Background I discovered Bach thanks to piracy. Back in 2013, as a young teenager, I downloaded a "Top 50 classical music [MP3]" and I discovered the Aria from the Goldberg Variations (played on harpsichord). I was amazed, so decided to download the full "album". I was disappointed (lol), but I got curious on the naming: "BWV 988", what does that mean? I decided to give Bach another chance and I thought "Well, I should listen to BWV 1, the first work (WRONG!)... Damn! The first "track" is so long, and there is so much "stuff" going on! ehm... no, thanks. Oh, look! "Aria (Soprano)", that's a curious name, let's hear it!...Wow..." 7 years later I'm love with Bach more than ever! There is not a single composition I don't enjoy listening to, in the right situation. I've been listening more to Bach in my entire life than any other artist, combined (I'm in my 20s...). During the last 2 years I decided to expand my horizons and, using Bach as a starting point, I discovered other composers, starting with famous ones, ending with smaller, unknown ones. I am so grateful that I've had the chance to cry of joy listening to these composers. It bugs me thinking that if I was born in the wrong period of history, or I did the wrong choices, I wouldn't know a single thing about this! I am so grateful! Piracy As I said, I discovered Bach thanks to piracy. I would not have bought a single Bach CD, especially at that age, without any money. I am not saying that to justify my actions, but that's how I discovered him and I'm so grateful piracy is a thing. Now I can afford to buy CDs, and even if I still pirate, I decided to support the artists I listen to, especially the smaller ones. I feel like I do my part in supporting the artists. Audio (briefly) A digital audio recording is nothing else than a sequence of data (bits), a sequence of 0 and 1 in the simplest form. Let's say when an artist records a piece of music, the data is as follows (I use letters in this example) AAAAABBBCCCCCCCBBAA This digital recording exists in the form of a file: MUSIC.wav Well, the music file is pretty big, I need a big place to store it! What should I do?
some smart guys created a way to make the data smaller, without any quality loss (lossless compression): 5A3B7B2A - we can see the text is shorter but the information is the same. Let's call it MUSIC.flac
well, this MUSIC.flac is still pretty big. I still need a significant amount of space to store that... what if I try to cut off some data to save up (lossy compression) space? 4A2B5B1A. Let's call this MUSIC.mp3. This is how youtube, spotify and others store their music.
Most people wouldn't notice any difference, the rest need a good equipment to hear the difference. But even if you don't notice it first, it doesn't mean it's not there...
Deezer and deemix
Deezer Deezer is "a French online music streaming service" similar to spotify, that let you listen to music or even buy it, in the lossless form too (.flac). The .flac files are bigger, but there is no data loss between the recording and your ears. deemix (https://notabug.org/RemixDev/deemix-pyweb) deemix is an open-source (meaning its code is accessible and free to everyone, also to Deezer Engineers) tool that lets you download music from deezer for free. No bait, no shadows, it's free and open-source, available to everyone. It's just there.
A brief guide to deemix
I won't lie. You should have some familiarity with a terminal, but it's rather easy. It works on Windows, macOS and Linux. I will list here the commands on how to set it up on linux (ubuntu). Register to deezer, free account, login, press F12 on chrome, select "application", open up "cookies", select "http://www.deezer.com", on the right look for "arl", copy and save that long string. This part is covered by the official guide and the video. Now that we have our ARL we can install deemix You can find a brief guide here, I will list the terminal commands (Ubuntu)
sudo su (enter your user password) apt install python3 apt install python3-pip apt install git git clone https://notabug.org/RemixDev/deemix-pyweb.git cd deemix-pyweb git submodule update --init --recursive python3 -m pip install -U -r requirements.txt --user exit python3 server.py
open up the browser and visit "localhost:9666" if you do it from the same machine or visit the local IP of the machine (eg 192.168.1.15:9666) from the browser: go into settings, paste the arl you copied before, and that's pretty much it. The default download directory is "/root/deemix Music" if you run it as root, or "/home/usedeemix Music" if you run it normally. In the settings you can also select the quality you want your music to be downloaded with. Flac is my pick and I suggest you to try it out at least, otherwise you can as well select MP3. Here you can find useful tools that simplify the installation process on windows and macOS. Support the artists.
Interpreting Bach's Goldberg Variations: Performance, Repeats, Tempo, etc.
I'm in the process of creating a MIDI interpretation of J.S. Bach's Aria with Divers Variations, otherwise known as the Goldberg Variations, and I would like to ask this subreddit how they think this work should be interpreted. Here are some questions for consideration:
Which recording of the GV is the best for listening? (Harpsichord preferred, but piano is also acceptable.)
Which recording is best for studying?
Should all the repeats (ABAB), some of the repeats (AAB, ABB), or no repeats (AB) be observed?
