WTF Bach

Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion?   A few important things I neglected to mention in the 11th counterpoint, but where to go after that 11th fugue anyhow? Into the mirror… Look into *CLICK* the mirror !  Bach, not satisfied with creating a triple fugue whose subjects were the same three subjects of the previous triple fugue- inv...

Rather than moving on to the twelfth fugue, we have a brief visit to the third of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach: Canon alla Duodecima in Contrapunto alla Quina (Canon at the twelfth in counterpoint at the fifth).  This canon is very similar in construction to the previous canon, though at the larger interval of the 12th.  -- Evan is now mid-49 days of toccatas every day on his i...

I don't know if you are already hip to it, or if you're just catching on, but it seems like releasing music as 'NFTs' could be in our futures. I wanted to have the first NFT version of The Art of Fugue. Check the auction out here:   https://mintable.app/music/item/JS-Bach-The-Art-of-Fugue--Electronic--The-First-Ever-Bachs-Music-as-NFT--Presented-by-WTF-Bach/f9CWCc0ho7bbad8 Get full access to W.T.F...

The closing of our chapter on compound fugues, contrapunctus eleven, a powerful, complicated, and long fugue. Two expositions of the first theme? One in inversion? And wait, this is a triple fugue where all themes come in inversion and… also not in inversion? Holy B***!    Topics covered: The original order of the fugues found in P 200 (the autograph score). The 11th fugue as a possible early fina...

Two fugues in original print are essentially the same: these are both this 10th contrapunctus. This fugue is a double fugue with counterpoint at the tenth (alla decima)  Topics covered: What does it mean when music is in a 'key' what keys did Bach often write in, and does it mean anything special that The Art of Fugue is in the key of d minor?  Follow Evan on Instagram for even more Bachian conten...

Back to four voices! Bach begins yet again another fugue with a unique theme. The fugue will become a double fugue with our well known ‘Art of Fugue’ theme. The counterpoint then begins to appear in two ways: either on the same note or at different notes which are related to the perfect 5th, or 12th, as the title of this fugue (Alla Duodecima) suggests. Not only is this double counterpoint, but do...

This is an interview with Jack Stratton of Vulfpeck. I loved our conversation during the summer of 2020. See some of the topics covered below and stay tuned for the next episode which will feature his arrangement of the ninth contrapunctus from The Art of Fugue. It was great to speak to a non-classical musician so eager about classical music and so involved with Bach.  -- Sleepify (Silent album by...

Back to it! Opening a new chapter in The Art of Fugue, this new chapter is one based on compound fugues, that is, our beloved ‘Art of Fugue Subject’ will now began to be combined with other new and unique themes.    Instead of going from a ‘simple’ to a double fugue, Bach drops a voice (all previous fugues were in 4 voices) and composes immediately a triple fugue for three voices. Like perfectly s...

Ein Musikalisches Opfer BWV 1079— such an enigmatic, endlessly fascinating work. Was Bach warning King Frederick about being gay? Was Frederick jealous of Bach’s talent and looking to embarrass him? No. This is a modern interoperation with our cinematic visions placed upon an 18th century event. Let’s examine these faux theories. ‘ Evening in the Palace of Reason ’ is a piece of Bach fan fiction,...

This is the fourth bonus episode.   Two episodes ago, I began with a quote from Aldous Huxley. That quote came from an article written in 1985. The article focused on Bach's relationship to words and various writer's relationships with Bach. The whole article is fascinating and, well, I read it to you.    A piece of what I consider 'good scholarship', it takes stabs at what Bach playing would be l...

This is the third bonus episode.   You know how at the end of every episode, Gaby says, "Want to have evan analyze a specific piece of Bach... just for you?"   Boom: Listener's choice volume one.   Three pieces you requested were: Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV855 (Book one) Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp minor, BWV849 (Book one) Capriccio on the Departure of the Beloved Brother, BWV992   -- Forg...

Rather than moving on to the compound fugues, we have a pleasant visit to the second of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach: Canon alla Decima in contrapunto alla Terza (Canon at the Tenth in counterpoint at the Third) Topics covered: Aldous Huxley said that Bach is a manifestation of God? How does this second canon differ from the previous canon? What is a 'Cadenza'? So, you can play...

