J.S. Bach - Prelude & Fuga BWV 541, T. Koopman

[KV4671]

Hier hoor ik het bloed van de sterren

[KV4671]

Wat een heerlijk aanstekend verhaal wordt hier neergezet. Dit is pure positieve energie die alle kredietcrises uit mijn hoofd bannen

[b3stgl1tch3r]

those sunglasses are cynism to his blindness for ppl who didnt know that.

[Siberiaeterna]

Sunglasses and wig suits him because he is a Master!

[lillonaute]

Another 7 minutes of robotic staccato from Koopman, who rushes passages essential to the piece's harmonic development and fails to understand the final cadence.

[avginkel]

@lillonaute you wouldn't say that if you knew that the only way you can play a pipe organ from before 1800, is in the staccato way. Essentially, that's the only way Bach could have played it, because the instrument mechanics of those times didn't give him any other choice.

[PatrickCoolman1966]

I didn't know that there were such modern sunglasses at that time......

[Trinitrotolaissance]

@PatrickCoolman1966 I can assure you that this is all authentic!

[peteacher52]

@Trinitrotolaissance  I think the horrible bit refers to the picture of JSB in sunnies! Must say I wondered about the comment too.

[DeusMisereremei]

Semplicemente orribile! Povero Bach!!! :( Simply Horrible! Poor Bach!

[Trinitrotolaissance]

@DeusMisereremei Cool glasses, nice music, trust me: Bach is in his element here! ;-)

[DeusMisereremei]

@Trinitrotolaissance Not for Forkel, who wrote the first biography of Bach: he was a great friend of his sons and he tell us how Bach play the organ: solemn and like an high spirit, like an human choir singing an hymn. If you want to listen the real Bach, you have to listen Wolfgang Ruebsam, Helmut Walcha, Karl Richter, Fernando Germani and Albert Schweitzer!

[peteacher52]

@DeusMisereremei  And the Dutch master, Piet Kee.

[gibedo1]

Un grande Bach per un grande interprete

. grazie

[gibedo1]

Un grande Bach un grande interprete

. grazie

[Trinitrotolaissance]

@gibedo1 went to this page to check your reply and lovely sound of Bach filled my ears, thanks! ;-)

[mahelander]

Bach Became blind, and that is most likely why he wore dark glasses

[Trinitrotolaissance]

@mahelander His guidedog and -stick are, unfortunately, not in the frame.

[gbaune]

@mahelander Neu in der Bachforschung ist die Erkenntnis, dass Bach Alters-Diabetes gehabt haben dürfte.

[JorisCeoen]

Well, I'm personally not too much for Ton Koopman, but like all organists, they have their good and bad shots. I find the Prelude and Fugue in G major from TK oneof the best possibly to find just because it HAS to be playedfast (not too fast either), and that's where I like TK. Also the same for the Dorische Toccata. However, there it stops... Then I'll listen to Bernard Foccroulle, or Marie Claire Alain. I never found a descent version of BWV 535. That's all I have to say.

[Classicalguy12]

Where was this played?

[Sakurazuka1999]

The more I listen to Koopman's interpretation, the more I love it.

I like it because it is far more desacralized than other player.

One can be found the prelude a little bit too fast, but the tempo of the fugue is gorgeous.

And about the sunglasses : You forgott the text below said : I'll be Bach :)

[Trinitrotolaissance]

@Sakurazuka1999 I want your girl, your motorcycle, AND your organ.

[redbull101991]

@Sakurazuka1999 In my opinion his interpretations aren't desacralized. They sound just so baroque :)

[gbaune]

In welchem Peters-Band steht dieses Stück ?

[breukie1992]

@gbaune in peters-Band 2 seite 7. g-dur

[gbaune]

@breukie1992 Danke !

[giladiad]

חמוש במשקפיים! - אהבתי. אימרו כן לבאך!

[peteacher52]

Who is right in terms of tempo and registration? Period or modern instrument? Famous Dutch 'cellist Anner Bylsma hit the nail on the head when he said, "In our search for authenticity, we may well hit upon the exact way the composer intended a piece to be played, but move on to something else, not recognising the fact." Ton Koopman, Evald Kooiman (RIP), Jos van der Kooy, Piet Kee and others, all brilliant and each offering something exciting and different, playing the same composer.

