Master Class Baroque Improvisation

[latestaudioreviews]

This is the best thing I have heard for a long time! The sound from this recording is unreal!

[meirchod]

Great technical skill and showmanship, however, to be honest, my ear wanted to hear some more interesting and diverse melody lines that tell a story, rather than just constant repetition of leading tones playing around the circle of fifths.

But still very impressive, and a joy to listen to.

[ahgblopes]

Is the applause at the end a edition? hehe, i'm just kidding.

[ahgblopes]

Can you improvise a two part invention?

[jasseminne]

What is the name of piece he plays ?

[UKchurchSDAmusic]

I have just done my grade 5 piano, and although there was no Baroque, the examiner has pointed out that I should get a feel for the Era I`m playing. Had I known before my exam that Haydn was classical and not Baroque I probably would have played and learnt the piece with a different approach.. But it is a very important!

By the way, that improvisation is magical!

[ricochet188]

I'll be Bach...

[sirbil]

@MrWallerand Could you make your question more specific? This improv is more than cycle of 5ths, although the cycle is always present in music of the period to ne extent r another

[sirbil]

@MrWallerand There is no method. When I play I'm simply speaking the language of music, much as one speaks the spoken language. So I use the musical vocabulary that I have and it all comes out naturally.

[usertyfoon]

thank's a lot for the video!!!!! I like it very much and want more)))

[lsmith869]

I am a jazz musician and it is so refreshing to hear classical/baroque music played with its intended improvisational component. It's sad that this art is not more often taught or explored in classical music education. Musicians of any genre who don't improvise are pretending to be something they are not-Musicians

[salveson92]

I hope one day to be on this level on my instrument.

[doomownage94]

You managed to create a greater sense of romance than traditional aristocratic baroque without taking from the quiet "feel" of the baroque atmosphere.

[thesparkflyer]

I really like this.

[Askelairlines747]

Hey this sounds like a passacaglia or like it has an ostinato theme in it =)

[mrJonnyBruno]

great )

[gothips]

impressive but unnecessary though.

[Jurek009]

@gothips music 9especially good music) is never unnecessary

[trowa202]

really good. doesnt he remind you of glenn gould? like sitting style. :D hunched over the piano. no insult intended

[marmasiotis]

the most impressive video I' ve ever seen

[marmasiotis]

The most impressive video I´ve ever seen

[danielghofrani]

this Gentleman is a Grand Master.

[1974Flyingsub]

" THIS ONE GREAT MAN OF MUSIC.... MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU SIR "!

Respectfully,

Dan Gross

Saint Louis, Missouri

[pila406]

Truly impressive. Although I prefer Bach's style over Handel's style. Do you have any recording of you improvising in Bach's style?

[sirbil]

@pila406 The tile of the improv is "Baroque". I love Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, all of these wonderful composers who were greatr improvisors. I never try to imitate any one composer, rather I respond to the "feel" of the era when I improvise in the Baroque style.

[sirbil]

@pila406 Also Check out First IMpressions, particularly "Cycles" from The French Suite.

[honeybunchickens]

You an amassing composer. I had tingles crawl down my neck near the end.

[legoutdelafoudre]

this is a scarlati theme

[wkriski]

Cycle of fourths and often approach tones by 1/2 step below in the bass

[wkriski]

Great to see musicians improvising instead of just playing what's on a sheet of music. Was there instruction going on here at some point later in the class? I would love to see online instruction in this area.

[sirbil]

This was a Master Class, so there were suggestions made on how to advance one's capabilities. I still give these Master Classes. William Goldstein

[mathproof]

Baroque is so wonderful.

[Kotofein]

5***** 5***** 5***** 5***** 5*****

[friedfishironskillet]

God given talent, pure talent.

[kempff95]

@friedfishironskillet you should listen to sokolov's interpretation ramaeu les suvages,and E'giptiantime this is good!

[wkriski]

I'd say it's more hard work and effort - talent tends to diminish the amount of work that we put in :)

[djzaki]

this sounds quite similar to one of Giovanni Marradi's popular songs

[alessandro7875]

The style is pure Handel! It's a simple circle of the 5ths,a theme with variations..(g,c,F,B,Eb,D.g) as the Passacaille of the Harpsichord Suite n.8 in g minor by G.F.Handel

[sirbil]

I love Handel too!!

