Goldberg Variations

[Antnee]

I would love to learn the Goldberg Variations. It is one of my favorite works by Bach.
However, the technical challenges seem quite great. So I'm going to wait a while...

Has anybody played them? What do you think of them?   

[faulty_damper]

Technical challenges?  Have you played any other Bach?  If you have, then it will be much easier.  If you listen to a lot of contrapuntal music, it will be much easier.

[liszt1022]

I would love to learn the Goldberg Variations. It is one of my favorite works by Bach.
However, the technical challenges seem quite great. So I'm going to wait a while...

Has anybody played them? What do you think of them?   

I'm just learning some of it now... The best score out there in my opinion is a Schirmer score of the variations edited by Kirkpatrick. It has all the hand-crossings written out on a single staff (above the original score) so you can see them clearer, and also has a few of the two-voice textures in the right hand written out in open score above the original text. Very easy to read and it makes the whole thing easier to look at. As a bonus, there is a 20-page study on Baroque ornamentation and the Goldbergs in general. All ornaments in the piece are written out, in a seperate staff than the one with just the notes and the ornament markings. Of course, there are more than one way to play ornaments, but it's a great score nonetheless. The list price is $9.95, so even if you don't plan on playing them soon it's a great buy to follow a recording.

[Antnee]

Technical challenges?  Have you played any other Bach?  If you have, then it will be much easier.  If you listen to a lot of contrapuntal music, it will be much easier.

Hmm.. I read that it is one of Bach's most complicated works and some of the later variations are indeed, judging from the sheet music I've seen. Even though it sounds relativley simple, It indeed isn't. I have looked at some Bach, not a lot, I'll admit, but The Goldberg variations are probably among his toughest especially considering that playing them all takes about an hour... And an hour of Bach isn't easy!!! 

[faulty_damper]

The duration of the piece is irrelevent duration is the time you choose to play it.  It can very well be played in less than half the time if you so choose to do so just like any other piece, though it may not sound very pleasing.

Looks can also be decieving.  Just because there are many notes on the page does not mean it is difficult to play, just to look at.  Contrapuntal music is indeed more difficult to play than much of the repetory as every note counts.

If you haven't played contrapuntal music before, then it will be difficult at first.  Multiple lines may be difficult to discern if your primary repetory has been classical or later styles.  But once you understand it, have learned how to play it, then it will be much easier.

Which performer(s) have you heard play these variations?

[gouldfischer]

Hi, Antnee. (OK, I know this is an old topic...)

I wonder if you succeeded with the Goldbergs. How is it going?

The thing is, I was just thinking about opening a topic about the Goldbergs, but the search returned this one, among others, so... why not bring it back to life instead of complicating matters even more for future Goldberg searchers? :-)

Well, I started to study them 3 months ago and now I can play the Aria and Variations 1 and 2 quite well (indeed!). Now I've just started Variation 3, which is the first canon (already play each voice separately). Man, that's very pleasing to play! I'd like to know if there's anyone currently studying them, so that we could share our difficulties and daily progresses.

Regards,
    Vinicius.

[apion]

The thing is, I was just thinking about opening a topic about the Goldbergs, but the search returned this one, among others, so... why not bring it back to life instead of complicating matters even more for future Goldberg searchers? :-)

Hey, you trixter!  This thread is one year old!

BTW, the Goldberg Variations are extremely difficult to master .... and anyone who deems them to be "easy" is either delusional or incredibly gifted at playing Bach (or both).