[starbreez3]

LOL, this is awesome, my friends tell me they think it's hard to disassociate organ music from church, I showed them some stuff from Bach, they have some different opinion now :P, and this picture is like out-of-this-word funny xD

[CembaloMeister]

Love Koopman's interpretation!

[EccentricRichard]

Koopman's performances seem to divide opinion: I'd have said that this was a little on the fast side for the scholarly types. But, for heaven's sake, he makes it DANCE! He brings it to life! I used to think that Bach was very dusty and mathematical, but I have grown to appreciate the way that - in the right hands - it has this joyous sense of rhythm and dance to it.

[Camofcalgary]

Bach...with shades.

So much win!

[angietihi]

Thanks Brocco, that is the most amazing information. Google has given me even more info. The triplex canon is interesting but so mathematical! Stating the obvious link. Any reason why there is so much flaming in this bunch of comments? btw not understanding comment about "jerky change of momentum", I feel the pulse is constant. Why so much criticism of Koopman (the dear old queen) I wonder. Jealousy probably.

[wcbroccoli]

What is the point of the adding dark glasses to Bach's portrait? Do you think he was blind? He wasn't.

If you put up a portrait of Beethoven, would you add an ear trumpet?

[angietihi]

I have often wondered about the piece of music in his hand in this portrait, it only appears to have about 6 bars on it. I have photocopies of his original partitions in my copies of the 48 preludes and fugues. They seem to be normal size and are very interesting to refer to if there is a conflict in the modern edition, particularly concerning accidentals. With or without sunnies Bach was always cool to me, even as a teenager. But I wasnt very cool!

[wcbroccoli]

@angietihi Bach is holding a copy of his triple canon for 6 Voices (BWV 1076) which he presented to Lorenz Christoph Mizler's "Society for Musical Sciences", founded in 1738, as a puzzle canon when he joined in 1747. Lorenz, a former student of Bach, had long been trying to persuade him to join. Bach apparently waited until he could become the 14th member (14=B+A+C+H). New members were required to submit a portrait and an original work. This portrait and the canon were Bach's submissions.

[reinux]

@wcbroccoli oh wow go ahead and accuse me of having no sense of drama, but you sir have absolutely no sense of humor either.

if you want to get theoretical about that too, it's a comedic technique called anachronism.

by the way bach actually was near-blind by the end of his life.

[wcbroccoli]

An anachronism is something that's misplaced chronologically. It has nothing to do with tempo changes or the dim. 7th chord (D c# e' g' b'flat) at the fermata, serving as V (in key of D) and resolving to D.

The same chord appears 6 measures before the end of the prelude, where it extends for an entire measure.

.

BTW. Many people are near-blind by the end of life. Bach was not blind when Haussmann painted that portrait in 1748 --- about 2 years before Bach's death.

[firebreathone3]

@wcbroccoli

That is actually quite funny :)

cheers

[kintetu21000]

バッハさん、いい曲残してくれてありがとう！

[LtTemeraire]

King Koopman, my favourite organist

i highly recommend his interpretation of the Toccata and Fugue, BWV 565

[angietihi]

That "heavy" chord is intentional and has been on every recording i have heard. The drama it adds is enormous. Definitely not a joke. Koopman is impeccable always.

[eliufus]

Me gusta: el preludio, la fuga, Bach, este órgano y Koopman; o sea: todo.

[poopingeneral]

Bach I can somehow see wearing sunglasses.  But thats because he's been cool for 300+ years. :-)

[reinux]

i don't know why, but i can totally see him wearing shades if such things existed in the day.

i wonder what's up with the ending to this piece. i can't help but wonder if he was pulling a joke with his heavy chord at 5:56. or maybe that's just a result of koopman's expression.

[reinux]

@wcbroccoli well gee i'm sooo sorry i have no sense of drama. maybe i should go shove my head in a theory textbook and cry myself to sleep in shame. then would i be dramatic enough for your approval?

it still seems to me like an unusually jerky change in momentum coming from bach, especially with the quick return to tempo and key right after.

[wcbroccoli]

I never said you have no sense of drama. You said that.