Tempo: how fast is too fast? How slow is too slow? Are there certain variations that, with too much or too little speed take away from the GV as a whole? 1
This last question is for harpsichordists: How important is registration for the GV? Does it need to blow the listener's mind, or not take away from the work itself?
I probably left a few questions out, but those are the ones I wanted to discuss.
I made a post a while back talking about interpreting this monumental work, but I want to delve a little deeper and gather this subreddit's thoughts on the GV. The following is a list of 3 topics of interest I've gathered for discussion:
Werner Breig theorized that the original version of the GV consisted of the Aria, the first 24 variations, and the Aria da capo. Considering that the 24th variation is an octave canon, it would complete the pattern of every third variation ending with a canon at increasing intervals. We don't know for sure why Bach added another six variations, or whether this claim is actually true, but it gives much to think about.
The veracity of the Keyserlingk story. According to J.N. Forkel, the work was commissioned by one Count Hermann Carl von Keyserlingk. Keyserlingk, an insomniac employed in his home a young but talented boy named Johann Gottlieb (Theophilus) Goldberg (for whom the epithet of this work is named) to play the harpsichord at night to help him drift off to sleep. Keyserlingk loved the work so much, that he rewarded Bach with a golden goblet and 100 Louis d'or. The story is more-or-less accepted to be dubious, but that raises the question of the work's true origins.
The variations are undoubtedly Bach, but what about the Aria? As far as we are concerned, the Aria was composed nearly two decades (at least) before the variations, appearing in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach in 1725. Several works in that collection, including the Minuet in G and the aria Bist du bei mir are the works of other composers. It's possible according to some that the Aria is another composer's work. One musicologist even theorized that Anna Magdalena herself composed the Aria, but his claim has been almost universally rejected by Bach scholars.
Piece of the Week #17 - Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations
This week's featured piece is Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, as nominated by Whoosierandnonnein Performances:
Here's a Spotify playlist with 30 different versions of the work, with performers including: Trevor Pinnock, Pierre Hantaï, Christophe Rousset, Gustav Leonhardt, András Schiff, Glenn Gould (both the 1955 and 1981 versions), Murray Perahia, Daniel Barenboim, Wilhelm Kempff, Tatiana Nikolayeva and many more. As you might be able to tell from this list, I have included performances on both harpsichord and piano. In addition to this, I have also included a number of performances arranged for other instruments, including: organ, viols, woodwinds, chamber orchestra, guitar, harp, accordion, two pianos and string trio. Obviously there are many other recordings of this work, but 30 seemed like an appropriate number.
Discussion points: Piece of the Week is intended to be a forum for discussion, but for whatever reason, comments about the featured piece have been few and far between over the last few weeks. To remedy this, I thought it might be a good idea to have a few discussion points to start us off. Here are a few suggestions:
Why is this piece so famous? What's so great about it?
Is there a "right" instrument on which to play this piece? Why/why not?
Which recordings are your favourites and why?
Am I the only person who really, really hates Glenn Gould?
If you do like Glenn Gould, which of his two recordings do you prefer, and why?
Which are your favourite variations from the set, and why?
Does anyone still believe the story about Count Kaiserling's insomnia?
Did Bach borrow the bassline for the aria from a work by Handel?
How much influence do you think this work have on later sets of variations?
What possible reason could Bach have had to produce a work of this type, and on such a large scale?
Mozart - 10 Variations in G on a theme by Gluck KV455
Mendelssohn - Variations sérieuses
Rzewski - The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
Shostakovich - 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87
Want to nominate a future Piece of the Week? I'm changing the nomination system this week. If you want to nominate a piece, please leave a comment with the composer's name and the title of the piece in this nomination thread. I will then choose the next Piece of the Week from amongst these nominations. You may only nominate one piece per week, and it must be a complete piece, rather than a single movement. A list of previous Pieces of the Week can be found here. Enjoy listening and discussing!
What are some of your favorite stories and/or history regarding pieces in piano repertoire?
As a pianist/history buff, I find inspiration when I'm learning a piece and I know the history of the piece or maybe the story behind it. I have also found that when I play a piece publicly and I share the story before, it really captures the listeners attention. I think it helps draw people in and gives them a connection to the music in a way. A quick example I guess is Bach's Goldberg Variation (which I'm learning the Aria right now) written for a musician named Goldberg who was employed for a Russian Count (royalty) The Count was ill and suffering from weeks and months of insomnia and they traveled to see Bach and commissioned him to compose these Variations to be played throughout the night during the Russians sleepless nights. Now when I play the piece I imagine what it must have been like hearing it reverberating off the stone walls of the castle, up and down the corridors. The sight of Goldberg sitting alone at the Harpsichord under candlelight. Etc. What are some good stories behind some of your favorite piano repertoire? Please share.
