Not even Bach's own children, on their own admission, played all of the WTK. But for the present day pianists, including serious amateurs, it's a must. My suggestion is, do it from the end, the hardest preludes and fugues first, then all else will be easier.
I don't underatand your comment. Is a fact that Bach played the entire well tempered clavier in front of one of his student, with no rest between the different preludes and fugues. Beethoven could play by heart all the music in book I at only 11 years old.
I definitely vouch for this method of getting the hardest Preludes and Fugues out of the way first. They are technically and musically challenging, but there is also nothing in there that is out of reach of any competent amateur pianist (e.g., I can't say the same about a lot of works by Liszt or Rachmaninoff for example). The difficulty isn't just a straight linear easy -> hard though. Later Preludes and Fugues tend to be harder, but they also jump all over the place.
I agree. WTC 1 & 2 are my desert island scores!!!! It's endless, brilliant, epic, it's everything, it's the blueprint of western keyboard music. You can learn everything by just practicing WTC. And it's always beautiful, not moody like other composers, yes that includes Mozart and Beethoven. Bach, is free from human ego. It's just divine mathematic musical perfection. He is THE teacher.
JS Bach wrote music in every known form except opera. He invented no new forms and created no new style or idiom. But to the old forms and styles and idioms he brought an emotional expressiveness, a nobility of thinking, a majesty of concept, a spaciousness of design which were unique. So completely had he exhausted both the technical and aesthetic possibilities of polyphony that by necessity the composers who followed him had to set off in an altogether new direction. As for you, sir: congratulations and bravo on this remarkable achievement and for sharing your insights here for the rest of us... I have been listening to the WTC for almost 60 years and find something new in it every time I hear it. regards
Thanks a lot for your comment.....I do wonder what my experience of the WTC will be like when I'm 60, or 80 years old....and how my perspective on it will have changed by then.
David - your comment prompted me to write a response, but first I looked up your TH-cam page and am glad I did. It's quite a wonderful and noble endeavor that you've undertaken - and I very happily subscribed. So now my comment: while it may be somewhat common to say, it may be a bit broad to say the Bach "invented no new forms and created no new style or idiom". One concrete counter-example is that Bach essentially invented the modern keyboard concerto cadenza with the cadenza in the first movement of the 5th Brandenburg Concerto. And a broader example would be related to the topic at hand, the reason we're all here, the Well-Tempered Clavier: there is no set of keyboard works, written in all 24 keys and making full use of conventional harmony, prior to this. This certainly marks it as something "new". Without some sort of "equal" temperament it was considered unfeasible to play in all 24 keys. (We see this with the 2- and 3-part Inventions, for which there are only 15 of each; the other 9 keys were considered too out-of-tune to play in, using the existing, non-tempered tuning methods). The WTC was "proof of concept" for equal temperament, which in turn helps lay the foundations for harmonic practice that was utilized and developed over the next century and half (or so) - until Wagner decided to break it (but that's another story). ;-) Cheers, and happy listening.
@@Overlearner I'm in my 60s and a year ago began to learn the WTC. I'm doing it in random order, and of the 96 pieces I've probably gone through only a dozen, largely focusing on the fugues. Each of those pieces is a world for me, there is always something that I need to improve or perfect - and I don't think I've ever played any of them absolutely perfectly or at the intended tempo. But working on them is like meditation, and the ability to play them well makes me feel like I've really accomplished something. His extreme and mathematical cleverness really sticks out to me. He presents a simple little theme at the start and then it's "Hold my beer" time - he repeats it, shifts it, turns it upside down, inside out, shortens it, lengthens it, twists it, plays it backwards, all while tossing it back and forth with the other hand in register and in time. And some of the amazing harmonic shifts, key changes and the way he introduces and resolves some very modern sounding dissonances... Come on, man!
The WTC is my musical comfort food. I'll bust it out and stumble my way through reading a prelude or two, or maybe just a couple of voices of a fugue. But it never fails to set my mind at ease. Loved your thoughts on it!
Well done!! Anyone who is willing to put in that much time and effort towards Bach, just to challenge themselves, gets a standing ovation from me!! It’s such astonishingly great music. And to think Bach wrote them for primarily didactic purposes, not for the concert hall
Three years ago in Paris I attended Andras Schiff's performance, in two different sessions, of the two WTK books. I still wonder how it is possible to memorize the entire work, especially the fugues, without a single mistake or doubt. It is said that Bach composed this work away from the harpsichord, so this is the product of that prodigious mind in a moment of brilliant speculation. At my intermediate level of piano, I like to study here and there in the WTK the pieces that I can handle, many far from my current ability, and the only thing I can say is that the fact of carefully reading this music increases not only your understanding but it allows the performer to get closer to the mystery of the beauty of this endless music. I sincerely admire and envy your work!
Refreshing take on my beloved and dusty old JSB. I really enjoy your style of video, smart, unassuming, insightful. Was confounded by the small number of subs, but then again you are just starting. Do go on, i believe you really have something special here....
You are too kind. Two days ago this video had literally 37 views - I watched in shock yesterday as the view count suddenly started climbing. I make these videos for people like yourself, so your encouragement to make further content means a lot.
This video was very encouraging, I recently completed recording the inventions and sinfonias. I intend to study the entire Well Tempered Clavier. Congratulations on all this work.
Congratulations on getting through these works, an incredible feat for a pianist. Two years ago I played my first fugue from the WTC and since then I was obsessed. I am a slow learner and a hobbyist, but the music is so full and rich. The Replay value of these pieces is sky high
@@Overlearner I am playing them in no particular order. I have the first book and I really enjoy playing the fugues. As of now I have played fugue 2, 5, 21, was close to finishing 3 and now attempting 4 (my favorite). Do you have any recommendations which ones are approachable in your opinion? Would love to hear from you! Again, an absolute incredible feat to take on all these works, truly inspiring
Imagine a skilled and dedicated pianist of our time picked up this gigantic project and it took him a year to complete. After which he was left with more questions and fascination of the musical magic. While over 300 years ago a baroque man scribbled all of it with a feather in a rush as if some higher intelligence simply dictated it to him and continued to dictate uniterruptedly until his death. Bachs work ... no, that's a wrong term... his CREATION is so unreal it sounds like it's from some ancient legends. Yet here we are listening to it. He and his work are real.
I am currently learning the B minor Praeldium and Fuga from the second volume and am finding it... lets say a fun challenge. When you say that you learnt both a prelude and fugue in a week, well, that just blows my mind. I've never actually done much research on the two volumes nor listened to the pieces save for the one im learning, so this video was really interesting to learn so much. Great video man!
Good morning Overlearner from Birmingham UK - firstly may I say your video is truly inspirational - I have just spent a year and a half teaching myself to play a slow moving version of Contrapunctus No 1 from the Art of Fugue - even as an intermediate level pianist the language of JSB fascinates endlessly - your video and level of pianism and love of music is a source of great encouragement - many thanks
Thanks for your comment, I'm also inspired to receive these messages from other Bach lovers around the world. The Art of Fugue is amazing, and I hope to play and record it one day
Can you think of any example within the WTC of two pieces that seem like they were cut from the same cloth? I cannot; every one seems unique in character, means, form, texture, development, and so on. There is a kind of internal integrity to each prelude and each fugue that is not shared with any other. The fertility of imagination and orginality, as well as the depth of feeling and vitality, is what makes these two collections of Preludes and Fugues so endlessly rewarding. The many hours I have spent with them have helped me grow, and even gave me a desire to grow in ways I did not expect, helped me make sense of a lot of other music, improved my understanding of keyboard techniques and fingering, consoled my sorrows and brought me great joy. It was probably the most enjoyable and fruitful work I ever did. And I am not done.
That is a great question....at first consideration, I would agree with your answer and say that each is unique. However, I do notice similarities between some preludes and fugues of the same key, for example both A minor fugues seem to be quite aggressive, while both F# major preludes are peaceful, written in precise 2-part counterpoint. A topic I need to explore more!
Let us indeed celebrate the amazing fertility, creativity, & ingenuity of the Human Musical mind, and not reach for the twisted old wooden crutch of supernatural beings in the Sky having some mumbo-jumbo agency over our lives! Yes, I realise Bach was motivated by the Divine!
