WTF Bach

EPISODE TWO: On the back of his own personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', Bach notated an additional fourteen canons. These were discovered only as late as 1974(!) and are among the most interesting compositional exercises we know from the composer.  From eight bass notes (the first 8 notes of the 'Goldberg' Aria- the structure in a sense,) Bach creates, yes, fourteen other canons. In this e...

I was recently asked to explain chromaticism, so I thought I'd give it a try here. Bach's fugue based on a theme by Tomaso Albinoni  in B minor, BWVs 951, and 951a: the subject itself contains a chromatic descent (B, A#, A, G#, G, F#) and though Albinoni himself wrote it, it was Bach who brought the ideas behind such chromaticism to the next level.  HERE is the recording which I was not able to cr...

On the back of his own personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', Bach notated an additional fourteen canons. These were discovered only as late as 1974(!) and are among the most interesting compositional exercises we know from the composer.  From eight bass notes (the first 8 notes of the 'Goldberg' Aria- the structure in a sense,) Bach creates, yes, fourteen other canons. In this episode, we in...

This episode was inspired by my recent discovery and purchase of an Encyclopedia Britannica. It's a fascinating collection of knowledge and I highly recommend finding some volumes and reading them. This is the Bach article appearing in the EB from as early as 1926 even until the 1960s, written by D.F. Tovey.  We also listen to fugue BWV 959, very early, very wild, very W.T.F. in unequal temperamen...

More than simply, “in tune” or “out of tune” a temperament is a solution to the ancient problem of creating a circle out of a spiral. By the time Bach had his shake at this problem, the musical world had advanced far enough, setting the stage for his great mind to create a well-tempered solution that allowed him to compose in all 24 keys. Not all keys sound the same in the vast majority of tempera...

How much more famous can music be than that one Prelude in C? The Prelude BWV 846, the first prelude in the Well-Tempered Clavier, is heard everywhere, but why? How? What purpose could such a piece have served in Bach's day? We discuss two early, shorter versions of the prelude, and one erroneous version with an inauthentic bar (the 'Schwenke measure' - be on the look out if your copy has 36 bars...

It started with an Instagram Post , but like all questions about Bach, to answer the question of Bach's 'longest' piece required posing further questions:   Longest how? Minutes? In terms of Measures? In terms of the longest single piece on a concert? ...wait, what is a 'piece' anyhow? Does one of the passions count as a single piece? What about just the amount of notes?  You may be surprised to h...

A brief analysis of Cantata 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV147. Such a large piece of music, it gets it own episode. Will I continue to devote episodes to the cantatas? Read the bottom of the description.  The work is famous for, if nothing else, the two chorales that we know as 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.' As it was suggested by a listener, this is part two of the previous listener's...

SPOILER ALERT! I split this episode into TWO! The NEXT episode will cover cantata BWV147 exclusively.  -- To begin your week! Three pieces you requested were: Toccata in g minor BWV915 Allabreve in D major BWV589 Cantata BWV147 (NEXT EPISODE!) -- Please enjoy my brief analysis of these pieces which, in their own right, could take up many episodes each, and THANK YOU for suggesting I cover them. Pl...

It was brought to my attention that, yesterday, at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, there was only one non-Biritsh piece of music included. It was of course penned by our beloved J.S. Bach, whose inclusion in the royal festivities made an impression on me. The piece was this gorgeous fantasy for organ BWV 562, discussed in this episode. Enjoy! The unfinished harpsichord fugue discussed by...

This week I chose to read experts from the 'New Bach Reader', a compilation book of documents from Bach's life or shortly thereafter. These documents are sometimes letters, receipts, or newspaper notices, but might be a dinner bill for an inn where Bach stayed, or his candid thoughts on singers. I highly recommend this book. Find it here.   NEXT EPISODE IS LISTENER'S CHOICE- SEND ME THE PIECE YOU...

Last Episode WTF Bach explained how computers, using MIDI, could help us understand Bach in a unique way. Here then, is a brief episode of four Bach MIDI files, played with very basic computer operations (quantized 16th notes, panning between speakers, mechanical slowing down and speeding up).  It's likely you've never heard Bach in this way before. The question therefore is, 'Did you learn someth...

How can computers help us understand Bach? What is MIDI?  In this episode we learn how MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files, that is, a sort of sheet-music for computers, can help us explore Bach’s music in modern and novel ways.  If you don’t read music or play an instrument, MIDI files might be your way into Bach’s mind. Even if you are a virtuoso Bachian, there will be something in...

