Those of you who don't know anything about Salieri aside from the fact he was in the movie Amadeus - Sailieri was a great composer in his own right. Try his Requiem in C minor
I think Gould better than anyone conveys the ideal of separate voices carrying on a conversation. Listening to such pure beauty, it is almost impossible to understand how we as human beings have caused the destruction that we have. Then again, reading some of the comments posted here we can at least understand the kind of mentality required to do so.
I am currently a music major studying guiar. I would imagine that getting through this particular piece would be espescially difficult, it being in c-sharp! ahh! Geez man! What the hell! Take it down a half step! or up! hahaha!
I love seeing the score along with the music. Could you make the page turns a little faster, though? I keep missing the top of the next page. Maybe for the next video, change pages in the middle or on the last beat of the last bar.
I have the impression that this flaw is due to his lack of musical sensitivity. Gould is either speed demon (as with the case in this prelude) or incredibly dull (live concerts like BWV 1052). In either cases his style is plain, dry and tasteless.
I disagree with that in ceartain cases. His goldberg variations in my opinion adds nice, lively musical contur to Bachs pieces, instead of playing them with no dynamic change or diverse tempo (how Bachs pieces were notated then, since he wrote for the harpsicord). Goulds interpretations of the inventions are another great example of unique and more up-beat interpretations of Bachs music (a far cry from plain, dry and tasteless) Listin to Bareneboim, or amatures play Bach. Most have what I term
@Theonedue Well, I must confess that I have (slightly) changed my opinion toward Gould after watching the video "Thirty two short films on Glenn Gould" which a friend of mine sent me two weeks ago together with the copy of (almost) all CDs of Bach's pieces that Gould plays.
So, though I still prefer performances on periodic instruments, I think I can imagine how and why Gould has chosen his style.
By the way, I agree with your opinion on Bareneboim's "highschool graduation recital quality".
I doubt Bach actually notated Vivace on this prelude and fuge piece. Back then musical tempo was realitive to opinion and was conceptualized independently from a metranomal marking (those devices were not around in Bachs time). Fast to Bach could have been slow for Mozart, ect. The inventions are a good example; all tempo markings are add-ons to the piece by performers.
@willsoneto I love Gould, but this is kind of too fast for me. When I play it, personally I like it tad slower so I can hear a lot of the awesome sequences that occur. And to hear the out lining chords. He plays it so fast it really flies by the ear. GG is still awesome!
I really wonder how amazing Bach was on the keyboard. Remember he was famed for being a performer, not a composer...C.P.E. Bach himself said his father had two main compositional styles. He would either compose away from the keyboard using lots of theory and then try out the piece on the keyboard. He was also a master improvisor who would write down what he improvised later. The end of this piece is improvisatory and Bach could probably play things like that just by improvising.
I think in the move "Amadeus," after Mozart rapes Salieri on the harpsichord in front of the king and shit, Bach should come in and play fugue in c# minor, embarrassing Mozart, just like Mozart just did to Salieri. And then Salieri starts wetting his hate pants over Bach, except Bach gets Salieri drunk, high and laid, so Salieri's cool with him. After Bach finishes the fugue, Bach hikes up his pants, walks over to Mozart and says, "Best watch yo' back, cuz."
@signinname41 In the ultra director's cut of "Amadeus," Bach says to Mozart, "You better watch yo' back, CAUSE I'M FUCKIN' UP YOUR PROGRAM!!!"
Later on when Constanze, Mozart's wife, is pressured into coming to Salieri's place for sex and Salieri wimps out, Bach emerges from the drapes, as the intro to "When Doves Cry" starts to play. He puts out his grape-flavored blunt and then gives Constanze the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and last orgasm of her life.
@signinname41 You are, like, retarded. Like, I'm not even being cute or anything. So...stfu honey, or find alternate means to express your unique brand of witticism.
As for Gould's performance: cerebral, sharp, and beautiful, as usual.
@kalosneanios I'm actually offended by the raging mediocrity of your attempt to school me. There's something very "I just learned the internet with the Netzero CD i got in the mail. Hey, what's this "Google" stuff?" about the way you worded all of that. If all that was said to be ironic/tongue in cheek, then bravo. Otherwise....shame on you, Netzero. Giving the internet to just anyone, including underfed hill people, as is evident here, is a grave moral crime.