Epic effort! I’ve learnt a few but not all of them. Learning Bach is awesome for jazz piano. Good for technique, counter melodies, balancing of voices, harmony… the list is endless!
The reasons you give for embarking on this grand project articulate the reasons why I have dedicated ten years to learning Bach's music on the guitar. Thank you. It's a never ending voyage of wonder and discovery.❤❤❤
Thank you for a very interesting and thoughtful video. Sounds like a wonderful project, and judging by your recordings, you played these pieces to a very good standard. I play a lot of these pieces in a very imperfect way, but still have plenty I haven't even attempted to learn (eg A minor fugue, Bk 1) - lots to look forward to! Truly a life's work to get into all the nooks and crannies of these pieces, and even several lives may not be long enough. When I stop and think about that statement, and also remember all the other masterpieces that Bach produced (including a glorious weekly cantata in amongst all his other duties), I can hardly comprehend how all this came out of the mind of one person. I guess that's Bach infinite genius! Thanks again!
Thanks for your comment! One of my favourite quotes from Bach himself is: 'I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well.' Something I've tried to apply to my own life!
Fascinating video! I have been studying and practising the Well Tempered Clavier (mainly Book I, and more recently some of Book II) for the last 10 years or so. I really related to the insights and observations in this video, which are similar to my own in many respects. The WTC is truly a work of infinite depth, full of new discoveries to be made. I feel that I have made a lot of progress with some of the preludes and fugues, in terms of technique and interpretation, but learning the whole collection seems like a task that I will never be able to complete. I guess I just need to enjoy the journey!
The WTC is my all time favourite piece of music. I never get bored with it and the more I listen and study it the more impressed I get - thanks for this interesting video.
@@Overlearner Well the only one I played and play regularly is the first one in C but to be honest what I find so amazing about the WTC is that I like absolutely every piece in both books - I own probably ten versions on CD and I'm always amazed at the consistent beauty and brilliance of it. And like you I hope one day to play it all. I'm from Iceland and we have one author who has won the Nobel price in Literature - Halldór Laxness in 1955 - once he was asked what book he would take to the desert island and his answer was "The Well Tempered Clavier".
Bowtie looks sharp, thanks for the video Edit: Having watched the full video now, I found section 4 (bach is full of surprises) extremely insightful as a songwriter. Thanks for this information, it’s quite valuable
Thanks, I appreciate it! When you say you are a songwriter, do you mean to say that the WTC will help you or provide some inspiration in your own creative journey?
“Many people remember that when in 1977 the Voyager spacecraft was launched, opinions were canvassed as to what artefacts would be most appropriate to leave in outer space as a signal of man's cultural achievements on earth. The American astronomer Carl Sagan proposed that 'if we are to convey something of what humans are about then music has to be a part of it.' To Sagan's request for suggestions, the eminent biologist Lewis Thomas answered, 'I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.' After a pause, he added, 'But that would be boasting.” ― John Eliot Gardiner, Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven
They did however put 3 Bach pieces on the Golden Record which is actually on the Voyager in Space in case aliens find them ever :) One of the pieces is in fact Prelude no 1 in C from WTC1!
Amazing video and achievement. Thanks so much for sharing. Really interesting insights and I particularly enjoyed the conclusion. If this music is the universe (or something similarly extraordinary) then it will indeed last well beyond all of us. Just a joy to hear your love and enthusiasm come through.
Bach has his Big Four: 1) The Well-Tempered Clavier 2) Goldberg Variations 3) Musical Offering 4) The Art of the Fugue These Big Four are the Well of Everlasting Youth of musical creation!
@@marcossidoruk8033 not even just for keyboard; since there'd have to be an organ work in there. These seem like just things that can be adapted to be playable on modern piano.
*For pianists The sonatas and partitas for solo violin, suites for solo cello, various organ books, Brandenburg concertos, massive collection of cantatas (well more than 48 of them!), the chorales and of course the mass in B minor are all part of the "holy scriptures" of classical music, so to say
I really liked the video! I've seen lots of tutorials or analysis videos, but rarely I find videos about the joy of learning the music and about personal insights and opinions on the music at the same time that the music itself is shown. I would love to know more about the things you liked and find personally interesting about the well tempered clavier and Bach's works in general
Puisque que vous parlez si bien français, je me permets de vous écrire dans cette langue qui est ma langue maternelle. Je viens tout juste de découvrir votre chaîne et j’en suis enchanté. J’ai écouté votre merveilleux commentaire du Clavier bien tempéré, une œuvre qui m’est très chère. Tout ce que vous en dites est remarquablement juste, intéressant et recoupe ma propre expérience. Je n’ai pas eu, comme vous, la détermination de l’étudier entièrement mais ce que j’ai appris m’a mûri musicalement. Chose certaine, vous n’avez pas perdu votre temps. Si l’on me demandait de choisir une œuvre à emporter au paradis, si cela était possible, ce serait sûrement celle-là! J’aurais alors l’éternité pour l’apprendre et je suis sûr que je ne m’en lasserais jamais.
one time i sat down with a new piano instructor and asked "how long would it take for you to learn Bach's tempered clavier?" Got a facepalm reaction from that one
Lovely video! Thanks for sharing your journey with us! ❤️ I completely relate to your description of the music getting more enigmatic as you get to know it! I almost can’t believe music like this actually exists.
@@happypiano4810 I just mean to say, that the time and effort required is 100% worth it 😃 I think a good tip, if you are just starting this project, is to learn one prelude and fugue of a moderate/hard difficulty and see how long it takes you. From there, you can estimate how long it will take to learn the other 47 preludes and fugues. This will allow you to make a plan and a schedule for x number of months/years. It's a big project, so you need to have a realistic idea of how long it will take.
In old piano italian conservatorio's official exams you were obliged to play 12 preludes and fugues from First and also 12 from the Second One at eight year's exams called "compimento medio" (middle period end exam).
Bravo! Thank you for this extreme generosity of your heart extended to us here as it is reflecting your amazing labor of love … Bach is certainly a flowering of human creativity and the love of Creation
Well done.👏 But don't forget that all the music should serve a single purpose. To find out why the music was written, you have to look up who the composer dedicated all his works to.
I stopped piano for a few years but it was Bach's first Goldberg variation that made me want to return to it. Ironic since I hated hated Bach as a kid.
@@Overlearner A funny thing is that Wilheim Backhaus was taught by Eugene D’Albert, who was taught by Liszt, who in turn was taught by Czerny, who was of course taught by Beethoven himself how he liked to play the WTC. In this very rare recording he shows a brief window to the past brought to life by knowledge and dedication to music. The full documentary can be watched on TH-cam: The art of Piano (1999 documentary) and Backhaus playing the first prelude in C major of the WTC as instructed by those great minds is at 01:07:22.
Great pianists of the 20th century cd. “at nine at his admission exam for the Berlin Hochschule he could transpose any of the preludes and fugues of the Well tempered Clavier into any key by heart. “. So I was wrong he wasn’t thirteen he was nine.
@@jaikee9477 Zi sa moara ma-ta care te-a facut prost ;-). So...nobody on the internet can appreciate that Gould cand sound like a schoolboy and etc ...now if this not a proof that freedom of expression should not be given to stupid ...I don't know what IT IS . oK. History will consider your golden opinion and etc . Happy nos /;-)))?
6th point proves that he is the goat!! The more you study the less you know!! Haha well done and I don’t think I will ever aim to play all but maybe I should put aside more time to learn more of it…
Thank you for the video and the explanations. It is not rare I listen to the complete volumes. As an adult amateur pianist, I am only keeping the D# minor Book II alive. It is beautifully structured and challenging enough for the memory and fingers. See the mirrors of the subject both hand at the very end … very neat conclusion.