This is the last fugue of what we could call 'Chapter two' in The Art of Fugue: this is the third and final 'stretto fugue,' and the most complicated. Whereas in the previous episodes I mentioned in which direction subjects enter, inverted or not, or at which beat they overlap, in this episode, I disregard all of that in favor of trying to hear the three different speeds in multiple voices at once...

Guest Interview: Robert Hill, Harpsichordist I had the privilege of speaking to Robert Hill, one of the foremost harpsichordists alive. Our discussion spans many different topics including harpsichord tuning and repair, clavichords, piano actions, lute-harpsichords, early Bach, old Bach, figured bass, inaudible sounds, metronomes, partimento, and anything else listed here: People / Topics Covered:...

The second ‘stretto’ fugue: “Contrapunctus 6, in the French Style” now gives us the theme flying at two different speeds in both directions. We see the theme overlapped, coming both inverted and ‘rectus’, and now at 1x AND 2x speeds! Where will Bach go from here?! Topics covered: What does it mean to play in the ‘French style?’ What does ‘diminution’ mean? Pianists mentioned: Zoltán Kocsis, Tatian...

Here we are on a new chapter! The stretto fugues have begun. We uncover the extensive use of stretto at various 'lengths:' 12 beats, 6 beats, 4 beats, 2 beats even down to a single beat. Entrances are now flying both upside down and right-side up without warning.  Topics covered: Bach's cousin taught a 12-year old prince about fugues? 'Fleshing out' our Art of Fugue theme, Canons within fugues, Th...

This is an interview with pianist/composer/arranger Brad Mehldau . Our conversation on May 12, 2020 spanned many diverse topics from what he is reading at the moment, what he keeps on his piano, when and how he practices, the connection between bebop and Bach, his favorite video game and more. Bach's Table of Ornaments:  http://www.pennuto.com/music/jsb_ornm.htm Hear the music mentioned (in the or...

Rather than moving on to the fifth fugue, we have a brief visit to the first of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach: Canon in Hypodiapason (Canon at the octave).  Topics covered: What is an octave? Who is 'The Great One'? Why do musicians love Bach so? So... you can play a canon with a delay pedal?   Find a playlist of the music here:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZj...

This is the second bonus episode. In it, you will hear the first three fugues from “The Art of Fugue” in their 'early versions', meaning, the versions which Bach conceived before he sent them to be published. This is a rare moment to observe Bach making improvements or corrections on his own compositions. Noticing how Bach revises his own work is a pretty rare and- may I say?- exclusive look into...

The final piece in the first 'quartet' of fugues from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach: Contrapunctus 4. With this episode we have covered all of the 'simple fugues' in this sprawling work.  Topics covered: A blind organist from Leipzig... Helmut who? The official Latin terms for the first two entering voices. A fugue made entirely of a subject and a two-note motif? What on earth is a golden sectio...

We discuss the second and third fugues from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach. We hear them played on a clavichord and a piano, then both arranged electronically with some new insights.  Topics covered: How quiet is a clavichord? So... what's the vibe in general of The Art of Fugue? Countersubjects, inverted entrances, and the subject beginning to change.  Find a playlist of the music here:  https:/...

This is the first bonus episode. In it, you will hear the first contrapunctus from “The Art of Fugue” (which, by now, you can tell your friends is called, ‘Die Kunst der Fuge’ in German) in eleven different ways. Eleven is an important number in ‘Die Kunst der Fuge', and this first counterpoint- or fugue- or contrapunctus has eleven entrances. If you hear the entirety of this bonus episode, you wi...

We discuss the first fugue from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach. We hear it played first on a harpsichord, then on a piano with 'voice-over analysis' then by a computer with the voices panned hard left/right. Topics covered: How does a harpsichord work?, Must one bring out, or even hear every entrance of the subject?, What about authenticity vs. modern approaches to Bach?, Was Evan really called S...

The introduction to baroque composer J.S. Bach. Also, what is a fugue? What is counterpoint? We answer these questions and prepare ourselves for a journey into Bach's great work, 'The Art of Fugue.' --  Find a playlist of the music in this podcast here:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYA Support us: https://www.patreon.com/wtfbach https://www.paypal...