Johann Sebastian Bach
The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1
About Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1
Each of the two volumes of the Well-tempered Clavier contains one prelude and one fugue in every major and minor key. Often called “the 48”, or the “Old Testament” of piano music (the new being Beethoven’s sonatas) it is perhaps the most important keyboard work of all time, and something that every pianist and every composer must tackle in one way or another – Chopin’s obvious allusion to the C major prelude BWV 846 in his Study Op. 10 no 1 is but one illustration of this.
The preludes are very varied in style and often deal with a specific technical feature, while the fugues are remarkable for their wide range of contrapuntal techniques and modes of expression.
The title suggests that Bach intended a well-tempered tuning system which gives a single instrument the ability to play in all 24 keys.
The opposing system in Bach´s day was meantone temperament in which keys with many accidentals sound out of tune.
Forum posts about the The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach - Prelude C min BWV 847 WTC1 Pianoteq by carmelopaolucci
Dear friends, I get back to studying and playing piano after a long break. And I decided to start again with Bach, WTC 1, I don't know ...
books analyzing Bach by psipsi8
Can anybody recommend a good book which analyzes say, the WTC, one-by-one, which one can refer to in order to improve their insight and inte...
Bach pieces for auditions by alessia
Hello guys I need your help asap! I have an audition next September and i have to choose pieces as well as Bach ones! I am so desperate beca...
Time Travelling by alcyone
When I read an account given by one of JS Bach's students, that he had a heavenly time one day, in a lesson, when Bach wasn't in a m...
Bach - Best Prelude and Fugue? by liszt-and-the-galops
Which of Bach's Prelude and Fugues do you like the most?...
Bach WTC1 vs WTC2 by iamdopeuarenope
Hi, I've been thinking about purchasing one of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier books, but since they're quite expensive (Henle), I ...
Exam Repertoire by ragaih
Hi! Next year im taking entrance exam in Academy of Music and I have to prepare my repertoire. 1. Prelude and Fugue from Bach's The Wel...
Favorite Bach prelude and fugue by sonata_5
What is your favorite Bach pair of pieces with a fugue and an introductory piece? It has to be from the pair and it can be from the wtc, the...
What to learn after Prelude and Fugue in c minor in Bach's WTC? by doubleconcerto
I learned both over the summer and felt like I played them at a satisfactory level. What piece in the WTC would be a logical next step from ...
What's your favorite Bach Prelude & Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier? by lelle
I recently dusted off my Well-Tempered Clavier books. Last time I remember touching these pieces was during the first few months of the pand...
Unpopular Opinion by imnotapianist
From my experience, playing Bach is harder than playing Liszt. The transcendental etudes are hard but thinking in 4-5 independent voices in ...
Pieces without Teacher by rtheunissen
Dear people, For the coming 6 weeks or so my teacher is on vacation and he allowed me to learn some pieces on my own for fun during this ti...
Help with repertoire by alux9
Hi guys, i haven't been playing classical music for like 2 years but i still have the tecnical aspect with me and I would like some sugg...
College Audition Repitoire Selection by charles-piano
Hi everyone, I am working on selecting pieces for my college audition. I have over six months to prepare. The requirements are: Bach Prelud...
Which pieces do you think are the bare minimum to play to master the instrument? by anacrusis
Hey y'all, this is a half serious question that I thought could be fun to speculate around. I'm thinking a bit about which pieces yo...