Congrats ! I've only done 6 deeply, some other I've analyzed and others I've sight read without studying them. It's like learning a language: at first you understand nothing, then you learn the vocabulary, the grammar, the syntax, the slang! Reading a fugue is not as traumatic as before for me! I'd like to do them all eventually, all my teachers have done so, but there are so many other things to learn, too. I think I would burn out by only doing Bach for 2 years. 3 P&F a year with other periods and composer in between sounds better for me
From the countless masterpieces of the WTC i think the most profound moment is the Prelude in A minor in the second book. This chromatic piece is so weird and enigmatic!
Interesting that YT alerted me to this. I have been translating the whole WTC into Express Stave Pianoforte Notation, and learning them from this, at my age of 75 and with lymphoma. Not memorising, unless it happens along the way. i compare sight reading in ES with traditional notation (TN). I find it takes much longer to learn most single P&F than one week, and I want to get the the stage where I can sight read any of them okay from notation. The jury is still out about my notation invention. The impetus at the start was my frustration with so many key signatures, accidentals, etc also legerlines, although in Bach the range is less, so legerlines are not such a problem. But i can now also see the usefulness of keysignatures in simplifying the look of melodic lines as long as you are very familiar with the particular scale. My students who havent yet learnt advanced keys can play Moonlight Sonata in ES for example and say its easier.
That sounds like an absolutely enormous undertaking. I just watched some of your videos, it seems like there are no key signatures but black and white notes are notated differently. Very interesting. Sorry to hear about the lymphoma.
While listening to the G minor excerpts I was immediately repulsed by the fast versions. Gould invites reflection but is very idiosyncratic. To me, this prelude is wistful...searching, and a slower tempo is best. I do a crescendo and decrescendo in two of the trill sections and "notes inégales" in the melody. I have a harpsichord and find that the piano is better suited to some of the variations, this one in particular. The G minor from Book II on the other hand sounds better on the harpsichord. Bravo for having attempted this project. I stand in awe...
I’ll add that some of it sounds like organ music to me. Bach doesn’t specify any particular keyboard instrument for these books (I think the only time he *ever* specifies what to use is with his organ music). There’s apparently a recording of WTC out there where the pianist felt that way and had the piano tuned or regulated differently for the “organ” pieces and the “harpsichord” pieces, and so on.
It’s probably an idiosyncratic view, but I generally dislike the piano being employed to play music intended for other instruments. Of course it can be argued that Bach would have embraced the modern piano but the fact remains that he composed with the instruments he knew in mind, allowing for their strengths and limitations. To hear the work as Bach heard it in his own head is to feel even nearer to his genius. This takes nothing away from your own achievement in taking on this challenge.
It's interesting, whenever I learn new repetoire, Beethoven, Chopin, Ligeti, whatever it might be, i always find myself coming back to the WTC in between other projects. It feels like a musical foundation for everything else.
I am practicing first tome right now, trying in public by 6 as a time, then next month 12, then maybe much later the 24. The core problem is memory and concentration challenge, playing with score for me is out of question, that's missing most of hidden things, structure, contrasts, atmosphere, understanding of how is composed. Good luck.
Uff, I'm a pianist at age 45. I've been meaning to finally learn this work for 20 years. I might just have to do it now, before I find myself a senior citizen who doesn't know the WTK;)
Chopin revered Bach and religiously warmed up with Bach inventions and WTC. If one of the greatest composers and pianists of all time considered WTC as great way to improve technique maybe we should pay attention. As you said, WTC is a great way of improving technique without grind scales and arpeggions
I think one very underrated aspect of Chopin's compositons is his harmonic mastery - the complexity and richness of his chord choices, and his effortless movement between various keys etc. I wonder how much of that was the result of studying Bach
@@Overlearner yes. His first works are highly influenced by Mozart's operas lyricism as well as Bach harmony but it is on Chopin's late works where you can seen Bach's counterpoint combined with all the above (4th Ballade, Third Sonata Barcarolle...)
@@Overlearner I've been working hard on this fugue lately! Also just wanted to say I agree completely with your conclusions about the benefits of studying the WTC.
nice! I’m a violinist, and same story.. many I have played, and many I haven’t touched. So decided to learn all of them (Sonatas and Partitas) - I’m 6 months into it, heading toward end now. Really enjoyed this one, I wish I can play piano better to play these ones...but, not everyone is Bach I guess 😂 please continue with your videos, I also learned a language - German in a year and it seems like we have many subjects in common 👌👌
Bravo on getting all NINETY-SIX movements in this masterpiece done! Did you notice the last fugue in Book One is a tone row? I've done all of that volume with a great deal of MIDI sequencing. Love the Richter recording because he pedals freely -- sheer heresy to purists (who shouldn't be using modern pianos).
Thank you! Actually I did notice that - in fact I mention it at 24:06. I too love the Richter recording... When you say you've used MIDI sequencing, what exacty do you mean?
@@Overlearner I use a program called Cakewalk Sonar 7 to input a piece on computer, then I fix wrong notes in the resulting track and make any other adjustments, and the computer plays my perfected interpretation "live" on any keyboard equipped for it (many many). It may sound like cheating, but it's eliminated most practicing and helps me plow through vastly more repertoire than I used to. (Bringing forth the buried treasures of repertoire is my mission.) If i want to repeat a piece I just open and run its MIDI track -- will be able to do this long after my fingers and feet no longer work. A fascinating adventure -- would be happy to coach you. I see I was wrong -- that fugue isn't a tone row (notes are repeated in the subject) but close enough to be truly remarkable.
30:41 From what I remember hearing, I believe that Bach did not write music merely for music’s sake or instruction but ultimately for the glorification of God and the soothing of men’s spirits.
Memorizing gets to the heart of knowledge. There's comes a point where sightreading becomes an involuntary action of the body. There are those who play professionally that can dream of anything BUT music while their fingers mind the store. It can be a curse. Memorizing is the only way to the heart.
Richter lo tocó de memoria por una temporada. Posteriormente dejó de hacerlo y recomendaba no memorizar música ya que se gastaba mucho tiempo y energía que era mejor emplearlos en seguir leyendo más música
I have heard that in certain piano schools, they were taught to memorise each individual voice of the fugue, away from the piano. I've never done that, but I imagine it would give you a very strong understanding of the musical architecture in question
Number of sharps or flats at key signature never was even a slight limitation for me. I am surprised why such an experienced musician even mentions it. Thank you for this video. Very interesting, motivating, contains lots of information, discovery. It's not something we've known all along.
Amazing video! I’m currently learning 2 preludes and fugues from Bach and 2 from Shostakovich amazing set. I wondered if you could make a video about how you approached learning a new prelude fugue over and over. Especially the fugue takes ages for me, because as you mentioned the fingering must be so incredibly intricate. For Bach I find 5 different editors like Busoni, Schiff, Czerny and so on to compare there fingerings and frasing, then I spend around 2-3 days (approximately 3 hours per day) on just writing fingerings and frasings, then I go on and use another 2-3 days first learning the fugue slowly with metronome and thereafter 1-2 days building up to near full tempo. And first thereafter I take it to a teacher and start going in depth with it. I wonder if you do the same or how you then do it. Thanks for the very interesting video!🎶
My good Sir, i wonder if the difficulty is a linear progress, like gradually getting more difficult, when attempting the Well Tempered Klavier books, technique wise 🤔 Or does one have to jump from one number to a different one, like for example, the Chopin etudes ... just because #nr1 starts in a C major, doesnt have to mean it is the easiest piece to start with, and so on 🙂
I found the difficulty level to be quite random....C major book 1 is easy, C minor is hard, C# major is hard, D major is VERY hard etc etc.....but even the 'easy' ones are hard, if you know what I mean
@@Overlearner Yeah ... having gone through the Chopin etudes, i know exactly what you mean ... "Well this one sure sounds easy ... *streches fingers* ... should be doable" 🤪
@@Kivancli79 Ah, the Chopin Etudes....they are a whole other ball game. Have you noticed that Chopin op.10 no.1 is a direct reference to Bach C Major prelude book 1?
I stopped playing the piano at age 18. I'm now 72. I'm about ready to re-start and am wondering if this would be a good project? I did about 10 yrs of lessons until my last teacher told me that if you could put sheet music into a robot (this was 1970) that it would sound like me, that I didn't put my soul into the music but was a masterful technical player. I think I should, but it's possible those comments from over half a century would distract me from at least being able to do it technically. And should I not listen to recordings of it if I do start, just play what's on the page? Comments from anyone welcomed.
