Apr 28, 2020
Scott, Karl, and Michelle listen to and discuss Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 846-847. It is the first prelude and fugue in the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer.
What is a fugue? As Michelle points out, a fugue's purpose is, "to reveal, or to play, the exact same melody in all of the different predetermined voice parts." To Karl, Bach's Fugue is "like a conversation between four people.”
Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier is instrumentally indifferent, eliciting a universal appeal.
The shortcomings of the keyboard instruments of his time meant that he looked to instruments like the harpsichord and clavichord as kinds of “universal” instruments. After all, the instrument for the home was, in Germany at the time, the clavichord.
The trio first listens to a version by Friedrick Gulda on the clavichord. Later in the podcast, they listen to another version by Martha Goldstein, also performed on the clavichord.
Tune in to hear more music and ideas, brought to you by Online Great Books.