The Goldberg Variations, composed towards the end of Bach’s life, are one of his “summation” works. In these works, and here on a single instrument no less, he presents the entire history of music, synthesizing diverse styles from Italian Aria to French Overture. Depending on how many of the repeats are taken, a performance can … Continue reading A Light in the Darkness: Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Category: Baroque Period
Bach and Equal Temperament
Bach’s influence on keyboard instruments is unrivaled. But before getting into his works for solo keyboard, it is important to talk about Equal Temperament, which solved for all time the problem of the Pythagorean Comma, which we discussed at the beginning of this blog. To recap, Western music was based on a natural scale with … Continue reading Bach and Equal Temperament
Bach: Conversations Across Art
The Cello Suites are constantly inspiring cellists and composers, but have also made their mark across the arts. Here are two notable examples: J.S. Bach, Cello Suite No. 1: Prelude (from Weir's Master and Commander) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Ji-KDLG8Y J.S. Bach, Cello Suite No. 5: Sarabande (from Bergman's Cries and Whispers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuK9ibesyo4 In fact, Bach's Cello Suites have … Continue reading Bach: Conversations Across Art
Bach’s Cello Suites
For The Professor: In 1889, a 13-year old cellist was browsing the shelves of a second-hand music shop in Barcelona. Piled under what was undoubtedly a gigantic stack of dusty scores, he made a discovery--an old and battered copy of what appeard to be the score of J.S. Bach's Suites for solo cello. His father … Continue reading Bach’s Cello Suites
Bach and Bartok: A Conversation
In the 1940s, Bela Bartok heard the great violinist Yehudi Menuhin play Bach's solo sonata for violin in C major at a concert in Asheville, North Carolina. Inspired, Bartok composed his own sonata for solo violin, dedicating it to Menuhin. Reflecting what was all to common a trend, Menuhin found the composition too difficult to … Continue reading Bach and Bartok: A Conversation
A Gertus History of Music 