltempered clavier, book 2, bwv 870893 emusic. 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. Welltempered clavier the, book 2 landowska 19511954 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. In 1722, johann sebastian bach set out to explore a new way of thinking about sound. Best harpsichord recording of bachs welltempered clavier book 1 welcome to talk classical a community covering every aspect of classical music. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to.

It is almost three years ago since richard egarr recorded book 1 of bachs welltempered clavier harmonia mundi hmu 907432. In bachs complete welltempered clavier a coproduction between capriccio and southwest german radio 2, christine schornsheims refined harpsichord mastery and cultivated musicianship yield listening rewards akin to her excellent 1996 goldberg variations. Unison chorus childrens voices with keyboard accompaniment composed by johann sebastian bach 16851750. After some 30 years of practice and experiments with various kinds of keyboards, i finally ended up to prefer using organ sounds in order to interpret bachs keyboard music, especially the welltempered clavier. I would like to recommend ralph kirkpatricks clavichord recording of the welltempered clavier. Bach himself played on the widely contrasting claviers popular in his day. Best harpsichord recording of bachs welltempered clavier. Bach did not specify the instrument to be used for these pieces, and the clavichord has a softer sound than the clangy harpsichord. Bachs keyboard music on the modern piano, pianists are. The welltempered clavier book two rebecca pechefsky, harpsichord quill classics qc 102. The c minor prelude of bachs welltempered clavier is very well known and needs no introduction. I only like about half the pieces in bachs book ii of his welltempered clavier composed c. 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. For his account of bachs 48 preludes and fugues, butt plays a modern copy of a german harpsichord from the beginning of the 18th century.

The welltempered clavier, book 1 christophe rousset harpsichord roussets is a grounded, incontestably considered reading, exuding a quiet, unflappable authority reminiscent of gustav leonhardthe untangles bachs protean polyphony with the informed illumination. Troeger has since made clavichord recordings of book 2 of the welltempered clavier, the art of fugue, the english and french suites, various other suites, fantasias and fugues, and. Teil i nr 2 bwv 847 cmoll figuriertes praludium tanzfuge 4. The audio files in the subsections to this chapter are taken from my recording project of book 1 of the welltempered clavier. It set down a marker not only as to roussets approach to the music, but also to his preferred sound world since both books deploy the same instrument. Some news from my research project on the welltempered clavier. Yes, ive been listening a bit to tekahisa and to schiff in fact, in wtc 2. The welltempered clavier, book 2, bwv 870893, clavicembalo remastered helmut walcha. This is his second recording of the first book, now paired with a previously unreleased traversal of book 2. Which one is your favorite prelude and fugue from bachs. Please select ok if you would like to proceed with this request anyway.