Interpreting bach s well tempered clavier by ralph kirkpatrick. Free shipping due to covid19, orders may be delayed. Indepth analysis and interpretation, volume 4 global art music education series j. Arthur lawrence, american organist this should be read for its positive insight, from a performer who has thought profoundly about the music and how to play it.
A fugue is a style of musical composition where a theme melody is introduced, and then repeated in one or more other voices. In july and august of 1973 sviatoslav richter played bachs welltempered clavier over the course of four concerts in innsbruck big boxes. Bachs welltempered clavier book 1 interpreted by s d. Her recording of bach s well tempered clavier in cooperation with bayerische rundfunk in munich is presented here. Nov 30, 2015 the preludes are from the open well tempered clavier project, and were made using musescore software.
My favorite part, though, is the excerpt i read from ralph kirkpatricks interpreting bachs welltempered clavier. Steedman department of machine intelligence and perception university of edinburgh abstract we have attempted to discover formal rules for transcribing into musical notation the fugue subjects of the well tempered clavier, as this might be. Valuable insights into the analysis, teaching and performance of all western music, especially bachs monumental welltempered clavier. A rich, innovative interpretation of bachs welltempered. Jan 28, 2000 bernard holland the well tempered clavier, books 1 and 2 bwv 84693. The preludes are from the open welltempered clavier project, and were made using musescore software. Fischer is one of the most intuitive of bach interpreters. The late ralph kirkpatrick reveals here his approach to a deeper comprehension of music, showing how his methods are applied to the preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier of j. In bach s 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. A friend recommended this book, interpreting bach s well tempered clavier. A year for navigating the keyboards with bach the new. Musical offering, bwv 1079, etcphantasmlinn ckd 618. Bachs welltempered clavier book 2 interpreted by s d.
Interpreting bach s well tempered clavier by ralph kirkpatrick, september 10, 1987, yale university press edition, paperback in english new ed edition. The well tempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. During the eighteenth century, bachs welltempered clavier was likely performed on a. Published september 10, 1987 by yale university press. Bach s early admirers knew him as the father of harmony. It explores the intricacies of each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys and constitutes the largestscale and mostinfluential undertaking for. Her recording of bachs welltempered clavier in cooperation with bayerische rundfunk in munich is presented here. To help me continue to learn, im looking for what members on this forum think is the most wellrecorded whatever that means to you personally version of bachs welltempered clavier book i. Bob van asperen, hpchd, virgin classics 5 61711 2 recorded 198789. A friend recommended this book, interpreting bachs welltempered clavier. A performer s discourse of method which was published posthumously by yale university in 1984. 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. Analysis js bach s music combines two elements, namely a high degree of formalism and complexity with utmost beauty.
Interpreting bachs welltempered clavier september 10. The preludes and fugues that make up bachs welltempered clavier operate on multiple levels at once theyre a compilation of techniques for keyboard writing, a polemic on the. 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. Im not looking for the best performance or player, but rather the best sound, or rather the benchmark sound recording you would use to compare as a. Ive dogeared nearly every page of this wonderful book, and ive no doubt ill be citing his inspiring musings throughout my 96episode series. Andras schiff on the recording of bachs the welltempered.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The paperback of the interpreting bach s well tempered clavier. Once we understand this, then the range of the art of interpretation is vastly expanded. Interpreting bachs welltempered clavier september 10, 1987. 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. They range from the bald empiricism of frederick illifes the fortyeight preludes and fugues of johann sebastian bach analysed for the use of students london. Pianist dina ugorskaj s critically acclaimed recording of bach s well tempered clavier book ii, in cooperation with bayerische rundfunk in munich. Many performers touch the first aspect only briefly and focus on the flow of the music, to be able to express the inner beauty of the work. Indepth analysis and interpretation, siglind bruhn has crafted 48 jewels of her own, 48 elegant and eloquent visualizations of bach s precious fugues. Indepth analysis and interpretation, siglind bruhn has crafted 48 jewels of her own, 48 elegant and eloquent visualizations of bachs precious fugues. Bachs welltempered clavier has been analyzed from almost every angle imaginable, yet it has not often been studied from the position of discovering what forces influenced bach while he was writing it.
