Well tempered clavier book 1 from christiane jaccottet. The well tempered 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. He takes advantage of the dynamic capabilities of the piano, as bachs own writing undoubtedly would have had he lived 70 years later. What remained is a level of polyphonic lucidity and contrapuntal rigor that beggars comparison. The p has a straightforward structure, which can be simplified as follows minim crotchet. Recording the welltempered clavier is a bit like climbing everest, and this new recording by christophe rousset devoted to book i. The clavichord is one the most difficult instruments to record well, due to its quiet voice. Js bach was open to use many different forms of keyboards and he equally enjoyed playing the organ, harpsichord, clavichord, lautenclavicymbel lutekeyboard, e. 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. Best harpsichord recording of bachs welltempered clavier book 1 welcome to talk classical a community covering every aspect of classical music. I think the well tempered clavier by johann sebastian bach is the best music ever written by anyone ever. Jul 17, 2018 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.
Bachs monumental collection of 48 preludes and fugues better known as the well tempered clavier was issued in two volumes. Js bach, the welltempered clavier book 1, detailed. Nov 27, 2014 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. From all the works written in the baroque era, no other work has been so wellcherished, frequently performed and. Free sheet music for the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier by j. Trevor pinnock is a true pioneer of the early music movement as founder and former leader of the english concert he enjoys a longstanding relationship with archiv produktion and deutsche grammophon among his celebrated recordings are bachs brandenburg concertos handels messiah and concerti grossi vivaldis four seasons. 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. Which one is your favorite prelude and fugue from bachs.
Perhaps most importantly, jandos renderings of the fugues are very lucid. Now, fresh from her bach world tourin which she performed the complete welltempered clavier from august until the end of october in 58 cities in 21 countries on six continentsangela has made an entirely new recording of this monumental work. It may seem hard to create a genuinely novel reading of the well tempered clavier, but watchorn succeeds in doing so for book 1 here book 2 will follow in a separate release, and unfortunately the booklet notes are confusing in the way they skip between the two bodies of music. For most arrangements, see the separate pages for the individual preludes and fugues.
Jaccottets performances in book 1 are mildly rewarding, easy to enjoy and easy to forget. Bach thought it would be a hoot and a challenge to himself to try to write 24 preludes and fugues in all the keys of the new welltempered tuning. Best harpsichord recording of bachs welltempered clavier. From all the works written in the baroque era, no other work has been so well cherished, frequently performed and thoroughly studied than this work of bach s. As ledbetter writes in more in detail, there is no singled out keyboard instrument of the baroque age that js bach had in mind when he wrote the well tempered clavier. The c minor prelude of bachs welltempered clavier is very well known and needs no introduction. It is always amazing that bachs keyboard music is robust enough to withstand so many interpretations and transcriptions.
Only a few pedestrian selectionsthe book 1 b minor, book 1 a minor, and book 2 bflat minor fuguesfall below schornsheims generally high standard of inspiration. 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. These are finely controlled accounts, and although i could occasionally have wished for more variety, there is ample compensation in the inclusion of the ornamented versions of. Occasionally, the playing can sound ploddy, as in the fugue in c sharp minor, bwv 849, or even prosaic. At any rate, the sound of the pedal harpsichord on isolde ahlgrimms version has been a real revelation. Just like schiff on decca, jaccottet tames the wild and demonic nature of the prelude and makes it into pretty music which is emotionally stunted. Johann sebastian bach 16851750 the welltempered clavier book i, bwv 846869 89. 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 giesekings or pollinis recordings of the well tempered clavier.
No need to wait eagerly for book ii of christophe roussets recording of the welltempered clavier. Bachs famous collection of preludes and fugues for keyboard, the welltempered clavier, uses all 24 major and minor keys, and the preludes explore a wide variety of styles. Keith jarretts live welltempered clavier resurrected. The welltempered clavier book 1 by christophe rousset. In bachs time clavier keyboard was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding. Even book 2 itself of the welltempered clavier includes dynamic markings, but in any case, im not here solely to defend the performance of bach on a piano that is made to sound like a harpsichord. The welltempered clavier book two rebecca pechefsky, harpsichord quill classics qc 102. Performances of well tempered clavier book i from robert levin. Beausejour plays in a refreshingly straightforward manner with no silly antics or turbo. Johann sebastian bachs well tempered clavier posts. The welltempered clavier, book 1, preludes and fugues. Collectors seeking an attractive supplement to our reference harpsichord welltempered clavier cycles will find much to admire here. Bach for solo harpsichord early music oxford academic. Which one is your favorite prelude and fugue from bachs the.