[wcbroccoli]

@reinux There's no "jerky change in momentum". The harmonic momentum had already slowed down over a pedal point on D that began 4 beats BEFORE the "heavy chord" at the fermata. That chord serves as the dominant of D. The fermata merely delays the resolution to D. After a fermata, the original tempo resumes and the harmony resolves to D.

[reinux]

@wcbroccoli we should make you wear shades. that'd look hilarious.

[wcbroccoli]

@reinux It would be hilarious --- to 6th graders.

[Askelairlines747]

Bach is a GENIUS

guess people who dislike classical/ Baroque have been lured here because of that portrait xDd it is awesome :-D

[bobmusick]

Haha, I love tht portrait of Bach, (even tho the real one is good too). All of my friends hate classical/baroque music, so I asked them if they thought Bach was cool and when they said no, I showed them this pic.

Great fugue btw lol

[Trinitrotolaissance]

haha, now THAT is why I took this from google and used it. Great!

[FriendlyCroock]

Bach is not exactly baroque

it`s like a combination of baroque and something else

Vivaldi is the same in my opinion but others don`t think so.

[MegaYada]

@bobmusick , make them watch 'Amadeus' Many people love classical after they get to know Mozart :)

[GerardvanR]

This portrait of Bach gives me the same impression as the execution of our Antoine Marchand.

[Trinitrotolaissance]

But why?

[GerardvanR]

The portrait of Bach let us see a contemporary Bach (in Bach's time there didn't exist sunglasses) and Antoine Marchand is a contemporary musician with a modern view upon our musical world with all musical aspects which are connected with that world, even as a barock specialist. So, the resemblance between the portrait of Bach and Antoine's execution is not striking to me.

[KoopmansFanGranada]

@GerardvanR And could you please explain us why Koopman's view is a modern one, instead of a Baroque one?

[KoopmansFanGranada]

@GerardvanR

I think that another question quold be interesting: which baroque essays about interpretation have you read and used to say that Koopman's rendition is not Baroque?

[GerardvanR]

@KoopmansFanGranada As a musicologist I've read a lot of books about baroque interpretation. In many of these books you can read that organ playing is different than playing on other keyboard instruments, because of the acoustic conditions in the church, the distance between the player and the listeners and the religious atmosphere in the church. Koopman plays the organ like a recorder player, sitting in a small room with his public sitting around him.

[Ant2101]

Omg I'm LOVING that fugue!!!! Best counterpoint that I've ever heard :):)

[kbuehpiano]

excellent playing and recording - thanks!

[ibsayem1337]

my god

[BlindfoldBach]

I love the cadence at 2:34. It sounds so climactic as if it could end right there... and then it carries on for another 8 seconds. Bach, the greatest of counterpoint!

[Trinitrotolaissance]

Ha! Bach and his little cadences, never ending when you think they do, always having a little hidden difficulty in them when the ending does carry on. Sometimes he even fools you with "fake" voices starting out in a fugue. Love it.

[ppphansppp]

But at 2:34 + 8 seconds really ends prelude...

[sergej992]

I've got the same Bach's glasses !

[Trinitrotolaissance]

Impossible, these glasses were custom made by topnotch sun glass creators during the baroque period. Only one was made, just for Bach.

They say he melted it into a special ink, for writing his very last composition.

[sergej992]

OH guys, I like this kind of stuff

[ntzibanas]

very nice koopman its my favorite !!!!

[AndrewOrgelspieler]

Too fast and therefore no phrasing = unmusical.

I get the feeling he's running late for a lesson somewhere else.

He plays the organ like a harpsichord forgetting each pipe MUST have time to speak

it's not like plucking strings.

This piece must always have the final note of prelude played as writ @ one beat only = motio perpuendo.

[robroy1989]

I have to disagree it's not so fast it's just perfect........no offence

[klmnps]

Simply great!

[teccezza]

TON KOOPMAN UP!!!

[poopingeneral]

haha I got goose bumps, and my nipples got hard from listening to this prelude!!!

[parakeethands]

yes..too "bright" of a performance, hence the sporting of the sunglasses by Bach.

