Goldberg variations - how have you taught them?

[green]

I have an adult student, 44, a returner after 25 years, studied from 7-18 then stopped. She loves the GV and Bach and would like to go through them with a teacher. I have not in fact played the work, and see this as an enormous undertaking, perhaps we will end up selecting some of the variations, which would you choose, and how would you present the work? I think my advice would be to return to the 2 and 3 part inventions, look at selections from the WTC, english/french suites, what would be your program of entering into Bach?

[jknott]

I would suggest starting your student with WTC before starting on GV.  You can objectively show her GV is very difficult by looking at the Henle grading system - where it's a 9, the hardest level - and can probably compare with things she's already done (look like 6-7 at most).  But Inventions may be a bit easy?

[quantum]

If you are going to go through some preparatory works, WTC for instance, there are sill many elements that can be studied in the Goldberg away from the piano.  Consider discussing its structure, compositional layout, the use of canons, etc.  It may also be a good idea to work out a game plan for tackling the work.  Learning it in chronological order is probably not the most efficient way to go about things.  Choose the first few variations on which to start, and importantly, discuss the decision making with your student.

[g_s_223]

Some of the variations are simple, in 2 or 3 parts, whereas others are extremely complex and involve very challenging issues of hand-crossing if they are to be played on a single keyboard (the original intended instrument being a two-manual harpsichord). Therefore to assign a single level of difficulty to the work is really rather pointless. If student and teacher fully recognize that only certain movements are possible, then I see no reason why GV could not be viable pedagoic material: in fact, since the level of the music is so high, all the more reason to do so. For example, IMO Variation 1 is the finest 2-Part Invention ever written!

Put yourself in the place of the great master JSB himself: I'm sure he would have smiled indulgently and would have been delighted to have a student work on easier movements from his great works.

P.S. The Partitas are also excellent Bach keyboard material for the developing student with a real appetite for Bach. Also consider Handel, who is often handily just that bit easier technically.

[green]

Thanks very much!