@signinname41 All your statement is support in this asumption: if Hollywood say something, this something «have to be the true». The great problem is that Hollywood invent and lies with the same easy way you or me, eat a sandwich!...
Sorry, but in real history, Salieri never touch to Mozart, and was a honest musican, also was a teacher of another great composer: Schubert. The greater talent of Mozart «was and is a subject of fact»; he did not nead to prove nothing! (Sorry about my english)
@signinname41 You obviously haven't heard the miraculous 5-voiced fugue of the last movement of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, which "proved the existence of God", according to Woody Allen,
so shut up and keep listening to your favourite Bach tunes with your limited understanding of music
@signinname41 you know my dear I was a teacher, this is not my technique. My alumni were sometimes ill and almost all were so poor and it was very hard to get the best of them. The music was the joy to give them the joy of it to TRANSFER convey this feel, I have never ever thought of making fun of the worst of my boys in the choir. sincerely your servant Johann Sebastian Bach Cantor Leipzig
@fdeanbetts It's always fun to sight read a piece with the maximum number of sharps possible lol (and it's not hard... every note is sharped... a lot easier than if it was D-flat lol)
it really annoys me when glenn gould hums when he's playing. I said so on a G.G. (not allin, hardy harr) video and everyone gave me shit, but it's like come on. Play it like Bach wants. In spite of all that shit, this shit is the best shit ever shit.
woo-hoo! it appears I can still read music! It's been at least 30 years since I played anything seriously and I haven't had the occasion to read any music since then. Woo hoo! :)
@Chakiejan I'm going to agree with him, actually. Glenn Gould plays the prelude way too fast, in my opinion. I highly doubt Bach would have approved of such a performance.
Yeah, I find the prelude a little fast too, but it has a nice shape. I really like the fugue though... the best thing about Gould is that he never makes Bach sound boring, which is something many pianists tend to do.
For some reason it says that the music is: Glenn Gould playing Prélude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major - could you please change this? It is Prelude and Fugue no. 3 in C# Major. Thankyou!
I'm not a pianist so I never understood.... why is Glenn Gould so famous for his Bach playing? The first time I heard his playing I almost avoided listening to Bach's keyboard works altogether. Until Richter of course.
@RedWasabii As I understand he started playing bach in a another way than was done earlier by other pianists. He use a more staccato way of playing and bringing out the different vioces more clerarly. From what I heard he do not use that much rubato.
Richter once told Rostropovich that if he worked as hard as Gould, he could play Bach just as well. Gould spoke of Richter as "one of the most powerful musical communicators the world of music has produced in our time". Interesting men.
@gr0mithtimon That's quite interesting. Thanks for sharing. Rostropovich also attempted to render the Bach Cello Suite authentically in his own way like Richter and Gould had done but sadly many label his recording as overly romantic and insensitive.
i love gould and his unique bach interpretations but there is no comparison. Richter is the greatest classical pianist of the 20th century. It's amazing that Richters bach was so good even though he had a HUGE repertoire and loved schubert.
Oh my, I made a spelling mistake. Good job on pointing that out. Perhaps you want to continue in another language, one more natural to me. Also, irregardless of my limited fluency in English, I dare say the words "best" and "greatest" are interchangeable in this context. Finally, you missed my point, which was that there is no "best pianist", not even a "best pianist in my opinion". Its somewhat like saying "the most green in my opinion". Favorite pianist, yes. Best pianist, no.
I found many people think this prelude is played to fast. I think I know why, and that is that it depends on the listener if they can hear the line that Gould was clearly hearing in his playing. What is the line in the prelude? It is certainly not the firing sixteenth notes. It's in a simple, lyrical melody in a much clearer eighth-note melody (find it in the score). Listening to that line, you can find the tempo is very appropriate for the prelude, with a little Gould flare.
@JChangPianist Your eighth note melody theory is nonsense! Tempo is not determined by a piece's slower/slowest note. It is related to style. 3/8 time is a dance form.
