J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue II in c minor, Book Two
Book Two affords us, through their Preludes’ repeated A and B sections, several opportunities for ornament and elaboration. I oftentimes think it’s enough to alter the dynamic contour and balance between voices, foreground and background, exposition followed by meditation. Bach does occasionally in these cases notate ornaments, and I sometimes take those directions as suggestive…
Most astonishingly gratifying school concert I’ve ever done ~ Discovery Middle School, South Bend/Granger, IN
My first event in South Bend, early in the morning the day before my recital at UI/South Bend, I played a school concert at the Discovery Middle School. I’ve played a lot of school concerts in my day, but this one was unprecedented: ALL the kids who came are daily participants in Discovery’s Piano Lab…
J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue I in C Major, Book Two
I began work on Book Two of The Well-Tempered Clavier two summers ago at the tail end of my Book One summer project. I focused solely on Book Two since last November, working through to the end in late Spring. Every reacquaintance, whether over the months or in my recent recapitulations of each Prelude &…
J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue XXIV in b minor, Book One
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…
J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue XXIII in B Major, Book One
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…
J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue XXII in b-flat minor, I
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…
J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue XXI in Bb Major, I
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…
J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue XX in a minor, Book One
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.
J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue XIX in A Major, Book One
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…
J.S. Bach ~ Prelude & Fugue XVIII in g# minor, Book One
The whorls and swirls of melisma, dove-tailoring in tandem, stand in stark contrast to the fugue subjects final declamatory, incantatory 8th notes, beginning as chant or mantra, ending as curse, destiny. 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…