[ahgblopes]

4ths* : g minor, c minor, f major, Bb major, Eb major, A minor dim. (a + c + eb), D major, and g minor, but he ends with a major chord! Very good.

[okmehike]

I could watch this for hours, totally love your playing :)

[dkurgano]

he really likes the circle of the 5ths...

[ahgblopes]

4ths!! the circle of 5ths is, for example: C, G, d, a, and with a cadence: C/e, F, G, C.. as in Purcell's fairy queen chaconne and a mov of Bach's harps. tocata in d(D, A, e, B(i don't remember well..)). A 4th circle is like Handel pass. and second parta of the Pagnini's capricio n 24...Also used (very often) by Vivaldi, Bach, Albinoni, etc, but not so often by Purcell, Buxtehude, and some others...

[ikliegniet]

i must say, he is playing this improvisation amazing good. This is the real sound of Bach on a very special way. i want to hear more of this kind of Bach

[Dogvsgen]

this dude is reaalt good at baroque

[kruso12]

This was amazing!

[Haeronthegreat]

This is more improvisation in the style of Bach/BUSONI rather than pure Bach's keyboard style.

[Sepharite]

Gorgeous. But the substance gets a little boring since it repeats more or less. But very gorgeous... I wsh I could play like that

[FreddysHamster]

Maraphlegm, I have NEVER clicked on a critics channel and seen even a half baked chopsticks on there!!!

[marephrem]

Well when he says I am going to play Baroque style it already means that his playing is going to follow a number of guidelines, so that you can't really say he is 100% freestyling at all...

[bastianloewe]

really wich form is he following right now??

[marephrem]

what?? I meant that playing in Baroque style means a certain way of playing, that has already been put in place, as opposed to playing in a hip hop sort of style.

[yoyo11347]

a hint of jealousy, maybe?

[bastianloewe]

yes maybe I guess is that

[bastianloewe]

you havent answered my question get of course it has certain way to be every music have an estructure but if you talk about guidelnes you are talking about forms like sonatas preludes ore that so I dont get the form you have reconized

and dude the hip hop also has a certain way to be played

this is genius even if he improvises barroque estyle you can reconize is his music his languague

[gainweighttoday]

Im also blessed with with an improvisation-type mind, but I dont have the technique you have. I hear harmonies and notes all day. A few times I can do similar things you played. I know for sure, that one can`t prepare all what you have played here. I do know, that when you play the music falls out of your heart, through your hands on to the keys...

Bravo!

[michieldpiano]

I also like to improvise in baroque-busoni-feinberg style, when I'm relaxed and inspired I can improvise a 5 voice fugato. To improvise you just need your ears and your heart (and talent of course). Without theory of harmony or counterpoint this is perfectly possible.

[zabzab007]

yes i know that song! its from Bach or Handel... mhh...to say: "sorry that i havnt prepared anything..." i think thats wrong! because he once had learned it of by heart! and he can play it so well that he can put some new notes into it... mhh.. but nevertheless it sounds nice :D

[sirbil]

Sir, You are COMPLETELY WRONG! ....Your allegations False!

I Challenge any of you to arrange for a Master Class OR concert. I will invite you to pick 3 random notes on the Piano and proceed to create an "instant composition".

[virtuosopianist1]

i agree with you...i also can improv like you...it didnt take me that long to improv but it did take me a while to do better at it....it is REALLY hard to pick 3 random notes and create a song...so zabzab007 shut up because you dont know what you are talking about and i have never heard this song before

[mafiagranny]

I hate it when people say that. AHH heard it before! Nope, this is real improvisation. Yes, certain techniques are taken from the likes of Bach and Handel as this is in a Baroque style. However it is new material, and good material too!

[HelveteKeiser]

and it is damn hard to improvise in a particular style...When you improvise (my way of composing "on the spot" personally)all the influences come to you,and they are really hard to block them....for example you could get Duke Ellington AND Monteverdi from a single series of notes.The challenge is to do it as Bach would do it.

[zabzab007]

i think he had prepared the basics...

[mmlight]

He is following certain rules of thematic composition and voicings of the period, all thrown into the sea of improvisation. Jean Guillou is another player who made a career out of this discipline. Its the most exciting area of Classical music because its so fresh to the ears. Thank you!!

[AveryThornMusic]

how is this possible?