I've mastered many Bach fugues, but always found this one frustratingly difficult, not least of which because the C-sharp major key signature confuses me in the midst of playing (I suppose if I memorized it, it would become easier).
If anyone enharmonically transposed it to D-flat major, I'd probably have an easier time of it.
@hoodloom22 in your opinion, hoodloom, what are the two or three hardest key signatures (I assume you mean for piano/harpsichord/keyboard instruments in general), and why? Thanks. :)
@malma1 If GG had released 10 versions of each of these, like he would have liked, everyone could have picked their favorites. But now these few interpretations will be forever associated with him. It's not fair or representative or realistic, so there's little use arguing about them..
@jerbiebarb I couldn't agree more with you. Also I think the fast tempo is worth it for the last eight bars of the prelude which are uncontrollably adorable.
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Daniel Chorzempa completely owns Gould with this work - fugue needs to be slower and played on the Clavichord to expressively realise the galant nature of this beautiful piece. Gould plays a flattened 9th at 21.6 seconds where usually a regular 9th.
The ritardando (starting on the diminished 7th run in preparation for the ending) was very effective, and the arpeggiated ending (1st chord) was a nice touch. These little details put his signature on this performance.
@ohlordbabyjesus Please, not those two men within the same breath. And what is this cult of Chuck Norris, anyway? Last time I checked he was a semi-literate B-movie actor, who seems to think he speaks for the founding fathers'; which, in fitting with most blathering on the "constitution", means he picks and chooses what suits his personal beliefs.
@ohlordbabyjesus I think Gould would disagree. He was adamant that the pianist express himself or herself in their interpretation, rendering meaningless the way "it's supposed to be" played. Even more to the point, who is to say that the pianist couldn't have more insight into the structure of a work than the composer?
And I thought I played this one fast...I'm playing it to about 208 bpm for the eighth notes right now...but he's probably doing 100 bpm per dotted quarter whereas the equivalent to what I'm doing would be about 69 per dotted quarter.
I'm thoroughly enjoying the debate, and I respect music as a Holy Art too. Music is the most important aspect of my life.
Personally, I'd rather adherence to the score but I won't scold anyone for trying to convey some other meaning to the said piece of music. It's like the Godowsky studies, they weren't written in spite of Chopin and I think they have became an important next-step in the progression of pianism. I respect your views though Pischnaholic, we just agree to disagree here.
Since you're interested in the Godowsky "expansions" as I call them, what do you think of Marc André Hamelin?
I've reached a stage where pianism for the sake of pianism seems empty to me. I decided earlier today that I truly HATE Liszt's Mazeppa -- and not because I can't play it.
I think Hamelin is a very talented artist, he is definitely up there in my top 5 favorites. I may be a little bias though, he grew up in Verdun Montreal which is about 15 minutes away from where I live across the Saint Lawrence River. :)
Mazeppa is a very flashy piece, it has it's qualities of course but I hate it because I can't play it! My favorite etude is Vision #6, which intrigues me so much more than all the rest for some reason. Have you listened to Liszt's Grand Concert Solo?
I'm trying to decide which Bach prelude and fugue I should play next. It took me a while just to read through the prelude. The C sharp major sounds incredibly impressive and it's much harder than it sounds. This would definitely be a challenge for me. I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet though. After hearing Glenn Gould play it, I wouldn't want to play a mediocre version of it.
Well, so am I. It's a small world, isn't it? Speaking of which, thanks for uploading this, because it's great being able to hear how a professional plays it.
Be sure to listen to Rupert Egerton-Smith's performance. He provides a warmer more expressive, less self-aggrandizing model that's equally virtuosic. RES is a joy to behold.
This Gould is expert, brilliant, extremely well-controlled but devoid of any sense of personal identification with the music. It is as though GG sought to makes himself sound as much as possible like a computerized robot.
Do listen to RUPERT EGERTON-SMITH. Also Angela Hewitt and Agi Jambor and Landowska.
You and your Rupert Egerton-Smith everywhere I go! :)
I think Glenn's is MUCH better, no offense. Rupert is very good, don't get me wrong but you're pitting his talents against one of the finest musicians of our time.
In THIS performance Gould is expert, brilliant, extremely well-controlled but devoid of any sense of personal identification with the music. It is as though GG sought to makes himself sound as much as possible like a computerized robot.
