The Well-Tempered Clavier: 48 Preludes and Fugues, Vol. 2 [Paperback] Review

I appreciate what the Kalmus press has done to give helpful footnotes for the ornamentation and the score layout is very clean and spaced well. A good "easy" read, that is relatively easy...if you know the pieces in this book you'll know what I'm talking about!

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Product Description:
A newly engraved edition of the 48 preludes and fugues, Volume II for piano was edited by the noted Bach expert Dr. Hans Bischoff. It includes a table of embellishments and a preface from Dr. Bischoff. KALMUS EDITIONS are primarily reprints of Urtext Editions, reasonably priced and readily available. They are a 'must' for students, teachers, and performers.

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Playing Bach on the Keyboard: A Practical Guide (Amadeus) [Hardcover] Review

This book summarizes many artistic elements of performing Bach, but in a very objective, matter-of-fact way. I found much useful content, but the delivery is very academic, and, in many cases, boring. A sense of humor or story-telling would ease reading, and this book has very little of either.

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Product Description:
In this concise and accessible volume, a noted keyboard artist and Bach specialist takes a fresh look at the performance of J. S. Bach's keyboard music. Addressing the nonspecialist player, Richard Troeger presents a wide range of historical information and discusses its musical applications. The author shares accounts of the musical styles Bach employed and the instruments he knew. In direct and pragmatic terms, he clarifies the importance of notational and style details as guides to the composer's intentions, particularly emphasizing changes in notational norms between Bach's time and the present. Troeger offers core information on dynamics, articulation, tempo, rhythm, ornamentation and accompaniment. He considers controversial issues as well, establishing the importance of the clavichord in Bach's milieu and examining the link between baroque music and rhetoric - a dramatic relationship that can bring great vitality to performance.

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French Suites: With Seven Supplementary Pieces for the Keyboard (Alfred Masterwork Edition) [Paperback] Review

Bach's French Suites are probably his best set of Suites (Maybe besides the Harpsichord Partitas). This edition is a complete urtext edition- no editorial suggestions, what so ever (so when it comes to Bach, it means nofingerings, no nothing. Only the notes themselves), and that can be quiterefreshing. The book itself is made of good quality- good paper, goodbinding, and I also like the printing. And of course- the price. Such a lowprice for an Urtext edition, almost unbelievable (actually, I talked with asheet music dealer, and he claims that for this price, it's impossible toconduct a real research for the edition. This might be true. But I don'tcare where does the editor finds his resources from, as long as Konemannkeeps on publishing more and more new titles).

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Product Description:
In this volume, which contains six suites and seven supplementary pieces for intermediate to advanced level pianists, Judith Schneider has provided detailed biographical and historical information about the pieces, as well as suggestions to achieve a proper interpretation of these works. Bach's table of ornaments is also discussed. This volume beautifully prepares students to perform Bach's more advanced English Suites. 144 pages.

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Masterwork Classics, Level 5 (Alfred Masterwork Editions) [Paperback] Review

The Mastering the Piano series is a boon for teachers and students alike.They are good buys - the CD is certainly helpful for students who no longer are that familiar with repertoire at this level.As with the others, the selection is excellant and pretty much at the same level except for the challenging Grieg, Wedding Day at Troldhaugen.The advantage of having all the pieces at the same level of excellance and ability is that one book can cover a years study, minimizing the expense.This volume contains a Joplin rag as its contempory piece - an appealing choice.

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Product Description:
A progressive repertoire series designed to motivate students while allowing them to progress evenly and smoothly from the earliest classics toward intermediate literature.These pieces are from the standard classical literature, chosen to appeal both to teacher and student. Each volume comes with a corresponding CD.

Pianist Valery Lloyd-Watts studied at the Conservatory of Music in Toronto and the Royal College of Music in London. She earned a Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin, where she studied with Paul Badura-Skoda.

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The Well-Tempered Clavier: Books I and II, Complete [Paperback] Review

Another incredible bargain from Dover. Although I think their edition of the Beethoven complete string quartets (in a single volume!) is probably the best buy in all of music, this edition of The Well Tempered Clavier is a strong competitor. (If only it had included The Art of Fugue!) This is the edition I recommend for my students because of the clarity, absence of artificial or misleading editorial markings, ease of page turns, and cost. It is not perfect; what edition EVER is--in this case, one of my quibbles is that of all the minor key fugues, only ONE (g# minor) ends without a piccardy (raised) third--it simply must be an oversight, and interestingly the accidental already present in the key signature is repeated unnecessarily. Surely B natural should have been B sharp in the final measure. Regardless of the slight problems, this is the single best tool to learn Baroque counterpoint in general and fugue specifically. No textbook I know of is capable of demonstrating the fluidity of form, nor describing the sophistication of melodic and contrapuntal writing that Bach employs. Every book I know of oversimplifies or even avoids the issues that Bach so admirably handles. The answers are here, in the music, not in a text. Absolutely invaluable for the serious music student.

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Product Description:
All 48 preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys. Authoritative Bach-Gesellschaft edition. Explanation of ornaments in English, tempo indications, music corrections.

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371 Harmonized Chorales and 69 Chorale Melodies with Figured Bass [Paperback] Review

This is a nice edition to have. Playing two Bach chorales every morning is kind of like doing some jumping jacks and eating a spoonful of codliver oil...which is to say, good for you. After playing the first 120 you can expect some chorale fatigue to set in, but all the while you'll be absorbing good voice-leading and voice-doubling technique as though by osmosis. What's more, Bach will still surprise you- there are chords so jarring and dissonant that their sudden, logical resolution is like watching a rabbit being pulled out of a hat.
On the downside, the notes are small (this edition really packs 'em in) and it can be easy to get lost on the page. No texts are provided, either, aside from the opening words, so you have to accept on faith that some of the more contorted harmonizations are justified by the text. It's still nice to have, though, and looks nice and musicological sitting on the piano.

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Product Description:
The great Baroque master composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote music for every combination of instruments and voices. His simplest and purest work are four-part chorale compositions and settings, so perfectly constructed that they evoke meditative spirituality. "Figured bass" was a Baroque system of notating harmony. In addition 371 chorales, this collection includes 69 melodies with figured bass. This classic Schirmer edition, edited by Albert Riemenschneider, has sold over 1,000,000 copies since its release in the early 20th century. Primarily for keyboard, the chorales can also be played by other instruments.

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Complete Bach Transcriptions for Solo Piano [Paperback] Review

Great music - and a good value.A must for any Bach lovers out there.

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Done with great taste, in a perfectly simple and straightforward manner, Liszt's piano transcriptions of Bach's organ music became the classic models for all future works in this genre.Includes 6Organ Preludes and Fugues (BWV 543-548) and the world-famous Fantasia and Fugue in G minor (BWV 542). New Dover compilation.


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