Thanks for your comment - I think you should play this music because you really love it. For that reason I would recommend listening to it as much as possible first. I wouldn't let those comments from earlier in your life stop you from learning and playing this wonderful music. I hope that helps
Go for it man! I'm 53 and very regretabbly stopped piano lessons years when I was 13 (I had just heard Van Halen on the radio, begged my folks for a guitar- and the rest was history) , but the yearning to restart learning the piano is so strong in me lately, I very much want to play music from the classical masters and some ragtime/swing. I even have a lovely upright in my home, it's just going to waste right now. I feel it deserves a musical life once again! Cheers and good luck to you!
For what it's worth, a friend of mind started piano again after a 20 year break (age 17-37) and he said it all came back to him much faster than he was expecting
i would start with the 2 and three part Inventions just to warm up the first half year, then go into WTC. Inventions also pristine music good for the brain
@@MDMvision Thanks for the suggestion. I just looked at a few pages of the score and it does look easier (if there's such a thing with Bach), and as you say, to warm up. I know it will probably come back, but starting at a lower level might be the key to success.
Insert meme: "congrats. Im happy for you" haha Maybe one day I might achieve this too(but i doubt, unfortunately). Also, dont forget about the organ. Many pieces works amazingly at it. Think of the pedal point at the fugue 1 book 1 coda, for example. TH-cam has one or two video of WTC played at the organ. Very "ear opening" experience. My very best regards for you
I used to play the organ haha. At my peak I played the famous Toccata in D minor, and the Fugue. I have heard some WTC played on organ, but not much - this is definitely worth investigating further.
Well done, congratulations on your achievement! And the video is very interesting and instructive! I'm following the same path for more or less the same reasons. At first, I thought of just playing WTC a little, and then quickly move on to romantic composers, but Bach enchanted me and I'm still here, now playing WTC book 2. I'm not a professional musician and I'm much slower than you and I will skip over many of preludes/fugues. On my chanel there are my recordings on digital piano. Also, I played some piano transcriptions of Bach's choral preludes.
Thank you! At the end of the day, it's really about enjoying this amazing music and striving to be the best musician that one can be. Love the chorale preludes!
I will be making some in-depth videos on this topic, but if you want a quick answer... the first word that comes to mind is: intention Before you even touch your hands to the keys, ask yourself....what are you trying to achieve? what is the purpose of this practise session? Which section or sections of a piece will you work on, and how will they be better at the end of the practice session then they were at the beginning? 15 minutes of practice with intention is better than 45 minutes of 'whatever' practice.
Nobody set these crazy tempos - we’re not all Glenn Gould, furthermore playing too fast can make pieces difficult for the audience too, hamper any expressive interpretation in the music. There are huge differences in tempo for the same piece by different pianists.
Very interesting vid..... What's your view of use of pedal with Bach....like schiff says the well tempered is like the old testament of piano music ....and a lifetime experience...the way i play them now so different to past and future ....
At this point in my musical life, I just like to do what sounds good. In this case, it means that I use pedal. Sorry if that answer is too simple, lol.
Amazing project, very well done! It is my dream to learn all 48 Preludes and Fugues. Jess Larsen, a child prodigy from America, memorised and recorded the complete WTC 1 & 2 by the age of 12. Her recordings can be found on TH-cam.
You memorized them as well? When did you move on from each piece to another and why? This is an incredible project, I was once very enthusiastic and tried to learn all the three part sinfonias but then gave up after the no. 5. I still learned from them I think but to learn all is just too much when you have school, job, friends and also a lot of other pieces I'm eager to learn
No, I decided not to memorise them as it would have taken too much time. I have however played three or four of them from memory for AMEB or university exams, over the years. I moved on once I had learnt the piece to a decent level and recorded a video of it.
Bro thinks "a few days" is a long time to learn a Fugue, meanwhile I've been sitting on the same Fugue for over a year. 💀
I have some efficient techniques for learning new music, which I will explain in future videos
@magnusgro4366 You're doing it wrong.
@@rovankamal7647 Enlighten us.
@@dlcurtis69Just remember better lol
Im like that but on a Prelude 😅
Not even Bach's own children, on their own admission, played all of the WTK. But for the present day pianists, including serious amateurs, it's a must. My suggestion is, do it from the end, the hardest preludes and fugues first, then all else will be easier.
I don't underatand your comment. Is a fact that Bach played the entire well tempered clavier in front of one of his student, with no rest between the different preludes and fugues. Beethoven could play by heart all the music in book I at only 11 years old.
I definitely vouch for this method of getting the hardest Preludes and Fugues out of the way first. They are technically and musically challenging, but there is also nothing in there that is out of reach of any competent amateur pianist (e.g., I can't say the same about a lot of works by Liszt or Rachmaninoff for example). The difficulty isn't just a straight linear easy -> hard though. Later Preludes and Fugues tend to be harder, but they also jump all over the place.
I was very surprised to see only 300 subs on a video of this quality
Just starting out really, we'll see where it goes....thanks for your comment
Over 7K now😊😊😊
I agree. WTC 1 & 2 are my desert island scores!!!! It's endless, brilliant, epic, it's everything, it's the blueprint of western keyboard music. You can learn everything by just practicing WTC. And it's always beautiful, not moody like other composers, yes that includes Mozart and Beethoven. Bach, is free from human ego. It's just divine mathematic musical perfection. He is THE teacher.
JS Bach wrote music in every known form except opera. He invented no new forms and created no new style or idiom. But to the old forms and styles and idioms he brought an emotional expressiveness, a nobility of thinking, a majesty of concept, a spaciousness of design which were unique. So completely had he exhausted both the technical and aesthetic possibilities of polyphony that by necessity the composers who followed him had to set off in an altogether new direction. As for you, sir: congratulations and bravo on this remarkable achievement and for sharing your insights here for the rest of us... I have been listening to the WTC for almost 60 years and find something new in it every time I hear it. regards
Thanks a lot for your comment.....I do wonder what my experience of the WTC will be like when I'm 60, or 80 years old....and how my perspective on it will have changed by then.
David - your comment prompted me to write a response, but first I looked up your TH-cam page and am glad I did. It's quite a wonderful and noble endeavor that you've undertaken - and I very happily subscribed.
So now my comment: while it may be somewhat common to say, it may be a bit broad to say the Bach "invented no new forms and created no new style or idiom".
One concrete counter-example is that Bach essentially invented the modern keyboard concerto cadenza with the cadenza in the first movement of the 5th Brandenburg Concerto.
And a broader example would be related to the topic at hand, the reason we're all here, the Well-Tempered Clavier: there is no set of keyboard works, written in all 24 keys and making full use of conventional harmony, prior to this. This certainly marks it as something "new".
Without some sort of "equal" temperament it was considered unfeasible to play in all 24 keys. (We see this with the 2- and 3-part Inventions, for which there are only 15 of each; the other 9 keys were considered too out-of-tune to play in, using the existing, non-tempered tuning methods).
The WTC was "proof of concept" for equal temperament, which in turn helps lay the foundations for harmonic practice that was utilized and developed over the next century and half (or so) - until Wagner decided to break it (but that's another story). ;-)
Cheers, and happy listening.
@@Overlearner I'm in my 60s and a year ago began to learn the WTC. I'm doing it in random order, and of the 96 pieces I've probably gone through only a dozen, largely focusing on the fugues. Each of those pieces is a world for me, there is always something that I need to improve or perfect - and I don't think I've ever played any of them absolutely perfectly or at the intended tempo. But working on them is like meditation, and the ability to play them well makes me feel like I've really accomplished something.
His extreme and mathematical cleverness really sticks out to me. He presents a simple little theme at the start and then it's "Hold my beer" time - he repeats it, shifts it, turns it upside down, inside out, shortens it, lengthens it, twists it, plays it backwards, all while tossing it back and forth with the other hand in register and in time. And some of the amazing harmonic shifts, key changes and the way he introduces and resolves some very modern sounding dissonances... Come on, man!
