48 Preludes and Fugues

[Daniel Palmer]

I recently received the book of the complete 48 Preludes and Fugues by Bach and I'm interested what others think of them and what people's favourites are.

I'm working on the G-minor from Book 2 - a very emotive piece.

On my digital piano there is a harpsichord and clavichord voice, of quite good quality, to add a little authenticity. I think Bach never sounds quite right on piano!

Daniel

[rojo]

Hi Daniel,

I've played some of them, but a long time ago. They are indeed of the highest excellence.

How's the g-minor one coming along?

Personally, I like Bach played on the piano. But if you like the other sounds, then enjoy.

[Corno Dolce]

Hello Daniel Palmer,

I really like all of the preludes and fugues - each one is a finely wrought masterpiece that reveals itself more and more each time I play them.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[Daniel Palmer]

How's the g-minor one coming along?

It's not doing too bad - I just need to get it up to speed now. I have a terrible habit of playing too fast too soon and missing out on details - I've been trying to avoid doing it with this piece.

I really like all of the preludes and fugues - each one is a finely wrought masterpiece that reveals itself more and more each time I play them.

I agree - with a lot of Bach's works (fugues especially) they seem to become more wonderful the more I hear them.

Daniel

[rojo]

I just reread my post, and it sounds like I don't like those other sounds. Which is not true; I do.

Just felt like clarifying.

Keep us posted on your progress, Daniel.

[NEB]

I was listening to a concert pianist on Classic FM recently who was performing the entire 48 and has done 3 or 4 times in the last 20 years.

I can't remember who it was tho. But she was talking about how here own depth of understanding and how she interprets them as a consequence has moved during that time from the first cycle she recorded years ago.

It was a very interesting interview indeed. I just wish I could remember who it was...

[Contratrombone64]

The 48 are little pearls of wisdom. Finely crafted, superbly edifying and entirely complete as a whole individually. Each sings its own beautiful, often sad little hymn to the great master's capability as a craftsman of the finest possible music. You ask for favourites? Well I adore them all pretty much equally:

Book 2, No. 5 is a particular favourite as it reminds me of some fantastic French Overture, with its "agogic accent" is incredible. The fact that the great Bach wrote a double time signature implies that the rhythms of the second and fourth (for example) bar is quite clear: no lengthening of the first and third quavers (quarter notes) in each group is necessary otherwise the deliciously ambiguous and contradictory essence is lost. The fugue, in this pair, is a wonderful close stretto with a second subject so deliberately woven into the whole texture that it accounts for the majority of the total number of notes.

But I go on, and on, just listen to it. I love these played (tenderly) on the pianoforte, and am not a fan of them played on the harpsichord. I'm not anti-purist by any means but the full tone of the piano seems to add beauty and fullness to them.

[NEB]

Yeah - I agree - I adore bach on the paino far more than I like it on the Harpsichord. I think something gets lost on the harpsichord that the piano naturally reveals through it's sensitivity.

There's something incredibly relaxing about the 48 even though they can be quite note-ey. They are simply a delight of craftmanship.

[Krummhorn]

I find either instrument (piano or harpshichord) equally pleasing for these works, although I tend to lean towards the harpsichord for originality sake for the period in time when these works were composed.

There are some great audio examples of both harpsichord and piano performances on these works on this Wikipedia site.

[Muza]

thanks, Krummhorn - i will check that out... cause that is precisely what I was just thinking about!