In bachs time clavier keyboard was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding. Schiffs early 1980s recording is good, but does not appeal to me as much as the above three. As you watch, youll see that bach uses stretto more and more, which heightens the tension of the piece. Print and download in pdf or midi the open well tempered clavier. The welltempered clavier, book 1 classical music album play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and. The preludes and fugues that make up bachs welltempered clavier operate on multiple levels at once theyre a compilation of techniques for. In his ecm debut, the insightful austrian pianist till fellner sheds new light on the bestknown of johann sebastian bachs works for clavier, the.
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. Bachs well tempered clavier book 1 from pierre hantai. Explaining the importance of the welltempered clavier, alexandre prokoudine writes over at libre graphics world. 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. Complete score of the well tempered clavier, book 1, by johann sebastian bach open well tempered clavier project. The only time he uses the sustain pedal is on one of the fugues that is impossible to play without the pedal a minor fugue, book 2, written for organ. I also own schiffs earlier set on decca from the 80s. Book 1, part 1 the open well tempered clavier sheet music. Schiffs 2012 recording is also good, but i prefer his earlier recording. Prelude in c major, bwv 846 from the welltempered clavier, book i by johann sebastian bach. Bach the welltempered clavier book i internet archive. With its magnificent and magisterial performances by sviatoslav richter, one would have imagined that this 1970 recording of the first book of bachs welltempered clavier would be on the shelf of everyone who reveres richter and worships bach. Any list of great bach recordings is, of course, going to be subjective, but we.
Piano solo sheet music book by johann sebastian bach 16851750. Theres even one by yours truly of a 36cd brilliant classics collection containing the complete scarlatti keyboard sonatas. In some of the areas, the fingering is driving me crazy. Till fellner is equably balanced, in an acoustic that has the right degree of space. Loessers studio at the cleveland institute of music in 1964 by kenneth hamann. Welltempered clavier, book 1, bwv846869 various arrangements play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical music site on the web. Some 40 minutes longer in duration than book i, the added bulk of book ii is to be found. The welltempered clavier, or preludes and fugues through all tones and semitones, relating to the major third, that is, ut re mi, as well as those related to the minor third, that is, re mi fa. The first instance to look at, which is also the most authoritative one, is to study the composers original manuscripts. If you are a beginner or an advanced player, the question which score to use is always an important topic.
The well tempered clavier book ii, bwv 870893 arthur loesser, piano the master tapes for this recording were made in mr. I have lately been under the spell of till fellners bach playing on the ecm label, and look forward to adding book ii to his warmly expressive recording of book i. In addition to being outstanding pianists, each has recorded bachs well tempered. Shop and buy the well tempered clavier book i, bwv 846869 sheet music. It explores the intricacies of each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys and constitutes the largestscale and mostinfluential undertaking for. For this recording of book i, fellner performs the 24 preludes and fugues with a rich and full sound, yet with the refinement and fastidious control required in these comprehensive studies of baroque keyboard. Book 1, bwv 846869 fugue in b minor bwv 869 till fellner bach. The ecm label has released the first book of the welltempered clavier and the two. Now, fresh from her bach world tourin which she performed the complete welltempered clavier from august 2007 until the end of october 2008 in 58 cities in 21 countries on six. This website is incredibly resourceful, and one can especially check the 1722 original of the well tempered clavier book 1. The welltempered clavier book i, bwv 846869 by johann. The well tempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. With the exception of four pieces two in each book bach didnt mark tempi, and dynamics are not specified at all.
The well tempered clavier, or preludes and fugues through all tones and semitones, relating to the major third, that is, ut re mi, as well as those related to the minor third, that is, re mi fa. Listen to the samples and decide which version you prefer. The welltempered clavier book ii, bwv 870893 arthur loesser, piano the master tapes for this recording were made in mr. One of the most satisfying performances of the wtc book 1. His playing is delicate, wellinformed without falling into the hip category, and an overall joy to listen to. Till fellner records bachs well tempered clavier book i. For most arrangements, see the separate pages for the individual preludes and fugues. Which book of bachs well tempered clavier is easier. Complete score of the welltempered clavier, book 1, by johann sebastian bach open welltempered clavier project. Youthful viennese pianist till fellner has performed j.
Talking about the welltempered clavier, a very good source to get to the original scores is the website of the state library berlin together with bacharchiv leipzig. Books i and ii pieterjan belder hpd period instruments brilliant 93892 4 cds. Bachs welltempered clavier to critical acclaim across europe, and has made it the backbone of his recital repertoire. In addition to being outstanding pianists, each has recorded bachs well tempered clavier and received great praise. 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.
Heres an organ chorale with similar music to 890, all about angels, pastoral, bwv 607 from orgelbuchlein. Prelude i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier first. Fellner is perhaps closest to angela hewitt in his technical fleetness. Sindsdien werd till fellner uitgenodigd bij talrijke gerenommeerde orkesten en. Second, 22 years separate the wtcs two books, and there are significant differences between them. Its doubtful that bachs well tempered tuning was an exact match to the equal tempered tuning that eventually became the accepted standard. But, in fact, theyre not and the simple reason for it is that richters performances sound like they were taped in a drafty castle in austria using a. At the moment, this new set by schiff is my favorite.