[pipeup1]

Ok, I am VERY slow to criticise Koopman (and most unworthy!!) but nevertheless the prelude sounds somewhat undefined to me. The bass line is strong and clear but he seems to "play through" much of the other voices, and I don't just mean the quick tempo. I know, he's an amazing organist - so I'm ready for the barrage back at me for saying this!!

[polymath7]

I for one will not contribute to any such barrage. Although I must echo your sentiments of reticence and unworthiness, I quite agree with you.

Perhaps this has something to do with the instrument itself?

[pipeup1]

Glad to hear that I'm not imagining this! His pedel technique is amazing - but at times I just cannot hear the left hand line. And although its very impressive, its still a touch too fast for my taste. I'll stop criticising now and just enjoy!:-)

[poopingeneral]

I know for a fact this organ is very out of tune, it needs a bit of tuning, the sounds are to high, and not very crisp. a good years worth of cleaning, and it will sound like heaven on earth, so I don't this is any of Ton Koopman's doing, I clean organs all the time, I do it professionally, this is a dirty organ. 1-3 years of cleaning at least.

[Trinitrotolaissance]

But you all do need to remember this is crappy youtube quality

[ForestChav]

It's not out of tune. It is Muller's original tuning and Niedhardt temperament. It's not the same as 440 and equal but neither existed in Bach's day.

Ahrend touched it and he's the greatest organ restorer. :)

[ccoraxfan]

Every organ's out of tune, it's just a matter of how bad! But I know what you mean, a lot of older temperaments sound strange to our ears because we're just not used to them.

[wh3r3swaldo]

This piece is closer to G# than G.... given that I have perfect pitch

[Bachlives2]

the organ is tuned with chorton Pitch. Organs in that aerea of Erope in the 18th century were almost always tuned a semitone higher of not two semitones

[ccoraxfan]

People who brag about their perfect pitch seldom have anything to say that I want to hear. What did you do to earn your perfect pitch?

Music is art, and as such is relative. It can sound beautiful at non-standard pitch or different temperaments, or it can sound plain and unappealing at standard pitch and temperament. What matters is the impression you get, not how «correct» it is.

[wcbroccoli]

The notion of "perfect pitch" is bullshit.

A=440 is not law of nature. No one is born with his ears calibrated to A=440.

A=440 did not become an international standard until the 1950s.

Bach encountered several pitch standards in his work environment.

Organs were often pitched higher than A=440, chamber music pitched at A=415 or even down to A=392, depending on the flute pitch.

This organ seems to be pitched at about A=470.

[metarzan73]

What a load of codswallop.Enjoy the music. Who cares about the technicalities

[wcbroccoli]

No one is forcing you to read or reply to anyone's comments.

And no one's enjoyment of the music could possibly be disrupted by anyone's comments.

As for "who cares about the technicalities", apparently many others do,

for as anyone can see, I didn't start the topic.

Don't tell me what I can or cannot comment about.

If you don't care about "the technicalities", then just shut the fuck up.

[KoopmansFanGranada]

The rendition is outstanding, as well as the organ. Like you say, A=440 Hz is unnatural, and I'd add boring.

You are right, this organ is about A=470 Hz, exactly A=466. I can't explain myself how can someone prefer A=440 Hz...

[Trinitrotolaissance]

Hmm yes. Remember, it doesn't just end at that. The temperament/tuning can also change the texture of the music.

There's an interesting story about A on 440Hz by the way. They say A=432Hz is more in "tune" with the universe and human energy. Worth googlin' out.

[KoopmansFanGranada]

Mmm... It's interesting, I have just read it, but i don't believe that (in one of the sites it was said that A=432 Hz was the tuning for all the instrumentes until 100 years ago, when we all know that in the Baroque era instruments where tuned (in central - northern Europe) at Kammerton, Chorton, Kirkenton or Cornetton, for example ...).

[KoopmansFanGranada]

Have you ever read "The Foucault's pendulum" by Umberto Eco? When they started to give numbers and information so to support their theories about A=432 Hz and nature, it reminded me so much to the moment in which (in that book) Agliè (I think it was him) starts talking about numerology in Egyptian pyramids and also in newspaper kiosks... If you have read it you will remember that it's (although the information looks very revealing and, of course, real) a bit weird and pathetic...

