Bachs welltempered clavier or the 48 preludes and fugues stands at the core of baroque keyboard music and has been a model and inspiration for performers and composers ever since it was written. Welltempered clavier samuel feinberg on allmusic 1996. The well tempered clavier is a work in two volumes. It explores the intricacies of each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys and constitutes the largestscale and mostinfluential undertaking for solo keyboard of the baroque era. Feinberg cant match her but does equal the better versions. In thomas manns novel lotte in weimar an old goethe muses on the achievements of his youth and of his maturity the former the work of genius, the latter the work of greatness. The first instance to look at, which is also the most authoritative one, is to study the composers original manuscripts. Customers and visitors can download classical music in high quality flac or mp3 and find out more about classical music. For js bach, one can as an example find the groundbreaking edition of the entire works as provided by the bach gesellschaft. The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, is a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, composed for solo keyboard by johann sebastian bach. Such thoughts perhaps passed through bachs mind too when surveying his own keyboard output, and the profound differences in sensibility that distinguish the second volume of the. Welltempered clavier, book 1, bwv846869 various arrangements play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical music site on the web.
The welltempered clavier book ii, bwv 870893 arthur loesser, piano the master tapes for this recording were made in mr. Which book of bachs well tempered clavier is easier. He is most remembered today for his complete recording of it, and many other works from the classical and romantic eras. By feinberg samuil, bach johann sebastian composer 00010101. The good news for the well tempered clavier is that barenboim eschews the quirks. Complete score of the well tempered clavier, book 1, by johann sebastian bach open well tempered clavier project. Samuil yevgenyevich feinberg was a russian and soviet composer and pianist. Samuil feinberg playing book one of bachs welltempered clavier, bwv. The well tempered clavier, or preludes and fugues through all tones and semitones, relating to the major third, that is, ut re mi, as well as those related to the minor third, that is, re mi fa.
In bachs welltempered clavier book i, feinberg again creates organlike. Samuel feinbergs well tempered clavier bach cantatas website. Fugue i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier first. Feinberg, samuil feinberg, alexander goldenweiser, medtner, anatoly alexandrov, j. An essential musical masterpiece, full of joy, pain, and passion, j. The photo shows feinberg with his former student victor merzhanov. Overall, i wouldnt say that one of the books is easier than the other, because they both cover a. Samuel feinberg piano, composer, arranger short biography. Book 1, part 1 the open well tempered clavier sheet music. Richters version certainly has the tempo, energy and verve that feinbergs exhibits, if not perhaps even more authority. At some point i decided to order it, but that turned out to be a difficult proposition.
Samuil feinberg, the pianist, composer and pedagogue, will further aid his historical. The life and legacy of samul feinberg scholar commons. Talking about the welltempered clavier, a very good source to get to the original scores is the website of the state library berlin together with bacharchiv leipzig. It explores the intricacies of each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys and constitutes the largestscale and mostinfluential undertaking for. Bach the welltempered clavier pristine audio pakm063. The fact is that the interpretations are mainstream with little new to say about the music. This new recording, and score, were made possible by kimiko ishizaka, musescore, and over 900 fans who supported the project. The well tempered clavier book ii, bwv 870893 arthur loesser, piano the master tapes for this recording were made in mr. Composer and pianist samuel feinberg, a contemporary of sergei prokofiev, made a name for himself as a young performer of earlier music he was the first pianist in russia to program bachs welltempered clavier in its entirety, for example, and championed beethoven as well as more modern compositions by the likes of alexander scriabin. I use these versions extensively, particularly when working from the computer.
Samuil feinberg playing book one of bach s well tempered clavier, bwv 846869, recorded between 195861. Bach the welltempered clavier pristine audio pakm063 dc. Please feel free to comment on any notation engraving error complete. This invaluable guide to the 96 pieces explains bachs various purposes in compiling the music, describes the rich traditions on which he drew. From all the works written in the baroque era, no other work has been so wellcherished, frequently performed and. Below you can find copies of the 2 files for the well tempered clavier for direct download edited by franz kroll, edition of 1866. For most arrangements, see the separate pages for the individual preludes and fugues. The welltempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the welltempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. Feinberg died the year after this set was finished, and he first played the welltempered clavier in its threehoursplus entirety. Book 2 repeats the plan of book 1, so if your troubles are related to the keys, you wont find relief there. Ranking of difficulty of well tempered clavier preludes. Here are a few interesting points about how famous composers about this piece of work. This feinberg is in many ways similiar to the richterin many ways you can hear the influence feinberg had on richter and all of russian pianism when it comes to bach he was in my opinion the finest bach piano player of the golden tradition.
Bach the well tempered clavier book 1 feinberg youtube. The well tempered clavier notable performances section provides an overview of interesting recordings of the well tempered clavier. Jsbs works and the wtc in particular are covered by various academic publications, as well as online resources. Bachs well tempered clavier book 1 from pierre hantai. There are some impossibly articulated voicings in the fugues. The well tempered clavier by bach david piano play it. Bachs welltempered clavier is now available on cd, and for download. Such thoughts perhaps passed through bach s mind too when surveying his own keyboard output, and the profound differences in. In bachs time clavier keyboard was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding. The well tempered clavier, book 1 bwv 846869 the well tempered clavier 1 is a collection of educational pieces with exceptionally high artistic contents. Samuil feinberg plays bach welltempered clavier, book 1. There is another edition on russian classical disc rcd16231, which as things stand at the moment only seems generally available as an mp3 download.