[AndrewHMeador]

It's possible because of his mastery of basic music theory. When you reach a level where your fingers do what your brain wants them to do without conscious deliberation, and when your knowledge of harmony and such is at this level, then you too can simply improvise great music.

[Profeshian]

Magnificent.

[icy22]

...bastard... hahaha. it took me a couple months to get down a rudimentary song that really isnt all that complex. i hope i can improv like that one day.

[jasonhayashi]

btw I really appreciate you posting this on the internet.. it's very rare to hear this kind of improvisation, and I really wish there were more emphasis on this kind of improv in classical music curriculum.

[jasonhayashi]

Thanks for your response. I hope you are not taking this as a criticism of your ability. I have tremendous respect for what you are doing. I have heard accounts from people hearing someone improvising a fugue, and I was curious as to how feasible it is. I agree that anything beyond 2 voices becomes extremely difficult to improvise.

I agree that some of the incredible feats by great composers may just be an urban legend, and perhaps improvising a fugue is too.

[maestroMagoo89]

I haven't witnessed it, but I was told by someone I trust that they saw a concert where a professional organist was given a theme and improvised a five voice fugue on it.

[jasonhayashi]

I have heard several accounts from other people too. My friend took a lesson from a jazz pianist who was able to improvise a fugue... but then again I wonder if most of us can really tell the difference.

I wish I knew what and how much is humanly possible..and how much of it you can learn through practice.. I've heard that Geoffrey Keezer can improvise simultaneously in two different keys..some of the stories you hear are quite remarkable..and I guess these thing do happen for real.

[jasonhayashi]

Maybe the kind of ppl i described are like Matt Demon's character in Good Will Hunting and they're just blessed with a different kind of mind. It'll be interesting to find someone like that in music and listen to them.

[jasonhayashi]

This is great playing.. I would love to hear him improvise in more of a fugue, I felt like the left hand was mainly playing bass/accompaniment role, but I didn't quite hear the kind of polyphony that you find in Bach's music.

For example Bach would use a motif and make variations, and toss them around different voices, sometimes up to 3-5 voices.

It doesn't take anything away from the playing, its brilliant, but it would be nice to hear that kind of complex polyphonic improvisation.

[sirbil]

Thank you for your comments. You can not compare an imrov to a complex fugue or composition by a master like Bach. In a composition, all the details are worked out. I have never claimed to be Bach. This improv was inspired by my love of Bach and other composers of the period. I can handle many voices at the same time, and I could "fake " a fugue, because the ear cannot accurately follow more than two voices at a time.

[sirbil]

However I do not make claims of improvising fugues. I have never heard anyone accurately improvise a fugue and sadly there are no recordings of the Masters, some of whom supposedly did improvise fugues. Before the age of recording however, with the inability of the brain to accurately hear and track multiple voices over a long composition, such stories may be just stories. I'm grateful that when I sit at a piano anything happens.

[lipsbach]

Check out the Marcel Dupre fugue on Kyrie Orbis Factor, and see what you think... Your work is really neat!

[petelebu]

BRAVO BRAVISSIMO!!!! improvising? what a genius, holly crap, WONDERFULL.

[thelightisahead]

And it is very Bach-like, which is even more amazing because his style is of the type where you can really hear the great intellect, so to be able to write like him (let alone improvise!) shows a great musical capability

[thelightisahead]

Hehe, one of the lucky few. Excellent stuff!

[deltabluesboy10]

that was very impressive,...i like your use of dynamics....may i ask what your concept is behind your improvisation..?

[sirbil]

To speak the language of music as easily as one speaks his native language. To connect emotionally and inspire.

[musicynic]

perhaps it sounds 'rehearsed' to you because he's very comfortable and artistic with his improv. great music!

[beanbabo]

How can we tell that it is improvised? Sounds rehearsed.

[sirbil]

Watch the Master Class Pick 3 Notes video

[Popsthe1]

I don't belive that the melody he uses as a backbone for this whole improvisation is made up as he went along. If you look at this video and listen to the melody that plays when you see the notationprogram on the computer he uses you will hear its like a bar of that same melody he uses when he's improvising so i don't belive he made up the melody but the chords and everything else besides that.

[Popsthe1]

Plus with the knowledge and practical harmony training this guy probably has this piece is a piece of cake

[sirbil]

First, Never took Piano Lessons, was at Columbia U. at age 9 for evaluation because of this surprising gift. Second, improv is using the musical vocabularly you have to create on the spot. Third, each composer has his own style which is why you can always tell who wrote a piece, the music often sounds "similar" to prevous pieces. Once again listen to the video "Pick 3 Notes" which illustrate an audiance member picking the start of the improv.