[KoopmansFanGranada]

Have you ever read "The Foucault's pendulum" by Umberto Eco? When they started to give numbers and information so to support their theories about A=432 Hz and nature, it reminded me so much to the moment in which (in that book) Agliè (I think it was him) starts talking about numerology in Egyptian pyramids and also in newspaper kiosks... If you have read it you will remember that it's (although the information looks very revealing and, of course, real) a bit weird and pathetic...

[KoopmansFanGranada]

Oh, I'm sorry, i posted it two times and didn't notice...

[Trinitrotolaissance]

No, I haven't read that one. I've read a lot of other stuff though, it's still interesting. It seems numbers have an important meaning, everywhere. But stuff tends to get boring when people come up with calculations and what not.

But in the end the only thing that matters is whether you enjoy the music or not. 440, 432, 470, equal tempered, mean tone...

[KoopmansFanGranada]

Oh, well, I highly recommend you that book, it's a great one (as every Umberto Eco's book). It's a criticism to the esotericism, especially to the esotericism about Templars (a subject that this writer loves and about which he is a true connoisseur, as about many others subjects...).

Yeah, you are right, the most important thing is enjoying the music, and it can be enjoyed at every pitch, temperament...

[KoopmansFanGranada]

And the best way to enjoy Baroque music is doing it with Ton Koopman, despite what some people say. By the way! talking about enjoying good music, yhe opera omnia of Bach organ works played by Ton Koopman has been recently re-released! And that's one of the best ways to listen to music, tuned at 440, 475, 490... ;)

[Bachlives2]

This organ is tuned to neihdhart. It is in tune. it is apparent that you only know of equal temperament at a=440. I think you should do some research on eraly eropean organs. and then your mind can soar free among the greatest organs in the world

[RaelSpice]

J.S Bach and Nicholas Tesla are to guys i would like to meet along with Jimmy Hendrix haha :o)Perfect creation

[annedenhartigh]

Veel te snel gespeeld. Het pedaal komt helemaal niet op gang met deze snelheid.

De schoonheid van de muziek gaat hier grotendeels verloren. Jammer, want zijn techniek is perfect.

[willowthebored]

It's a little bright, but the performance itself is excellent. No complaints.

[codonauta]

Too much sunlight in the Saxonia. :o)

[Markyuser]

ich liebe dieses stück! es ist so hervorragend gespielt und brilliant im ton und einfach nur atemberaubend!

[chrischi19]

Wow, Ton Koopman rocks

[legrandchene]

En fait, sur l'image, c'est notre ami Ton ! Il a mis une perruque pour masquer sa calvitie, il s'est rasé de près pour cette occasion et il a mis des lunettes de soleil, comme les vedettes de cinéma. Tout ça pour se faite passer pour feu Jean-Sébastien. On pourrait s'y tromper tellement Koopman est une véritable réincarnation vivante du Maître de Leipzig. Du grand art !

[melman74b]

Ton Koopman is one of the best, but I like Hans Fagius too... Koopman does the organ works for the Bach 2000 set, and Fagius does them for the Brilliant Classics Bach Edition. Comparing the two organists work-for-work, I find myself preferring one or the other - I'm just glad I have them both!! Maybe I'll post Fagius' version of this sometime... While the work definitely needs to be taken at a quick tempo, I feel that Koopman kind of rushes this one.

[buxtehude07]

man, this is awesome! bach, the greatest man ever!

[Guilloufan]

what do you think of Vierne et Gigout ?

[Franchoancho]

Viva Bach

[ZoeEGrace]

He looks like Whitely!

[Bonbonrouge]

just great music!

[Alessio19081991]

Fantastico!

[joeyboi87]

love the sunglasses on mr bach!

[Trinitrotolaissance]

his future is so bright, he needs to wear shades.

[pianopera]

Looks kinda cool!

☻-☻ ~

[wolfgangmartin]

Wonderful!!!Lovely performance :)

[EliaMarius]

bellissima

[firebreathone]

A-m-a-z-i-n-g

[firebreathone]

A-m-a-z-i-n-g

[JerzyDude732]

JSB looks so cool...nice shades dude...lol