Two episodes ago we covered the first movement of the fifth Brandenburg concerto up to the famous harpsichord cadenza. In this episode we look at the two existing versions of the famous cadenza: an early version a mere 18 measures, and the the famous one, more than three times as long.  Alfred Cortot Glenn Gould’s video mentioned is here: https://youtu.be/gvs4v_aswfk Ton Koopman’s featured live pe...

In this episode, we will look at: The genesis of the Brandenburg concerti, What Bach’s job was like when these compositions came about, Who his employer was then, How much music Bach was composing at that time, Why a Baroque composer writes anything at all, The difference between a modern composer and one in the Baroque.   Then finally, we will disprove another famous Bach myth: ‘Bach composed the...

This episode and the next two will cover the first movement of the fifth ‘Brandenburg’ concerto, BWV1050, a concerto for solo flute, violin and harpsichord.    The recording featured in this episode is Il Giardino Armonico (probably my favorite recording of all six Brandenburg Concerti). This is the YouTube link.   Thank you for your emails, your donations and your suggestions. Keep ‘em coming Bac...

GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN?  THE BACH STORE is in GERMANY March25-April8. Stream it here: Twitch.tv/wtf_Bach Let's kick off this season discussing the fugue for violin in G minor BWV1001, and its arrangement for Organ BWV539. There is also one for lute (perhaps lute harpsichord) BWV1000.  Donate to this podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/wtfbach https://www.paypal.me/wtfbach https://venmo.com/wtf...

So! We've done it: Looked in depth at every fugue, every canon, solved the mysteries, busted the myths, sent the Bach heretics back to whence they came. And now? Let's just enjoy...  Topics covered: The golden sections in other Bach pieces and how this could help us find the golden section here, even in this fugal fragment.  'God the Father' 'God the Spirit' 'God the Son' as three themes. -- THE L...

This is the final fugue of The Art of Fugue, the famous 'unfinished' fugue, number 14. We discuss how one could have understood this fugue to have been unfinished in earlier periods in musical history (it was finished) and what exactly is missing.  THE LAST PAGE ! CLICK HERE to see the 'corrupt' staves on which it would have been impossible to complete such a dense fugue. **Note the staff three fr...

Guest Interview: Christoph Wolff, Former Head of the Bach Archive in Leipzig.  I had the privilege of speaking to Christoph Wolff, certainly the most distinguished Bach scholar of the 20th century, even until today. From Jimi Hendrix to Rudolph Serkin, from the music Bach's composed which is lost, to the famous "Seal of 1722", this interview has it all folks. Take a listen! Browse Mr. Wolff's Book...

This is the eighth bonus episode. Was Bach dictating this? Blind? On his deathbed?  Printed as the original conclusion to The Art of Fugue, "Wenn wir im höchsten Nöten sein" was not meant to be part of the work, but was meant to be compensation for the missing fugue. Even with this piece, there are myths surrounding it. Let's debunk. -- Follow me on instagram: @wtfbach   Thank you, THANK YOU, for...

Rather than moving on to the final fugue, we have a brief visit to the final canon of the four canons in "The Art of Fugue." Canon per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu (Canon in augmentation and contrary motion [inversion]).  This form of this canon is very similar in construction to the previous ones, though rather than increasing the interval of imitation, the following voice appears in inversio...

This is the seventh bonus episode. Among the errors in the assembly of the first printing of The Art of Fugue was the inclusion of an arrangement of fugue number 13 for two harpsichords. We look at the music, how it differs from the original 13th counterpoint (for one harpsichord) and how such an error could have been committed. It appears under the title, 'Alio Modo' ...another way. It contains a...

Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion? In the previous fugue, fugue twelve, we saw Bach took four voices, a turned everything upside down: 1234 became 4321 and what went up came crashing down. Now, fugue 13 is again a 'mirror' fugue... or is it? This thirteenth fugue is in three voices and uses a technique almost identical to it's s...

This is an interview with mandolinist/composer/singer  Chris Thile . Our conversation on May 14, 2021 spanned many diverse topics from how he felt about growing up in a religious community, to his favorite barrel aged spirits.  -- Musicians/Bands mentioned (Alphabetically): Bach, Beethoven, Bela Fleck, Bill Monroe, Edgar Meyer, Glenn Gould, Mike Marshall, Mozart, Nickle Creek, Radiohead, Richard G...