Johann sebastian bachs well tempered clavier posts facebook. The welltempered clavier book one posted on december 15, 2018 december 15, 2018 by emr2015 posted in recording tagged baroque, keyboard music colin booth harpsichord. At any rate, the sound of the pedal harpsichord on. 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. Bach prelude 1 c major welltempered clavier book 1 by john. The solemn and expressive, recitative character of the melody is reminiscent of bachs passion music. Bach well temp butt linn records ckd463 dc classical. Bachs welltempered clavier is one of the cornerstones of western classical music. Most piano performances of this work fall into one of two schools. I was very impressed with the set and have been looking forward to his recording of book ii which has just been issued. Print and download in pdf or midi the welltempered clavier book i x j.
The well tempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the well tempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. Here, the piano is not so far removed from the original keyboards of bachs time, but the interpretation by daniel barenboim of the welltempered clavier, book 1, is slightly unusual. But when jarrett and bach describe a universe filled with grace prelude in e major, bwv 854 or simple joy the corresponding fugue in e major, bwv 854, or explore the limits of staccato expression prelude in e minor, bwv 855, the artistry is superb. The welltempered clavier, book 1, preludes and fugues 18 to enjoy in your home or car, or gift it to another music lover. Bach well temp butt linn records ckd463 dc classical music. It may seem hard to create a genuinely novel reading of the welltempered clavier, but watchorn succeeds in doing so for book 1 here book 2 will follow in a separate release, and unfortunately the booklet notes are confusing in the way they skip between the two bodies of music. As ledbetter writes in more in detail, there is no singled out keyboard instrument of the baroque age that js bach had in mind when he wrote the welltempered clavier. Prelude e major the p book 1 emaj is a very gratifying piece of music. Bach s monumental collection of 48 preludes and fugues better known as the well tempered clavier was issued in two volumes. These are finely controlled accounts, and although i could occasionally have wished for more variety, there is ample compensation in the inclusion of the ornamented versions of the c major invention and six of the sinfonias. Also, there was much variety in his performing style.
Its pastoral character is similar to various other works of jsb, such as the p book 2 amaj, or the sinfonia nr 6 emaj. 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. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. The welltempered clavier, book i, volume 3 glenn gould. This prelude is an arrangement of the fourth of a set of six preludes for harpsichord by bach. Bach vkingur lafsson 1 cd download buy now it was followed shortly afterwards by book ii which was similarly received. Well temperament also good temperament, circular or circulating temperament is a type of tempered tuning described in 20thcentury music theory.
Some news from my research project on the welltempered clavier. I usually love any harpsichord recording by christophe rousset but im afraid that the quality of the sound on both book one and book two is in my opinion poor. Jsb introduces one of his rare tempo indications in the prelude, marking the second section of the prelude with presto. 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. His recordings of bachs milestone well tempered clavier are simply outstanding, all the more remarkable as he recorded both volumes twice, once on harpsichord, and one on clavichord. Best harpsichord recording of bach s well tempered clavier book 1 welcome to talk classical a community covering every aspect of classical music. I found that his use of organ, clavichord, harpsichord, and fortepiano made for very interesting and diverse listening. The welltempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the welltempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents.
If my reaction to book i was tepid, it was more than thawed by my enthusiasm for book ii. The 1624 harpsichord has a beautiful, silvery sound, though the recording is a touch hollow. The performance by rousset on a 1628 ruckers harpsichord at versailles is. Bachs the welltempered clavier, recorded at the colyerfergusson hall at the university of kent in august 2018 and january 2019, was a dream come true for the british harpsichordist as he admits in the touching introductory text, confessing his lifelong admiration for the dual character of the first book. With modesty and rigour, he gives a rich, varied interpretation of this monument to art, revealing its secrets to us in a highly informative introductory text. The term is modeled on the german word wohltemperiert.
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