Episode 50: Bach’s “Art of Fugue,” BWV 1080

We’ll look at the ricercars, trio sonata and canons of the “Musical Offering.” 

We’ll look at Bach’s “Organ Mass” (Clavier-Ubung or “Keyboard Practice” III) including the Trinity Prelude and Fugue and a sampling of the chorale preludes contained in the collection. 

The Bach Chaconne is one of the great masterpieces of Western Classical Music, and today we're going to be diving straight into this monumental work. We'll talk about the legends behind its composition, the work itself, different interpretations of the piece, and its many many ...

Bach wrote his Goldberg Variations for harpsichord in the 1740s, but today it's performed by pianists all over the world. People describe the place these pieces have in their lives. This includes: * A neuroscientist from New York * Pianist Angela Hewitt * A father driving his fam ...  Show more

This is the second of two menuets found in Bach's Partita No. 1 in B-flat major (Opus 1). I've always enjoyed this brief section of the work and it includes some tricky finger work despite the deceitfully simple harmonies. Bach certainly had a way of emphasizing the subtle harmon ...  Show more

One of Bach's most well-known works is this excerpt from his Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. It is a delightful melody that is simple to learn and easy to appreciate. I hope you enjoy my recording of Bach's famous Minuet in G (sometimes spelled as Menuet in G - both are correct ...  Show more