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Topic: books analyzing Bach (Read 2648 times)

psipsi8

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books analyzing Bach

on: January 03, 2025, 02:58:57 PM

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 interpretation? Like if one's too lazy to do it on their own like uncovering subjects or countersubjects in altered forms. Or Beethoven's sonatas for that matter? Something comprehensive? I've never read a book on pieces I've played before. A lifetime ago, when I was taking lessons, I had a teacher, but now I don't.

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andrew_s

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Re: books analyzing Bach

Reply #1 on: January 03, 2025, 06:20:15 PM

I have the book "Interpreting Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier" by Ralph Kirkpatrick which I have found very useful. It is not a one-by-one analysis of each piece but rather a discussion of interpretational principles divided in the three approaches melodic, rhythmic and harmonic.

For detailed analyzes of all pieces in WTC you could check out the books by Siglind Bruhn. You can find the content online here:
www.edition-gorz.de/bruhn4-engl.html

Or David Ledbetter's book "Bach's Well-tempered Clavier" which is also very detailed.

You should be aware that this is very dense material and while you ask for "something comprehensive", if you are not used to reading such books it can be a bit overwhelming.

As an option to get started, have you tried to read wikipedia pages for the pieces you play?
You mention Beethoven Sonatas. Read for example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._1_(Beethoven)

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kosulin

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Re: books analyzing Bach

Reply #2 on: January 03, 2025, 07:33:29 PM

- Hugo Riemann. Analysis of J. S. Bach's Wohltemperirtes Clavier (48-Preludes and Fugues) (Augener) - 2 volumes can be downloaded from archive.org
- Frederick Iliffe. The Forty-Eight Preludes and Fugues of John Sebastian Bach Analysed for the Use of Students (Novello) can be downloaded from archive.org
- Ebenezer Prout. Analysis of J. S. Bach's Forty-Eight Fugues (Das Wohltemperirte Clavier) (Edwin Ashdown, 1910) can be downloaded from archive.org
- Kerman, Joseph. The Art of Fugue. Bach Fugues for Keyboard, 1715 - 1750 (University of California, 2005)
- Williams, Peter. Bach. The Goldberg Variations (Cambridge, 2004)

For Beethoven you can look for classics by Barry Cooper, Donald Dovey, Edwin Fischer, etc.
I personally like the short structural analysis in Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas. A Handbook for Performers, by Stewart Gordon (Oxford, 2017)

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Vlad

psipsi8

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Jr. Member
Posts: 37

Re: books analyzing Bach

Reply #3 on: January 06, 2025, 07:05:45 AM

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I will check them out. I started on a spree of learning a few P&F from the WTCs that's why.

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kosulin

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Posts: 143

Re: books analyzing Bach

Reply #4 on: January 06, 2025, 06:28:02 PM

Forgot to mention The Forty Eight Preludes and Fugues of J. S. Bach, by Cecil Gray (Oxford, 1938). Also available for free from archive.org.

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Vlad

lelle

PS Gold Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 2506

Re: books analyzing Bach

Reply #5 on: January 12, 2025, 09:13:50 PM

If you want YouTube, this series is worthwhile (it's an entire playlist if you go to YouTube):

This guy also got some good videos on Bach fugues:

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andhow04

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Posts: 697

Re: books analyzing Bach

Reply #6 on: February 13, 2025, 02:40:37 PM

Quote from: andrew_s on January 03, 2025, 06:20:15 PM

I have the book "Interpreting Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier" by Ralph Kirkpatrick which I have found very useful. It is not a one-by-one analysis of each piece but rather a discussion of interpretational principles divided in the three approaches melodic, rhythmic and harmonic.

For detailed analyzes of all pieces in WTC you could check out the books by Siglind Bruhn. You can find the content online here:
www.edition-gorz.de/bruhn4-engl.html

Or David Ledbetter's book "Bach's Well-tempered Clavier" which is also very detailed.

You should be aware that this is very dense material and while you ask for "something comprehensive", if you are not used to reading such books it can be a bit overwhelming.

As an option to get started, have you tried to read wikipedia pages for the pieces you play?
You mention Beethoven Sonatas. Read for example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._1_(Beethoven)

I can't believe someone besides me has read the David Ledbetter book!
It looks like the OP is looking for something pretty different, basically like a roadmap through each Fugue.
But the Ledbetter is such a good book if you are interested in all those extremely esoteric Baroque sources, he is so thorough and informed it's quite amazing. There are often very suggestive things in there as well, though he tends to be more technical, that has added to my insight for this or that Prelude and Fugue. Love this book but not for faint of heart

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lostinidlewonder

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Posts: 7840

Re: books analyzing Bach

Reply #7 on: February 13, 2025, 03:22:33 PM

Look for J.S Bach 48 Preludes and Fugues with commentaries by Donald Francis Tovey, provides excellent practical analysis.

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