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)

412 replies

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    • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
    • Juan_Carlos
    • 1 mth ago
    • Reported - view

    What is the mystery, the fascination, behind musical canons in Bach?

    Are they a challenging puzzle, a demonstration of compositional mastery, or a symbolic representation of order within chaos? (In Bach's case, this last idea often carried religious connotations).

    Anyway, here is the ninth variation of the Goldberg Variations (Canone alla Terza; canon at the third): poetic, meditative, beautiful...

      • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       You play this with such lovely serenity and sensitivity. Beautiful.

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

      Thank you so much, Michelle. Are you playing any pieces by Bach these days?

      • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       I just began learning BWV 939, Little Prelude in C. I’m hopeful it will be ready to record in about a month. Thanks for asking!

      • vbashyam
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       Beautifully played! We are all enjoying your journey through the Goldberg variations.

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       Beautiful piece, looking forward to hearing you play it!

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you, Vidhya. You know that little story. "Which is more important, asked Big Panda, the journey or the destination? The company, said Tiny Dragon".

      • Piano Player with Day Job (for now)
      • Peter_G
      • 8 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Another beautiful entry in your Discography Juan Carlos.  I think that each variation you learn is informing and enriching the subsequent ones.  You seem very much as one with this piece and its serene pace and intricacy. It's interesting here how the actual canon is almost disguised by the  combination of the three voices, integrated into a unified piece of great poetic beauty.  

      I've always said (to anyone willing to listen) that Bach offers the most music per square inch of any composer.  That would be my answer to your first question above -- in these canons, each note is serving multiple functions -- why settle for a mere harmonic purpose for a note when it can also serve a melodic function?  not to mention rhythmic, dramatic and emotional functions.  Bach seems incapable of NOT demonstrating compositional mastery, but it is incidental to the beauty of the music itself.. 

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 7 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks so much, Peter, for your kind words. I really love that sentence, it totally resonates with me: "Bach offers the most music per square inch of any composer". Just brilliant!!

    • Helen_Lee
    • 4 wk ago
    • Reported - view

    Hello. I joined the group recently and am getting back to playing after having stepped away from playing the piano for more than 20 years. Here's my first Bach Little Prelude in D Major (BWV 925) that I'm working on. Wish I could play it with more sensitivity and fluidity but am glad to be reacquainting myself with Bach's piano pieces. It's such a pleasure to see all the beautiful recordings done by folks in this group! Very inspirational.

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 7 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Very good playing, Helen. Your approach to Bach has that forward-driving flow ("Fortspinnung" in German, I think 🤔...), so full of contagious vitality, which feels like one of his personal hallmarks. Thank you for sharing it with us. Bravo!

      • Helen_Lee
      • 7 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you for your encouraging words! I hope to play with more serenity in the future. I admire your beautiful playing. Thank you for starting this group. 

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Content aside

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