Overtures/Ballet Music/Orchestral Suites from Operas, particularly Les Indes Galantes, Naïs, Zoroastre, Les Boréades, Hippolyte et Aricie, La naissance d'Osiris, Anacréon, Daphnis et Egle, Platée, Pygmalion, Dardanus
Published in 1741, Bach's incredible piece for harpsichord consists of 30 different variations on the same theme. What are the Goldberg Variations? The work itself consists of 30 variations, starting with a single 'Aria'. After transforming the music over the course of an hour, using different time signatures, textures, and harmonies, the Hörprobe Track 16: Goldberg Variations, Bwv 988: Aria Da Capo (Arr. For Violin, String Orchestra And Harpsichord By Andreas N. Tarkmann) Goldberg Variations, Bwv 988: Aria Da Capo (Arr. For Violin, String Orchestra And Harpsichord By Andreas N. Tarkmann) Goldberg Variations Instrument Harpsichord Genre harpsichord works Serie Clavier-Übung I, II, IV, Klavierbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach Year 1741 (publication) City Leipzig First performance 1741? Special notes The Aria already appears in the Klavierbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach (1725). The complete aria with variations was published in 1741. Bach s own copy of the publication BACH Goldberg Variations, BWV 988. 14 Canons on the Ground from the Goldberg Variations, BWV 1087 • Richard Egarr (hpd) • HARMONIA MUNDI 907425/26 (2 CDs: 99:16) Bach’s Aria with 30 Variations for Two Manuals, fondly known as the Goldberg Variations, has enjoyed many distinguished recordings on harpsichord, going back to Wanda Landowska’s 1933 pioneering effort recorded Read more in Goldberg Variations: Publication The Goldberg variations were first published in 1741, when Bach about 56 years old (in the last decade of his life). They’re named as such because a man named Johann Goldberg, a super skilled keyboardist, was likely the first one to perform it. The Goldberg Variations were originally written for harpsichord. In 1741, Johann Sebastian Bach published a complex, intricate, and mesmerizing keyboard piece that would become known as the Goldberg Variations. Named after one of Bach’s pupils, who is purported to have played the variations to lull his noble employer to sleep, the Goldberg Variations begins with a simple, delicately ornamented aria that inspires thirty inventive melodic, harmonic, and contrapuntal variations . To sum up this long (but satisfying) comparison on the Harpsichord and choosing my top 3 best recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on the Harpsichord, I arrive at three lasting versions. I feel that Richard Egarr plays as if a life experience is incorporated in his playing, without losing any of the freshness and wonderment from this major piece of art. Open Goldberg Variations. Recorded in Teldex Studio, Berlin, 2012. Bösendorfer 290 Imperial. Anne-Marie Sylvestre, Producer Purchase: Javascript is required for this feature. Aria, Variations 1-19 * #114169 - 10.72MB - 20:18- 0.0/10 2 4 6 8 10 (-) - !N /!N /!N - 11043×⇩ - OGG - KGill. OGG file (audio) KGill (2011/8/19) Variations 20-30, Aria da capo * #114170 - 8.22MB - 15:23- 0.0/10 2 4 6 Bach: Goldberg Variations George Malcolm (harpsichord) Flaunting a flair for registration that sounds like Stokowski loosed on the harpsichord, George Malcolm’s groundbreaking Goldbergs belatedly make it to CD: clear-sighted, sometimes unyielding. Listen to Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord * Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue by Christiane Jaccottet on Apple Music. Stream songs including "Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No. 1-30, Air and Variations - Aria-Variatio 1 a 1 Clav.", "Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: No. 1-30, Air and Variations - Variatio 2 a 1 Clav." and more.
J S Bach: Goldberg Variations BWV 988. Aria da capo. Robert Hill, harpsichord 18.10.14 Download Kimiko's music (mp3, aif, wav, flac): https://kimikoishizaka.bandcamp.com/album/j-s-bach-open-goldberg-variations-bwv-988-pianoJoin Kimiko's Mailing... J.S Bach's Aria from "Goldberg variations". BWV 988 Played by Gary Cooper on the harpsichord. (The video belongs to the BBC) The story of the aria: During Ba... The legend surrounding the 'Goldberg Variations', performed here by Jean Rondeau for All of Bach, is such a nice one. Count Hermann Karl von Keyserlinck was ... Glenn Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations 5:02 Variatio 1. a 1 Clav. 7:09 Variatio 2. a 1 Clav. 8:45 Variatio 3. a 1 Clav. Canone all'Unisono 10:45 Variatio 4. a 1 Clav. 11:56 Variatio 5. a 1 ô vero ... The Aria from Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations", as performed by Glenn Gould. J.S.Bach - Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, Anna Kislitsyna (harpsichord).The concert/recording was made at Temple University - Boyer College and Dance.More inf... The great harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï plays Goldberg Variations in G major BWV 988 (published as Clavier-Übung IV, 1741) on an original harpsichord in Villa...