The WTC is my musical comfort food. I'll bust it out and stumble my way through reading a prelude or two, or maybe just a couple of voices of a fugue. But it never fails to set my mind at ease.
Loved your thoughts on it!
Yes! That's a great way to describe it. A lifelong companion - familiar and yet endlessly mysterious
Very interesting story and insight.The description of your thoughts and difficulties are fascinating Thank you .
You're welcome, thanks for watching
Well done!! Anyone who is willing to put in that much time and effort towards Bach, just to challenge themselves, gets a standing ovation from me!! It’s such astonishingly great music. And to think Bach wrote them for primarily didactic purposes, not for the concert hall
Thank you....yes, it's amazing isn't it....the gift to music that keeps on giving
Three years ago in Paris I attended Andras Schiff's performance, in two different sessions, of the two WTK books. I still wonder how it is possible to memorize the entire work, especially the fugues, without a single mistake or doubt.
It is said that Bach composed this work away from the harpsichord, so this is the product of that prodigious mind in a moment of brilliant speculation.
At my intermediate level of piano, I like to study here and there in the WTK the pieces that I can handle, many far from my current ability, and the only thing I can say is that the fact of carefully reading this music increases not only your understanding but it allows the performer to get closer to the mystery of the beauty of this endless music.
I sincerely admire and envy your work!
That guy is a true Bach scholar. I'd love to make it to one of his concerts one day (difficult when you live in Australia 🤣🤣🤣)
Mixing both my interests of piano and languages - what an underrated channel!
Yes! Two of my main interests in life, since I was very young. There are many parallels between them, which I will discuss in future videos.
Refreshing take on my beloved and dusty old JSB. I really enjoy your style of video, smart, unassuming, insightful. Was confounded by the small number of subs, but then again you are just starting. Do go on, i believe you really have something special here....
You are too kind. Two days ago this video had literally 37 views - I watched in shock yesterday as the view count suddenly started climbing. I make these videos for people like yourself, so your encouragement to make further content means a lot.
This video was very encouraging, I recently completed recording the inventions and sinfonias. I intend to study the entire Well Tempered Clavier. Congratulations on all this work.
Amazing work! Do you have a link I can listen to?
Congratulations on getting through these works, an incredible feat for a pianist. Two years ago I played my first fugue from the WTC and since then I was obsessed. I am a slow learner and a hobbyist, but the music is so full and rich. The Replay value of these pieces is sky high
Thanks a lot! Are you learning them in any particular order?
@@Overlearner I am playing them in no particular order. I have the first book and I really enjoy playing the fugues. As of now I have played fugue 2, 5, 21, was close to finishing 3 and now attempting 4 (my favorite). Do you have any recommendations which ones are approachable in your opinion? Would love to hear from you!
Again, an absolute incredible feat to take on all these works, truly inspiring
Imagine a skilled and dedicated pianist of our time picked up this gigantic project and it took him a year to complete. After which he was left with more questions and fascination of the musical magic.
While over 300 years ago a baroque man scribbled all of it with a feather in a rush as if some higher intelligence simply dictated it to him and continued to dictate uniterruptedly until his death.
Bachs work ... no, that's a wrong term... his CREATION is so unreal it sounds like it's from some ancient legends. Yet here we are listening to it. He and his work are real.
Very well said
I am currently learning the B minor Praeldium and Fuga from the second volume and am finding it... lets say a fun challenge. When you say that you learnt both a prelude and fugue in a week, well, that just blows my mind. I've never actually done much research on the two volumes nor listened to the pieces save for the one im learning, so this video was really interesting to learn so much. Great video man!
That particular prelude is fun, to me it almost sounds like a detective trying to solve a mystery...quite sneaky!
Good morning Overlearner from Birmingham UK - firstly may I say your video is truly inspirational - I have just spent a year and a half teaching myself to play a slow moving version of Contrapunctus No 1 from the Art of Fugue - even as an intermediate level pianist the language of JSB fascinates endlessly - your video and level of pianism and love of music is a source of great encouragement - many thanks
Thanks for your comment, I'm also inspired to receive these messages from other Bach lovers around the world. The Art of Fugue is amazing, and I hope to play and record it one day
Can you think of any example within the WTC of two pieces that seem like they were cut from the same cloth? I cannot; every one seems unique in character, means, form, texture, development, and so on. There is a kind of internal integrity to each prelude and each fugue that is not shared with any other. The fertility of imagination and orginality, as well as the depth of feeling and vitality, is what makes these two collections of Preludes and Fugues so endlessly rewarding. The many hours I have spent with them have helped me grow, and even gave me a desire to grow in ways I did not expect, helped me make sense of a lot of other music, improved my understanding of keyboard techniques and fingering, consoled my sorrows and brought me great joy. It was probably the most enjoyable and fruitful work I ever did. And I am not done.
That is a great question....at first consideration, I would agree with your answer and say that each is unique. However, I do notice similarities between some preludes and fugues of the same key, for example both A minor fugues seem to be quite aggressive, while both F# major preludes are peaceful, written in precise 2-part counterpoint. A topic I need to explore more!
Let us indeed celebrate the amazing fertility, creativity, & ingenuity of the Human Musical mind, and not reach for the twisted old wooden crutch of supernatural beings in the Sky having some mumbo-jumbo agency over our lives! Yes, I realise Bach was motivated by the Divine!
Epic effort! I’ve learnt a few but not all of them. Learning Bach is awesome for jazz piano. Good for technique, counter melodies, balancing of voices, harmony… the list is endless!
Thanks a lot! You're absolutely right. Brad Meldhau and Keith Jarret are two pianists who immediately spring to mind as strongly influenced by Bach
The reasons you give for embarking on this grand project articulate the reasons why I have dedicated ten years to learning Bach's music on the guitar. Thank you. It's a never ending voyage of wonder and discovery.❤❤❤
Wow, 10 years is a serious commitment. What repertoire have you been working on?
Thank you for a very interesting and thoughtful video. Sounds like a wonderful project, and judging by your recordings, you played these pieces to a very good standard. I play a lot of these pieces in a very imperfect way, but still have plenty I haven't even attempted to learn (eg A minor fugue, Bk 1) - lots to look forward to!
Truly a life's work to get into all the nooks and crannies of these pieces, and even several lives may not be long enough. When I stop and think about that statement, and also remember all the other masterpieces that Bach produced (including a glorious weekly cantata in amongst all his other duties), I can hardly comprehend how all this came out of the mind of one person. I guess that's Bach infinite genius!
Thanks again!
Thanks for your comment! One of my favourite quotes from Bach himself is: 'I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well.' Something I've tried to apply to my own life!
Fascinating video! I have been studying and practising the Well Tempered Clavier (mainly Book I, and more recently some of Book II) for the last 10 years or so. I really related to the insights and observations in this video, which are similar to my own in many respects. The WTC is truly a work of infinite depth, full of new discoveries to be made. I feel that I have made a lot of progress with some of the preludes and fugues, in terms of technique and interpretation, but learning the whole collection seems like a task that I will never be able to complete. I guess I just need to enjoy the journey!
Yes. I've played them all and yet I feel like I've barely scratched the surface....
Bravo! Looking forward to your playing of Goldberg Variations, Art of Fugue and Musical Offering.
One day 😃
The WTC is my all time favourite piece of music. I never get bored with it and the more I listen and study it the more impressed I get - thanks for this interesting video.
Nice! Do you have any favourite preludes or fugues?
@@Overlearner Well the only one I played and play regularly is the first one in C but to be honest what I find so amazing about the WTC is that I like absolutely every piece in both books - I own probably ten versions on CD and I'm always amazed at the consistent beauty and brilliance of it. And like you I hope one day to play it all.
I'm from Iceland and we have one author who has won the Nobel price in Literature - Halldór Laxness in 1955 - once he was asked what book he would take to the desert island and his answer was "The Well Tempered Clavier".
@@ornleifs would he take a piano with him or just the sheet music haha
@@Overlearner He just meant the book.
