Programme Notes

[jehangircama]

Hi
I have to prepare programme notes for my ATCL. Which books/sites would you recommend for me to read through. My pieces are :
Bach WTC Bk1 Prelude and Fugue in C sharp BWV 848
Beethoven Sonata No.14 "Moonlight"
Brahms Intermezzo in A op 118 no.2
Chopin Fantasie Impromptu op 66
Thanks
Jehangir

[amelialw]

you can go to this website www.answers.com and read up on these pieces

[ramseytheii]

Hi
I have to prepare programme notes for my ATCL. Which books/sites would you recommend for me to read through. My pieces are :
Bach WTC Bk1 Prelude and Fugue in C sharp BWV 848
Beethoven Sonata No.14 "Moonlight"
Brahms Intermezzo in A op 118 no.2
Chopin Fantasie Impromptu op 66
Thanks
Jehangir

For the Beethoven, read Tovey's "A Companion To Beethoven's Pianoforte Sonatas,"
https://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/058769/details.html
You can also buy individual sonata editions with Tovey's analysis of each printed in the front.  I have op.109-111, op.2 no.2, and some others.  They are all fascinating, and contain polemics as well as analysis.

For the Bach, you will want to read "Interpreting Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier" by Ralph Kirkpatrick.

For the Brahms and Chopin, you may just want to give personal comments.

Walter Ramsey

[allthumbs]

Here are the liner notes for Moonlight Sonata from Robert Silverman's boxed set.

Used by permission.

Cheers

allthumbs

[jehangircama]

Thanks a lot for the replies.
I've seen the Tovey but somehow couldn't work out how to use it for such notes, there wasn't much on the character of the piece, for this particular sonata (for other sonatas there was quite a lot).
I'll look for the Kirkpatrick book, thanks. Would it be useful to look at Groves?
jehangir

[jehangircama]

I've found the books "Analysis of Bach's 48 Preludes and Fugues" by Frederick Tliffe. Is this a good book for the purpose and is it an accepted authority on the 48? Any feedback on it would be appreciated. Thanks
JC

[pianistimo]

also, you could try going to the periodical section of the library and looking up articles on those particular pieces.  often times you get more precise material in journals and reference books.  i used to be kinda biased and only want up-to-date material - but i found that some of the old stuff is quite interesting and some info is lost over time and interesting to find.  especially when you read about a certain performance (heard by someone else who lived at the same time as the composer/performer) and specifics about what they did.  maybe a combo of new/old materials and then write your programme.

you don't want a programme that looks like someone else's.  which i don't think you are aiming for anyways.   i don't like 'standard' programs.