Tonebase Bach Stage

This thread is dedicated to J.S. Bach keyboard music. We would like to renew the inspiring spirit of the old thread "Group-Journey through J.S. Bach" based on the inventions and extend to the entire Bach repertoire: inventions, preludes, fugues, toccatas, dances of the Suites and Partitas...

This is for everyone who wants to join!

We can enjoy Bach music together and motivate each other in the process of learning and practicing it!

 

"I begin every day with Bach - usually for about an hour. I used to torture myself with Czerny, which of course wasn't exactly stimulating for the mind. On the other hand, it teaches you the fingering for a B flat major scale, chromatic thirds, and so on. The daily grind of learning. Later, I discovered that I could get my 'training' under way better with Bach - a refreshment for the body, soul and spirit". (András Schiff, Music Comes Out of Silence, p. 21)

513 replies

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    • Unfrozen Barroom Piano Player
    • Peter_G
    • 1 mth ago
    • Reported - view

    Prelude in B Major, Well Tempered Clavier, Book 2.

    OK it's time I posted something myself. Here are my takes on the B Major Prelude and Fugue from Book 2 of the Well Tempered Clavier. I tried playing it in the May Community concert and had a bad memory slip which I very clumsily tried to recover from.  I spent another 6 weeks on shoring up the memorization and some of the technical aspects, and this is the result (played from memory even though it looks like i've got the score open from the Prelude).  Now it seems like I am finally ready to start learning it....

    The Prelude:

    https://youtu.be/ZzaA4XoqQig

     

    Fugue in B Major WTC2

    And here is the Fugue:

    https://youtu.be/-z675_K0T1s

      • Ursina_Boehm
      • 2 wk ago
      • Reported - view

       wow! This prelude is so full of energy! Amazing! I very much enjoyed listening to both, the Prelude and Fugue! Such clarity in your playing! Bravo! And I am completely impressed by your recording and video skills! That looks quite professional (especially compared to my simple setup of a simple iPhone with MV88 microphone). 

    • Ursina_Boehm
    • 2 wk ago
    • Reported - view

    Hello everybody,

    I am continuing my musical journey of learning the Partita No 6 in E minor, BWV 830. Here is a link to a recording of the Corrente. I hope you enjoy it. 

    Thanks again  for offering this Tonebase Bach stage. 

    https://youtu.be/3ZerajLsLVs?is=N1NREsYNysyGJCH1

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 2 wk ago
      • Reported - view

       Absolutely great playing, Ursina! The clarity of your articulation is extraordinary, and I love the joyful vitality of the movement, which you express so beautifully. Looking forward to hearing more of your musical journey with this masterpiece. Thank you so much for sharing it!

      • Ursina_Boehm
      • 2 wk ago
      • Reported - view

       thank you so much for your kind words! It means a lot to me that you take the time to listen to my interpretation. 

      • Unfrozen Barroom Piano Player
      • Peter_G
      • 2 wk ago
      • Reported - view

       fantastic playing Ursina, another worthy addition to your catalogue. Your characteristic clarity of line and thoughtful expression are on full display. It's so fascinating to watch the Partita take shape right before our eyes.  Thank you for sharing your journey with us.

      • Larry_K
      • 2 wk ago
      • Reported - view

       Excellent playing, just what I need on a Sunday morning. 

      • Ursina_Boehm
      • 2 wk ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you for listening 🥰

      • Ursina_Boehm
      • 2 wk ago
      • Reported - view

      Thank you 😀

      • Natalie_Peh
      • 2 wk ago
      • Reported - view

        thanks for sharing your beautiful playing, rhythmic and yet with detailed shaping! This is so inspiring to listen to, and I look forward to more of your videos! 

    • hot4euterpe
    • 8 days ago
    • Reported - view

    After discussing Bach with a few fellow Tonebase members, I decided to revisit a favourite of mine from years ago: the G Minor Prelude and Fugue (Book 1). I made a recording of my playing through the prelude after reviewing it. Posting here to hopefully motivate myself to also review and record the fugue!

      • Larry_K
      • 8 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Beautifully played! I love those long trills. He did write them, didn’t he? 

      Bach is my number one streamed composer, lol, and is the reason I started studying the piano but his works seem to recede from me because of their difficulty.

      • hot4euterpe
      • 8 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you Larry =) He did indeed write those long trills. They are a little unusual for Bach and one of the reasons this prelude and fugue has always been one of my favourites. 

      I'm actually just a moderate Bach enthusiast compared to other composers but I was recently telling some others that it was a Bach minuet from French suites that really pulled me into the world of piano so I do understand! It is true much of his music is quite challenging--his fugues especially are a lot of work to play reliably and musically--but even his 'easier' pieces are all great. It is never really a bad thing to try playing any Bach. 

      • Larry_K
      • 8 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Yes, those trills are unusual. They struck me immediately.

      To me, what makes Bach difficult is playing all of the small changes in the inner voices. It’s so easy to make a mistake in there with a note that moves half a step.

      It so much easier to organize and strike a chord than it is to be constantly moving all of the voices.

      I got to a point where I was playing some of the easier inventions with another classical guitar player but that introduced its own problems.

      So, I thought I’d better learn the keyboard so that I could control all of the voices! Haha, that proved to be even harder.

      Some crazy person arranged the Goldberg Variations for the classical guitar. The result was insanely difficult. The keyboard music is also difficult, sigh. 

      I will keep trying. I don’t have anything better to do.

Content aside

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