On this most mournful anniversary, I offer the final Prelude & Fugue of Book One in the lachrymosal key of destiny and lamentation, b minor. The Prelude’s sepulchral procession, skeletal in its honed essence, is one of the few works in Book One in two repeated sections, inviting, I feel, a personal commentary, one’s own …
It’s unpopular to presume any long-range plan to the placement and dramatic resonance of each Prelude & Fugue within each Book, but the good-natured celebration and positivity of the penultimate B Major seems more than just a happenstance feeling of exalted summation. My 96-episode archive, Everything We Need To Know About Playing The …
Everyone’s favorite Prelude, amirite? The key to the cantilena is actually in the constant readjustment of the bass, between gravity and grace, and in the acknowledgement that here, as in all Bach, ‘chords’ do not exist, only artfully confluent voices. My 96-episode archive, Everything We Need To Know About Playing The Piano We Learn …
I love the dual character of the Prelude: Toccata and Recitative. The 4 trumpet 8th notes of the Fugue: I like varying the length of them to give them direction, contributes to the phrasing arc, too. Wow. I guess a thumbs-up too from YouTube on the thumbnail of my thumbnail. My 96-episode archive, Everything We …
The deeper one goes into this monumental survey, the more one appreciates the indelible, characterful DNA of each fugue subject. The a minor Fugue’s imperious demeanour commands duty and fealty; its unequivocal rooted weight and didactic discourse are immediately apparent and unyielding.
A Major, the most amiable, affable, aspirational, adorable key. My 96-episode archive, Everything We Need To Know About Playing The Piano We Learn From The Well-Tempered Clavier, is now available at a special introductory rate of $20 for the first month of 10 episodes (that’s 2 /1/2 hours of material on the first 5 Preludes …