Bach s well tempered clavier book 2 interpreted by s d rodrian addeddate 20051009 18. Bachs welltempered clavier book 2 interpreted by s d rodrian by mr. Interpreting bachs welltempered clavier open library. Through her generosity, they are provided here at earsense where they play an. A year for navigating the keyboards with bach the new york. The best recordings of js bachs the welltempered clavier. Bernard holland the welltempered clavier, books 1 and 2 bwv 84693. A performers discourse of method by the american harpsichordist, ralph kirkpatrick. One essential aspect in this project was the experience of returning to my early encounters with bach s music.
Notable performances there are lots of recordings of the well tempered 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 gieseking s or pollini s recordings of the well tempered clavier. Bach s well tempered clavier, performed by kimiko ishizaka on the piano. This book sets forth the provocative theories of a musician who has been called the outstanding harpsichordist of this century. Fischers ariadne musical, a set of 20 short preludes and fugues in a. In addition to his biography of scarlatti, he was the author of interpreting bach s well tempered clavier.
Bachs early admirers knew him as the father of harmony. 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. It is widely accepted the bachs the welltempered clavier was modelled on j. The first fugue in the welltempered clavier is a beautiful introduction to the world of bachs fugues. Buy interpreting bachs welltempered clavier by ralph kirkpatrick from waterstones today.
The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. Johann sebastian bach 16851750 theres no description for this book yet. A performer s discourse of method by the american harpsichordist, ralph kirkpatrick. This is in contrast to modern songs which have a melody, usually sung or played by one voice, chords, and rhythm. When we play a gavotte from a bach suite, part of our interpretation may be to then improvise a gavotte, perhaps borrowing ideas from mr. Chromatic fantasy and fugue in d minor, bwv 903 duration. Bachs welltempered clavier book 2 interpreted by s d rodrian addeddate 20051009 18. The concerto in f major for harpsichord, two recorders, and strings is a transcription of.
In addition to his biography of scarlatti, he was the author of interpreting bachs welltempered clavier. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. The late ralph kirkpatrick reveals here his approach to a deeper comprehension of music, showing how his methods are applied to the preludes and fugues of the welltempered clavier of j. Fischers ariadne musical, a set of 20 short preludes and fugues in a chromatic key order ascending from cb. Interpreting bachs welltempered clavier ralph kirkpatrick a performers discourse of method livre en anglais yale university press reference. A friend recommended this book, interpreting bach s welltempered clavier. If one plays a particular piece, it is always good to understand what type of music we are dealing with. Or, at the very least, we could improvise ornamentation on the piece, as was the practice in bachs day. Analysis of bach fugue in d minor free essay example.
Free sheet music for the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier by j. A performers discourse of method which was published posthumously by yale university in 1984. Top of bachs title page for the 1st book of the welltempered clavier, 1722, showing handwritten loops which some have interpreted as tuning instructions. As the title indicates, bach wrote the welltempered clavier in kothen in 1722 and his didactic goal was completely clear. I read the book, grinning the whole time like some village idiot, so overwhelmed was i by the sense of brotherhood in our immersion in this incredible musical universe. Recordings covered ive left out numerous important recordings, largely because i am focusing on leonhardt school players in this article. Interpreting bach s well tempered clavier by ralph kirkpatrick yale university press, 1984. The welltempered clavier book one and book two contain 48 preludes and fugues in all the keys of the chromatic scale. Style, tempo and articulation there is too much to say about stylistic aspects of js bachs music, to even start here. Steedman department of machine intelligence and perception university of edinburgh abstract we have attempted to discover formal rules for transcribing into musical notation the fugue subjects of the welltempered clavier, as this might be.
Aug 02, 2017 the preludes and fugues that make up bachs welltempered clavier operate on multiple levels at once theyre a compilation of techniques for keyboard writing, a polemic on the. Bachs welltempered clavier, performed by kimiko ishizaka on the piano. Interpreting bachs welltempered clavier by ralph kirkpatrick. Novello, 1897 to the esoteric reflections of ralph kirkpatricks interpreting bachs welltempered clavier new haven. The fugues are from kyle rother s lillypond engraving. Forrest kinneythe art of interpreting reading at the piano. It was a bold challenge to the traditions of the day, as the tuning systems of that era did. Interpreting bachs welltempered clavier by ralph kirkpatrick yale university press, 1984. Indepth analysis and interpretation, siglind bruhn. 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. The paperback of the interpreting bachs welltempered clavier. One essential aspect in this project was the experience of returning to my early encounters with bachs music.
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