@@ornleifs I hope he has good audiation skills in that case
Bowtie looks sharp, thanks for the video
Edit: Having watched the full video now, I found section 4 (bach is full of surprises) extremely insightful as a songwriter. Thanks for this information, it’s quite valuable
Thanks, I appreciate it! When you say you are a songwriter, do you mean to say that the WTC will help you or provide some inspiration in your own creative journey?
Trying to learn them as well . I am on prelude 11 Prelude In D Major really hurts!
Nice! Yes it does lol. Are you learning them sequentially?
“Many people remember that when in 1977 the Voyager spacecraft was launched, opinions were canvassed as to what artefacts would be most appropriate to leave in outer space as a signal of man's cultural achievements on earth. The American astronomer Carl Sagan proposed that 'if we are to convey something of what humans are about then music has to be a part of it.' To Sagan's request for suggestions, the eminent biologist Lewis Thomas answered, 'I would send the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.' After a pause, he added, 'But that would be boasting.”
― John Eliot Gardiner, Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven
Great book, great quote, great conductor!
They did however put 3 Bach pieces on the Golden Record which is actually on the Voyager in Space in case aliens find them ever :) One of the pieces is in fact Prelude no 1 in C from WTC1!
Amazing video and achievement. Thanks so much for sharing. Really interesting insights and I particularly enjoyed the conclusion. If this music is the universe (or something similarly extraordinary) then it will indeed last well beyond all of us. Just a joy to hear your love and enthusiasm come through.
Thank you, it is amazing to hear from other Bach lovers such as yourself.
Bach has his Big Four:
1) The Well-Tempered Clavier
2) Goldberg Variations
3) Musical Offering
4) The Art of the Fugue
These Big Four are the Well of Everlasting Youth of musical creation!
Yes! I've mucked around with the other three, they are amazing compositions. One day I would like to learn and record the entire Die Kunst der Fuge.
For keyboard? Maybe.
For all instruments? Hell no, bach hsd many, many greater pieces.
@@marcossidoruk8033 not even just for keyboard; since there'd have to be an organ work in there. These seem like just things that can be adapted to be playable on modern piano.
@@marcossidoruk8033 incorrect
*For pianists
The sonatas and partitas for solo violin, suites for solo cello, various organ books, Brandenburg concertos, massive collection of cantatas (well more than 48 of them!), the chorales and of course the mass in B minor are all part of the "holy scriptures" of classical music, so to say
The A minor fugue from part one is a riot, just when you think you have got the hang of Bach, he kicks your head in lol. Love it.
😂😂😂 can confirm
14:11 Great images! The bees, the lonely traveler, the pipe smoker, the wedding day, the battle. Fantastic! Please make more of these!
ChatGPT here we come lol
I really liked the video! I've seen lots of tutorials or analysis videos, but rarely I find videos about the joy of learning the music and about personal insights and opinions on the music at the same time that the music itself is shown. I would love to know more about the things you liked and find personally interesting about the well tempered clavier and Bach's works in general
There are so many Bach-related topics I could talk about....the question is, which topics should I do first!
Puisque que vous parlez si bien français, je me permets de vous écrire dans cette langue qui est ma langue maternelle. Je viens tout juste de découvrir votre chaîne et j’en suis enchanté. J’ai écouté votre merveilleux commentaire du Clavier bien tempéré, une œuvre qui m’est très chère. Tout ce que vous en dites est remarquablement juste, intéressant et recoupe ma propre expérience. Je n’ai pas eu, comme vous, la détermination de l’étudier entièrement mais ce que j’ai appris m’a mûri musicalement. Chose certaine, vous n’avez pas perdu votre temps. Si l’on me demandait de choisir une œuvre à emporter au paradis, si cela était possible, ce serait sûrement celle-là! J’aurais alors l’éternité pour l’apprendre et je suis sûr que je ne m’en lasserais jamais.
Merci pour votre commentaire très bienveillant
Fantastic quality content, Sir! 👌
Bach improves literally everything and everyone!
Indeed he does. Thanks for your comment!
one time i sat down with a new piano instructor and asked "how long would it take for you to learn Bach's tempered clavier?" Got a facepalm reaction from that one
Hahahahaha
Lovely video! Thanks for sharing your journey with us! ❤️
I completely relate to your description of the music getting more enigmatic as you get to know it! I almost can’t believe music like this actually exists.
It's amazing isn't it....I wish Bach was alive now so we could study his brain 🧠🤣
Bach is always worth it!
I’m a big fan of Bach’s music and I’m trying to learn all of preludes and fugues too. This video inspired me a lot!!!
I'm very happy to hear that
That's what I aim for as well. Well done!
Great to hear, keep me updated with your progress!
it’s crazy because i was looking for a video like this about learning the entire WTC two weeks ago…. you answered my wishes lol
Are you going to learn it? Let me know how it goes, if you do!
@@Overlearner would like to for harpsichord if the conservatory has a spot
Thank you for this very useful video. Your words pushed me to initiate this long journey through the well tempered clavier.
Thank you, I am very happy to hear that. Please let me know about your progress!
I want to do this too! Beethoven, Bulow, Shostakovich, Gould, Schiff, and you as well, have all done it, and I want in on it.
You won't regret it if you do
@@Overlearner
I don’t see why I’d regret it. Any tips?
@@happypiano4810 I just mean to say, that the time and effort required is 100% worth it 😃
I think a good tip, if you are just starting this project, is to learn one prelude and fugue of a moderate/hard difficulty and see how long it takes you. From there, you can estimate how long it will take to learn the other 47 preludes and fugues. This will allow you to make a plan and a schedule for x number of months/years. It's a big project, so you need to have a realistic idea of how long it will take.
In old piano italian conservatorio's official exams you were obliged to play 12 preludes and fugues from First and also 12 from the Second One at eight year's exams called "compimento medio" (middle period end exam).
eh si! Io me li sono fatti per l'esame dell'ottavo anno al conservatorio. Un livello molto alto in italia!
Molto interessante.....that is half the Well Tempered Clavier!
Il nuovo ordinamento è stato una tragedia immane per tutti gli studenti. Spero in un ministero che se ne renda conto.
Bravo! Thank you for this extreme generosity of your heart extended to us here as it is reflecting your amazing labor of love … Bach is certainly a flowering of human creativity and the love of Creation
Thank you, you are too kind....I think it's impossible to listen to Bach without somehow becoming a better person
Well done.👏
But don't forget that all the music should serve a single purpose. To find out why the music was written, you have to look up who the composer dedicated all his works to.
P&F in c minor bkI always reminded me not of bees, but a steam locomotive, particularly, looking at the wheels/joining rods.
Yes! It's sometimes given me an image of the Empire state building being built. It makes me think of industriousness, busyness, activity.
I stopped piano for a few years but it was Bach's first Goldberg variation that made me want to return to it. Ironic since I hated hated Bach as a kid.
If I live long enough to master WTC, then maybe I'll "graduate" to Goldberg. Don't be holding your breath though, at 72, I may never "master" WTC!
@@kendebusk2540honestly it's easier to master Goldberg than the complete WTC
@@fridericusrex9812 I would never have imagined that to be true, but since I haven't played either one, I must believe you :)
I really admire you. I'm not a musician but managed to learn to play first prelude :)
Then you *are* a musician.
23:12’ it is fugue of F# minor … beautifully deep subject … this is the 1st prelude & fugue I learnt 30 years ago.
Yes I facepalmed when I saw this.....this happens when you copy and paste too much 🤦♂
It is said that Beethoven knew the whole Well-tempered clavier by heart.
You are in good company.
Impressive if true!
@@Overlearner A funny thing is that Wilheim Backhaus was taught by Eugene D’Albert, who was taught by Liszt, who in turn was taught by Czerny, who was of course taught by Beethoven himself how he liked to play the WTC.
In this very rare recording he shows a brief window to the past brought to life by knowledge and dedication to music.
The full documentary can be watched on TH-cam: The art of Piano (1999 documentary) and Backhaus playing the first prelude in C major of the WTC as instructed by those great minds is at 01:07:22.
Wilhelm Kempff memorized the Well Tempered Clavier at age 13 and could play each piece in any key asked!!!
What!!