Austrian pianist till fellners international career was launched in 1993 when he. For more than 20 years, the austrian pianist till fellner, whose international career began in 1993. Most readers have likely heard of glenn gould, edwin fischer, sviatoslav richter, rosalyn tureck, andras schiff, angela hewitt, samuel feinberg, and friedrich gulda. Amazons choice for bach well tempered clavier book 1 and 2. Customers and visitors can download classical music in high quality flac or mp3 and find out more about classical music. I have lately been under the spell of till fellners bach playing on the ecm label, and look forward to adding. Bach well tempered clavier roger woodward 199225 dc. It has always been a great shame that wilhelm kempffs set of welltempered clavier has gone out of print on dg, and the great bach expert organist karl richter had not, during his short life, recorded the welltempered clavier on any keyboard instrument. Composed about 20 years apart, the two sets of 24 preludes and fugues that constitute the two books of johann sebastian bachs welltempered clavier didnt start off as one huge collection of 48 works in fact, the set of 24 preludes and fugues composed in 1742 were not issued as a sequel to the original wtc of 1722. For this recording of book i, fellner performs the 24 preludes and fugues with a rich and full sound, yet with the refinement and fastidious control required in. Johann sebastian bach welltempered clavier, book 1. Till fellner born 9 march 1972 is an austrian pianist.
This prelude is an intentionally simple series of chord arpeggios, walking through some modulations in the vicinity of and returning back to c maj. Ten years ago angela hewitt recorded a version of the welltempered clavier book i which dazzled the critical world and recordbuying public. Welltempered clavier book i, bwv 846869 played by till. The ones i repeatedly listen to are richter, tureck and fischer. Bach s well tempered clavier to critical acclaim across europe, and has made it the backbone of his recital repertoire. Bach well tempered clavier book 1 fellner ecm 18534. Johann sebastian bach 16851750 well tempered clavier. He plays bach on the piano with no pedal, which is how i prefer my bach to sound.
Prelude in c major, bwv 846 from the well tempered clavier, book i by johann sebastian bach. In addition to being outstanding pianists, each has recorded bach s well tempered clavier and received great praise. The term well tempered or perhaps whole tempered would be better refers to an intonation system that was in use in bach s time, which he preferred greatly over the reigning system of the time 14comma meantone. Now, fresh from her bach world tourin which she performed the complete welltempered clavier from august 2007 until the end of october 2008 in 58 cities in 21 countries on. Please feel free to comment on any notation engraving error complete. The other thing is that has both books available as pdf downloads refs 3 and 4, both in urtext unedited, notefornote and markformark as much as can be done with bachs manuscripts, from the original and in many edited, fingered and even commented editions.
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. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. Which book of bachs well tempered clavier is easier overall. My favourite recordings of bach s well tempered clavier are this one, sviatoslav richters and despite its mono sound edwin fischers. Jun 16, 2014 bwv867 bwv869 svistoslav richter, piano july 1970 prelude and fugue no. Welltempered clavier book i, bwv 846869 till fellner piano.
Weve begun with the well tempered clavier the prelude and fugue in cminor from book 1. With its magnificent and magisterial performances by sviatoslav richter, one would have imagined that this 1970 recording of the first book of bach s well tempered clavier would be on the shelf of everyone who reveres richter and worships bach. Among classical music connoisseurs, the welltempered clavier book 1 wtc, or the 48 for short is widely regarded as one of the most influential works by j. The welltempered clavier, book 1 classical archives. The solemn and expressive, recitative character of the melody is reminiscent of bachs passion music.
The welltempered clavier, book ii, bwv 870893 cd 1 bwv 870877 46. Bwv867 bwv869 svistoslav richter, piano july 1970 prelude and fugue no. The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. For book 2, to view originals is a more complex exercise, given the lack of the one authoritative original from js bach s hand and the fragmentation of historical copies see the work of yo tomita for more info on this. He left these matters to performers, and just how their judgements can influence the end result may be heard in the f minor fugue, book 1. Such is the music in book ii of the welltempered clavier, and roger. Bachs welltempered clavier which collection to buy. Prelude i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier. 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. Like thinkgreenlovepiano already said, i think all of them are very enjoyable to listen to, but some suggestions for the first book. The well tempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the well tempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. Till fellner records bach s well tempered clavier book i.
His unflinching legato playing is never overbearing. As a young pianist, andras schiff earned wide esteem for his 1980s recordings of the major keyboard works of j. While waiting to follow up on fellners answers to the questions i had emailed, i spent several hours listening to his ecm bach recordings of the welltempered clavier book i and twopart inventions, sinfonias and french suite no. Shop and buy the welltempered clavier book i, bwv 846869 sheet music.
The 50 greatest js bach recordings 2019 update gramophone. It was followed shortly afterwards by book ii which was similarly received. Poblockas welltempered clavier book 1 encompasses some of the. Free sheet music for the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier by j.
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