[tewest99]

Beautiful, very very nice. I love Baroque-are improvisation ... what ever happened to figured-bass? LOL

[mathproof]

You can tell a Maestro when you hear them. The quality of his playing, which is even more amazing when you consider that this is improvisation. Bravo!

[singinginachurch]

Genius.

Bel canto!

[Anders039]

I listen to this over and over. Seriously amazing.

[Anders039]

I want to improvise like him.. =/

[Maikovich]

Well done.

[germzneverdie]

this is INSANE!!!

[Kevin201818]

terrific!

[wagih2000]

thanx for publishing... u made my day :)

thank you

[Nevataries]

That's some amazing improvisation!

[pobinr]

Nice. Sounds like a medley of Bach pieces than a true improv.

[sirbil]

Thats because when Mr. Goldstein improvises he's actually creating instant composition...in this case influenced by Bach

[christian6657]

really fantastic!

[kizumevoli]

wow this is great. this peice greatly reflects bach's toccata in e minor. the way the chords change delicatly from major to minor. it is like a delicacy for my ears.i pratice at improving and drem of havving this amount of skill.

[gracha123]

cycle of fifths anyone? awesome would love to be able to improvise like that.

[DeMars3]

Yes, much of the piece revolves around this infamous chord progression pattern.

[kizumevoli]

infamous? fiths is my favorite chord progression

[DeMars3]

Mine also... I say infamous because it is so widely used in the Baroque and early Classical period, and I feel like it's almost too good to be true. You know what I mean? I feel like its so simple, yet so beautiful.

[jiking94]

i just started playing, a true novice. how exactly do you develop improvising skills. all i do now is just play notes from a book, seems so routine mechanical. what steps do you take in order to improvise like this?

[Bulasz]

Well at first you have to get some skill at playing in general...then you have to improvise a lot thanks to which you get to feel the music way better and after some time you can improvise easily playing with both your hands just exactly what you want to...at least thats what I do and already after about 4 months of doing so I have pretty decent effects. But it really takes time and first you should improve your skills in general so that when it comes to improvising theres nothing you cant play.

[Smaejdah]

Learn musictheory, harmony, counterpoint and such, analyze the pieces you are playing :)

[Froggie3]

Amazing...but watching in profile,

i feel like saying I didn't know Bobby Knight played piano!

[Lypur]

Wow, I wasn't sure people with skill like you in improvisation still existed! This was a real treat to watch!

[polarkit]

that's amazing. i luv the way he moves with the rhythm of the music

[edwinstar100]

lovely!

[bestretreiver]

Hi,

I enjoyed your playing and your wonderful contrapuntal lines.

Maybe you can enjoy my Beethoven improvisation, too.

Just type in my name: friedrich bauer

best regards from germany

[musie8]

He calls that a wram-up?

[musie8]

--no he calls it a WARM-up.

[goodridgewinners]

i bet bach, clementi, scaraltti are so jealous they werent around to see the types of pianos that are developed today. You are able to pull such a gorgeous sound of of the piano, and your soul. Absolutely gorgeous piece.

Its like a 2oth century baroque style.

Very jealous :P

[nuckles007]

hard to believe its improvised

[nuckles007]

whoa

[lilyankee812]

Wow. William Goldstein, you are AMAZING. I am doing a Music class project and I have to make examples of different time period musics and write down the Structers and Expressive elements...and this is just amazing, wow. It was really good, keep it up!

[ivrykeys]

very cool!

[FranklinDisco]

Absolutely beautiful. Very, very good.

[NeoComposer]

Wow, very impressive!!!!! Maybe I can learn something from you. I improvise on styles that range from Baroque to Modern-Contemporary and this is really good^^! Bravo!!!!

[indigoblue555]

Is there a CD available ?

[sirbil]

You can order a DVD of improvisations including this one at the william goldstein website, ask for "Of The Moment"

[NorbertZF]

Very good! I improvise too, i.e. preludes, fugues, suites, etc. Born too late though for anyone to appreciate it or for me to make a living at it.

[sirbil]

would love to hear your improvisations

[nuckles007]

please make videos i love this type of music

[racon]

just perfect