Source ?
Great pianists of the 20th century cd. “at nine at his admission exam for the Berlin Hochschule he could transpose any of the preludes and fugues of the Well tempered Clavier into any key by heart. “. So I was wrong he wasn’t thirteen he was nine.
Kempff even makes Gould look like a schoolboy... and I love Gould!
@@jaikee9477 Zi sa moara ma-ta care te-a facut prost ;-). So...nobody on the internet can appreciate that Gould cand sound like a schoolboy and etc ...now if this not a proof that freedom of expression should not be given to stupid ...I don't know what IT IS . oK. History will consider your golden opinion and etc . Happy nos /;-)))?
What "efficient techniques for learning new music" were used? As an offering I to offer have for the tempered clavier; Frederich Gulda.
Let me think about that topic and make a proper video on it lol
6th point proves that he is the goat!! The more you study the less you know!! Haha well done and I don’t think I will ever aim to play all but maybe I should put aside more time to learn more of it…
Thank you! It really is like that. One lifetime is not enough....
This is a great video! Hope to see more
Thank you
Thank you for the video and the explanations. It is not rare I listen to the complete volumes. As an adult amateur pianist, I am only keeping the D# minor Book II alive. It is beautifully structured and challenging enough for the memory and fingers. See the mirrors of the subject both hand at the very end … very neat conclusion.
I love that prelude - such interesting rhythms and melodic contours!
Congrats !
I've only done 6 deeply, some other I've analyzed and others I've sight read without studying them. It's like learning a language: at first you understand nothing, then you learn the vocabulary, the grammar, the syntax, the slang! Reading a fugue is not as traumatic as before for me!
I'd like to do them all eventually, all my teachers have done so, but there are so many other things to learn, too. I think I would burn out by only doing Bach for 2 years. 3 P&F a year with other periods and composer in between sounds better for me
Non-pianists don't understand the cognitive demands of learning a fugue - it's truly a musical challenge unlike any other
Really good video and an amazing achievement Thank you for the insights
Thank you, I appreciate it
amazing video!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it
From the countless masterpieces of the WTC i think the most profound moment is the Prelude in A minor in the second book. This chromatic piece is so weird and enigmatic!
I've always loved that one, particularly the second half of the prelude. It just gets even crazier the first half.
2 weeks for 1 prelude and fugue is wild!
Depends which one(s) you're talking about haha
Interesting that YT alerted me to this. I have been translating the whole WTC into Express Stave Pianoforte Notation, and learning them from this, at my age of 75 and with lymphoma. Not memorising, unless it happens along the way. i compare sight reading in ES with traditional notation (TN). I find it takes much longer to learn most single P&F than one week, and I want to get the the stage where I can sight read any of them okay from notation. The jury is still out about my notation invention. The impetus at the start was my frustration with so many key signatures, accidentals, etc also legerlines, although in Bach the range is less, so legerlines are not such a problem. But i can now also see the usefulness of keysignatures in simplifying the look of melodic lines as long as you are very familiar with the particular scale. My students who havent yet learnt advanced keys can play Moonlight Sonata in ES for example and say its easier.
That sounds like an absolutely enormous undertaking. I just watched some of your videos, it seems like there are no key signatures but black and white notes are notated differently. Very interesting. Sorry to hear about the lymphoma.
I have only played 12 of these preludes and fugues, though from memory.
That is impressive!
While listening to the G minor excerpts I was immediately repulsed by the fast versions. Gould invites reflection but is very idiosyncratic. To me, this prelude is wistful...searching, and a slower tempo is best. I do a crescendo and decrescendo in two of the trill sections and "notes inégales" in the melody. I have a harpsichord and find that the piano is better suited to some of the variations, this one in particular. The G minor from Book II on the other hand sounds better on the harpsichord.
Bravo for having attempted this project. I stand in awe...
Thanks for your thoughts, those fast tempos are certainly not for everyone.
I’ll add that some of it sounds like organ music to me. Bach doesn’t specify any particular keyboard instrument for these books (I think the only time he *ever* specifies what to use is with his organ music).
There’s apparently a recording of WTC out there where the pianist felt that way and had the piano tuned or regulated differently for the “organ” pieces and the “harpsichord” pieces, and so on.
It’s probably an idiosyncratic view, but I generally dislike the piano being employed to play music intended for other instruments. Of course it can be argued that Bach would have embraced the modern piano but the fact remains that he composed with the instruments he knew in mind, allowing for their strengths and limitations. To hear the work as Bach heard it in his own head is to feel even nearer to his genius. This takes nothing away from your own achievement in taking on this challenge.
A very interesting and useful overview
Much appreciated
I pray for my fellow ADHD pianists who find learning fugues very exhausting.
yeah, an excellent summary and analysis here. great stuff !
Thank you!
JS Bach is the Everest of music.
It's interesting, whenever I learn new repetoire, Beethoven, Chopin, Ligeti, whatever it might be, i always find myself coming back to the WTC in between other projects. It feels like a musical foundation for everything else.
I am practicing first tome right now, trying in public by 6 as a time, then next month 12, then maybe much later the 24. The core problem is memory and concentration challenge, playing with score for me is out of question, that's missing most of hidden things, structure, contrasts, atmosphere, understanding of how is composed. Good luck.
Uff, I'm a pianist at age 45. I've been meaning to finally learn this work for 20 years. I might just have to do it now, before I find myself a senior citizen who doesn't know the WTK;)
I hope you do - let me know about your progress!
@@Overlearner I'm studying the score, doing analyses, and listening to recordings right now!
Chopin revered Bach and religiously warmed up with Bach inventions and WTC. If one of the greatest composers and pianists of all time considered WTC as great way to improve technique maybe we should pay attention. As you said, WTC is a great way of improving technique without grind scales and arpeggions
I think one very underrated aspect of Chopin's compositons is his harmonic mastery - the complexity and richness of his chord choices, and his effortless movement between various keys etc. I wonder how much of that was the result of studying Bach
@@Overlearner yes. His first works are highly influenced by Mozart's operas lyricism as well as Bach harmony but it is on Chopin's late works where you can seen Bach's counterpoint combined with all the above (4th Ballade, Third Sonata Barcarolle...)
Great video !!! Thank you.
I find the third P&F from the first book among the most difficult.
Certainly a job to read that many sharps
Yes, the fugue is not easy
@@Overlearner I've been working hard on this fugue lately! Also just wanted to say I agree completely with your conclusions about the benefits of studying the WTC.
Great video and particularly appreciated the AI images matching the evocative pieces!
Thank you! I'm also interested to know how other people including yourself interpret and experience these pieces
@@Overlearner Will give it some thought next time I play them ! :)
nice! I’m a violinist, and same story.. many I have played, and many I haven’t touched. So decided to learn all of them (Sonatas and Partitas) - I’m 6 months into it, heading toward end now. Really enjoyed this one, I wish I can play piano better to play these ones...but, not everyone is Bach I guess 😂 please continue with your videos, I also learned a language - German in a year and it seems like we have many subjects in common 👌👌
Amazing! I know much of his solo violin music but I'm more familiar with his solo cello music. I definitely need to listen to it more 😃
Bravo for this video!😁
Bravo on getting all NINETY-SIX movements in this masterpiece done! Did you notice the last fugue in Book One is a tone row?
I've done all of that volume with a great deal of MIDI sequencing. Love the Richter recording because he pedals freely -- sheer heresy to purists (who shouldn't be using modern pianos).
Thank you! Actually I did notice that - in fact I mention it at 24:06. I too love the Richter recording...
When you say you've used MIDI sequencing, what exacty do you mean?
@@Overlearner I use a program called Cakewalk Sonar 7 to input a piece on computer, then I fix wrong notes in the resulting track and make any other adjustments, and the computer plays my perfected interpretation "live" on any keyboard equipped for it (many many).
It may sound like cheating, but it's eliminated most practicing and helps me plow through vastly more repertoire than I used to. (Bringing forth the buried treasures of repertoire is my mission.) If i want to repeat a piece I just open and run its MIDI track -- will be able to do this long after my fingers and feet no longer work. A fascinating adventure -- would be happy to coach you.