The well tempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. This fourth volume in our series of bach transcriptions brings the first recording of the complete works in the genre by the hugely neglected figure of samuil feinberg. S welltempered clavier the, book 1 jando by johann sebastian bach. Quick bach wtc surveyrecommendations feinbergart of samuil feinberg vol. Johann sebastian bach 16851750 the well tempered clavier bwv 846893 1722, 1744 samuil feinberg piano recorded moscow 195861 classical records cr 065 3 cds. Interpreting polyphony in russiansoviet piano transcriptions of js. Biography, bach discography and photos of the artist. Composed about 20 years apart, the two sets of 24 preludes and fugues that constitute the two books of johann sebastian bachs welltempered clavier didnt start off as one huge collection of 48 works in fact, the set of 24 preludes and fugues composed in 1742 were not issued as a sequel to the original wtc of 1722. Beethoven used to practice the well tempered clavier in all scales. Feinberg died the year after this set was finished, and he first played the well tempered clavier in its threehoursplus entirety. Fugue i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier first book.
I would appreciate any info on ranking of the difficulty of the preludes in the well tempered clavier. Unfortunately his modernist compositional tendencies and the fact that he was. The new recording is neither the best nor worst well tempered clavier book 1 on piano i have heard over the years. I know there have been discussions of ranking the difficulty of the well tempered clavier for example, bartok, but it is my understanding that those take into account the fugues as well. Through a comparison with performances by samuel feinberg, wanda landowska, and. Bach the well tempered claiver book 2 feinberg youtube. T here are two major autographs of book i of the welltempered clavier bwv 846869 in existence which have been published here together for the very first time. Not known well outside his native russia and little recorded, samuel feinberg 18901962 has a reputation as a connoisseurs pianist in a vein with artur rubinsteins student dubravka tomsic and other littlerecorded keyboard masters, in part for being able to apply a different personality to every composer he knows. An astonishing demonstration of bachs mature understanding of the compositional techniques and. Bach, prelude in c minor wtc i, czerny edition, measures 120. S welltempered clavier the, book 2 jando by johann sebastian bach.
Aug 02, 2017 the preludes and fugues that make up bachs welltempered clavier operate on multiple levels at once theyre a compilation of techniques for keyboard writing, a polemic on the. The preludes and fugues that make up bachs welltempered clavier operate on multiple levels at once theyre a compilation of techniques for keyboard writing, a polemic on the. Samuil feinberg plays bach welltempered clavier, book 1 lp. Loessers studio at the cleveland institute of music in 1964 by kenneth hamann. Samuel feinberg and i have had some trouble getting together. Complete score of the welltempered clavier, book 1, by johann sebastian bach open welltempered clavier project. Johann sebastian bach welltempered clavier, book 1. Feinberg was the first pianist to perform the complete the well tempered clavier by bach in concert in the ussr.
Each volume contains a prelude and fugue in every major a nd minor key, totaling 48 pairs. The earlier one, in the hand of johann sebastian bach, dates from ca. October 22, 1962 moscow, russia the eminent russian pianist, pedagogue and composer, samuel samuil feinberg, was born in odessa and raised in moscow. Glenn gould bach the welltempered clavier, book ii. Free sheet music for the complete 48 preludes and fugues of the well tempered clavier by j. You find links to books and the sites that i consider most interesting here. If you are a beginner or an advanced player, the question which score to use is always an important topic. Bach the welltempered clavier book i internet archive.
In the fugue, a strong legato with skips in the subject make for a joyous experience tempered by increasing levels of worry as the fugue progresses. Print and download in pdf or midi the open well tempered clavier. Feinberg belongs firmly in the grand tradition of the 19thcentury pianistcomposer that stretches from chopin to godowsky via liszt and busoni. Barolsky and martens, rendering the prosaic persuasive. The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by johann sebastian bach, published in two books 1722 and 1742. This invaluable guide to the 96 pieces explains bachs various purposes in compiling the music, describes the rich traditions on which he drew, and provides commentaries for each prelude. Feinbergs magical playing soars without the excessive filtering. The welltempered clavier notable performances section provides an overview of interesting recordings of the welltempered clavier. The welltempered clavier, or preludes and fugues through all tones and semitones, relating to the major third, that is, ut re mi, as well as those related to the minor third, that is, re mi fa. Feinberg was the first pianist to perform the complete the welltempered clavier by bach in concert in the ussr. Bach wrote hundreds of pieces for organ, choir, as. In bachs time clavier was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding an organ either the modern german spelling for the collection is. The welltempered clavier, book 2, complete preludes and fugues 124 a1. Johann sebastian bach, samuel feinberg the welltempered.
329 581 42 929 999 62 477 1082 981 323 508 416 1360 637 291 186 939 400 249 547 1033 1514 691 135 8 871 818 1282 1072 651 63 173 463 662 1193 524 430 706 19