Anything by Bach to help with grand arpeggios

[richardb]

Those arpeggios that cover several octaves in say, Chopin's 10/1 (Waterfall) or 25/12 (Ocean) etude sound so cool.  Someday I'd like to play such a piece.  I've read discussions here about how Czerny (specifically op.740) may or may not be good preparation for the Chopin etudes. Some say yes, Czerny helps. Others say no, don't waste your time, just play Bach and Scarlatti. 

I'm undecided on this.  I've noticed there are a lot of etudes by Czerny (and other etude composers) to develop facility in grand arpeggios. These Czerny studies do somewhat resemble the Waterfall or Ocean etude. I like these studies.  On the other hand, I also really really like the music of Bach and Scarlatti.

So my question is this:  Are there any pieces by Bach or Scarlatti that feature grand arpeggios? 

Or, without restricting to Bach and Scarlatti, what are some other real pieces of music (= not studies) that feature these grand arpeggios?

[chopinlover01]

I haven't encountered any in the music I've played. You should also keep in mind that no baroque music can cover the span that 10/1 or 25/12 does, because they had the smaller 61 key harpsichord then.
Czerny will help, yes. But simple arpeggios can be transformed into whatever exercise you want.

[iansinclair]

You may occasionally find a few arpeggio like passages, but they would be short -- not the great sweeping things you are thinking of -- as they would be part of a voice line.  Keep in mind that the music of that era was not organised in terms of harmonic structure, like classical and later romantic music, but in terms of coherent -- often singable -- voices.

And to, as Chopinlover01 notes, the compass of the keyboard was 61 notes, not 88 -- further limiting the options, even had the composers been inclined to use them.

[j_menz]

I'm struggling to think of anything by Bach that fits the bill, and I'm not familiar enough with Scarlatti.

Chopin's 10/1 was based on Bach's Prelude in C from WTC1, though the differences are considerable. Some Bach Fantasias might be adaptable.

Or you could try Handel. As I recall a number of the Preludes in his keyboard suites have extended arpeggio figures - for example in this one (pdf).

They're not the same sort of technique as the Chopin, largely because these were early romantic developments in technique, but they're rather more pleasant than Czerny studies.

[richardb]

Thank you chopinlover01, iansinclair, and j_menz.  Very interesting to learn about the smaller baroque keyboard, and the differences between the baroque and classical and romantic compositions.  I remember playing the Bach Fantasia in C minor when I was younger. It starts with a descending c minor arpeggio that spans two octaves if I recall correctly. That's probably about the closest I'll get to what I'm looking for.  I think I'll play that, and maybe some of the arpeggio studies that I like.  I play mainly just for my own enjoyment.

 

[diomedes]

Want big Bach arpeggios? Look no further : adaptation/transcription by Sorabji Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue.

In all seriousness, you won't find anything that you're looking for in Bach or Scarletti (generally). The Handel is a good suggestion, but has a similar sound, not similar pianistic approach. Probably the closest you'll get though.