I see I was wrong -- that fugue isn't a tone row (notes are repeated in the subject) but close enough to be truly remarkable.
30:41 From what I remember hearing, I believe that Bach did not write music merely for music’s sake or instruction but ultimately for the glorification of God and the soothing of men’s spirits.
Whats the name or either the BWV from the piece thats played at 2:38 ? I got hooked from the first bar :)
Prelude No. 9 in E major BWV 854
@@juliusgdsk Thanks for the answer will look if theres some kind of guitar notes for this beautiful piece.
Memorizing gets to the heart of knowledge.
There's comes a point where sightreading becomes an involuntary action of the body. There are those who play professionally that can dream of anything BUT music while their fingers mind the store. It can be a curse.
Memorizing is the only way to the heart.
Richter lo tocó de memoria por una temporada. Posteriormente dejó de hacerlo y recomendaba no memorizar música ya que se gastaba mucho tiempo y energía que era mejor emplearlos en seguir leyendo más música
I have heard that in certain piano schools, they were taught to memorise each individual voice of the fugue, away from the piano. I've never done that, but I imagine it would give you a very strong understanding of the musical architecture in question
Number of sharps or flats at key signature never was even a slight limitation for me. I am surprised why such an experienced musician even mentions it.
Thank you for this video. Very interesting, motivating, contains lots of information, discovery. It's not something we've known all along.
I know you want to be accurate, but i actually Prefer them played slower 4:01 when i have a moment to fully appreciate the music. Just sayin
Amazing video!
I’m currently learning 2 preludes and fugues from Bach and 2 from Shostakovich amazing set. I wondered if you could make a video about how you approached learning a new prelude fugue over and over. Especially the fugue takes ages for me, because as you mentioned the fingering must be so incredibly intricate.
For Bach I find 5 different editors like Busoni, Schiff, Czerny and so on to compare there fingerings and frasing, then I spend around 2-3 days (approximately 3 hours per day) on just writing fingerings and frasings, then I go on and use another 2-3 days first learning the fugue slowly with metronome and thereafter 1-2 days building up to near full tempo. And first thereafter I take it to a teacher and start going in depth with it.
I wonder if you do the same or how you then do it. Thanks for the very interesting video!🎶
That's a great idea for a video. Thanks for your comment!
My good Sir, i wonder if the difficulty is a linear progress, like gradually getting more difficult, when attempting the Well Tempered Klavier books, technique wise 🤔 Or does one have to jump from one number to a different one, like for example, the Chopin etudes ... just because #nr1 starts in a C major, doesnt have to mean it is the easiest piece to start with, and so on 🙂
I found the difficulty level to be quite random....C major book 1 is easy, C minor is hard, C# major is hard, D major is VERY hard etc etc.....but even the 'easy' ones are hard, if you know what I mean
@@Overlearner Yeah ... having gone through the Chopin etudes, i know exactly what you mean ... "Well this one sure sounds easy ... *streches fingers* ... should be doable" 🤪
@@Kivancli79 Ah, the Chopin Etudes....they are a whole other ball game. Have you noticed that Chopin op.10 no.1 is a direct reference to Bach C Major prelude book 1?
I stopped playing the piano at age 18. I'm now 72. I'm about ready to re-start and am wondering if this would be a good project? I did about 10 yrs of lessons until my last teacher told me that if you could put sheet music into a robot (this was 1970) that it would sound like me, that I didn't put my soul into the music but was a masterful technical player. I think I should, but it's possible those comments from over half a century would distract me from at least being able to do it technically. And should I not listen to recordings of it if I do start, just play what's on the page? Comments from anyone welcomed.
Thanks for your comment - I think you should play this music because you really love it. For that reason I would recommend listening to it as much as possible first. I wouldn't let those comments from earlier in your life stop you from learning and playing this wonderful music. I hope that helps
Go for it man! I'm 53 and very regretabbly stopped piano lessons years when I was 13 (I had just heard Van Halen on the radio, begged my folks for a guitar- and the rest was history) , but the yearning to restart learning the piano is so strong in me lately, I very much want to play music from the classical masters and some ragtime/swing. I even have a lovely upright in my home, it's just going to waste right now. I feel it deserves a musical life once again! Cheers and good luck to you!
For what it's worth, a friend of mind started piano again after a 20 year break (age 17-37) and he said it all came back to him much faster than he was expecting
i would start with the 2 and three part Inventions just to warm up the first half year, then go into WTC. Inventions also pristine music good for the brain
@@MDMvision Thanks for the suggestion. I just looked at a few pages of the score and it does look easier (if there's such a thing with Bach), and as you say, to warm up. I know it will probably come back, but starting at a lower level might be the key to success.
Very inspiring. I would love to do this and of course own the 48 but I fear this old bad boy pianist may run out of time with the years it would take
The good project you don't quite finish is better than the perfect project you never start
Loved listening to the Prélude in D, hated having to learn it. Very difficult.
great video!
Thank you!
Insert meme: "congrats. Im happy for you" haha
Maybe one day I might achieve this too(but i doubt, unfortunately).
Also, dont forget about the organ. Many pieces works amazingly at it.
Think of the pedal point at the fugue 1 book 1 coda, for example.
TH-cam has one or two video of WTC played at the organ. Very "ear opening" experience.
My very best regards for you
I used to play the organ haha. At my peak I played the famous Toccata in D minor, and the Fugue. I have heard some WTC played on organ, but not much - this is definitely worth investigating further.
Well done, congratulations on your achievement! And the video is very interesting and instructive! I'm following the same path for more or less the same reasons. At first, I thought of just playing WTC a little, and then quickly move on to romantic composers, but Bach enchanted me and I'm still here, now playing WTC book 2. I'm not a professional musician and I'm much slower than you and I will skip over many of preludes/fugues. On my chanel there are my recordings on digital piano. Also, I played some piano transcriptions of Bach's choral preludes.
Thank you! At the end of the day, it's really about enjoying this amazing music and striving to be the best musician that one can be. Love the chorale preludes!
What's your best practice advice for piano? The best and fastest way to learn repertoire and develop a great technique?🙂
I will be making some in-depth videos on this topic, but if you want a quick answer... the first word that comes to mind is: intention
Before you even touch your hands to the keys, ask yourself....what are you trying to achieve? what is the purpose of this practise session? Which section or sections of a piece will you work on, and how will they be better at the end of the practice session then they were at the beginning?
15 minutes of practice with intention is better than 45 minutes of 'whatever' practice.
Well made video! I just sub to you.
Thank you! It took me a lot of time mucking around with Final Cut Pro haha
Nobody set these crazy tempos - we’re not all Glenn Gould, furthermore playing too fast can make pieces difficult for the audience too, hamper any expressive interpretation in the music. There are huge differences in tempo for the same piece by different pianists.
Very interesting vid..... What's your view of use of pedal with Bach....like schiff says the well tempered is like the old testament of piano music ....and a lifetime experience...the way i play them now so different to past and future ....
At this point in my musical life, I just like to do what sounds good. In this case, it means that I use pedal.
Sorry if that answer is too simple, lol.
Glenn Gould used to have his piano specially adjusted to make it sound more like a harpsichord.
well deserving of a subscribe
Thank you
I love your videos!
Now do art of fugue 😂 well done sir.
One day! And thank you
Amazing project, very well done! It is my dream to learn all 48 Preludes and Fugues. Jess Larsen, a child prodigy from America, memorised and recorded the complete WTC 1 & 2 by the age of 12. Her recordings can be found on TH-cam.
Amazing
10:15 wonderful.
You memorized them as well? When did you move on from each piece to another and why? This is an incredible project, I was once very enthusiastic and tried to learn all the three part sinfonias but then gave up after the no. 5. I still learned from them I think but to learn all is just too much when you have school, job, friends and also a lot of other pieces I'm eager to learn
No, I decided not to memorise them as it would have taken too much time. I have however played three or four of them from memory for AMEB or university exams, over the years.
I moved on once I had learnt the piece to a decent level and recorded a video of it.
Most underrated channel
A week ago I had like 40 subscribers haha. Starting to pick up now