Gould was a Jekyll/Hyde interpreter. Angelic, exquisite -- as in the Bb Major Partita, coldly satanic and mechanical as in this -- or cynically affected as in the Chromatic Fantasy.
PS: I would hate to hear GG play Gaspard, just as I hate to hear him play Chopin.
When he was good, he was superb, but often his interpretations were perverted. Beethoven Opus 109 is an excellent case in point.
I'm glad you recognize virtue in Rupert Egerton-Smith. I am not "pitting him against" anyone -- just trying to see that he gets a seat at the table, as it were.
Well maybe that's where we differ, as I would LOVE to hear him play Gaspard because I know for better or worse that he would do something fresh/interesting with it.
On the subject of Ravel, what did you think of his transcription and performance of La Valse for one pianist?
Don't get me wrong, I think Rupert is phenomenally talented, but Glenn Gould, despite his eccentricities, had great taste and was probably the keenest musician of his era.
I wouldn't call his interpretations perverted, it's music, it's not the end of the world to take a few liberties. Maybe we just have a completely different philosophy about music and that's alright.
The Nelson/Martha duo is exceptional there, although I really prefer the two-handed version over the four. In La Valse, Glenn is amazing and showcases a frightening amount of command and musicality.
Ravel was hardly the best pianist but his compositions are STUNNING!
I don't know whether the piano version of La Valse or the orchestration came first. I prefer the solo piano version of Vales Nobles et Sentimentales -- also Pictures at an Exhibition. Moussorgsky DID write PAAE for piano solo first.
Are you saying GG recorded La Valse? Never knew that.
As for the rest, I think of serious music as a Holy Art. "Taking liberties" is fine unless it turns to violent rape of the composer's obvious intentions.
I'll only call it violent rape if someone pays 100 bucks to go see Glenn play their favorite Beethoven pieces and have him turn them all upside down. What he does on compact disc doesn't bother me at all, he doesn't have to adhere to anything. I think he wanted to disturb the status quo a little bit and he achieved just that.
He did record La Valse, and it's the ESSENTIAL recording. There is a video of it floating around on youtube as well but it may have been taken down.
I looked you up, You're a gifted guitarist and apparently Canadian, also still young, is that right?
I'm nearing 70. The difference in age can have a profound effect on values, mores, and perception.
I'm tremendously moved by Mr. Egerton-Smith, because his work expresses the kind of integrity, understanding, personal warmth and expertise I was brought up to revere.
50 years ago I felt as you do about GG. Egocentric iconoclasm no longer thrills me.
I will try and upload it tonight at some point, although my windows movie maker is giving me trouble.
Thank you for the kind words, although I have a hard time agreeing with the thought of being gifted. I'm 23 and live in Montreal, Quebec.
I'm humbled by the notion of sharing my views with a music fan of 50 years! Luckily Glenn still thrills me, I have a pretty esoteric taste in music though. Do you like any modern composers?
Modern composers? It depends what you mean by that. I am crazy about Poulenc, Messiaen, enjoy Bartok and Prokofiev in limited doses. Stravinsky is tolerable. I've actually enjoyed rare performances of Wozzeck and Lulu at the Met.
I find it very hard to relate to "Pop" music, however. Andrew Lloyd Webber disgusts me; he's such a whore.
I love your city. Went to Expo 67. Stayed at the Chateau Champlain and later The Clarendon in Quebec City. Great time!
I hope you noticed how many of GG's recordings I admire greatly? As I said, he showed two distinctly different personalities -- like the two-faced Roman god Janus.
Very good talking with you. Dialogue is rare in these here parts.
Do try to listen to RICKER CHOI'S La Valse. He's a fellow Canadian, if that's any inducement. ;-)
GG playing Ondine? OMG NOOO - I agree! It would lack Romance and beauty of tonal colors, plus generally I think he doesn't really think/play with horizontal line. But perhaps he was the greatest master of contrapuntal music, although for me his playing lacks understanding of Baroque style/performance practice. Just my take.
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Hi,i am looking for a fugue speciallist to tell me what is that chromatic fugue:
youtube.com/watch?v=yotypIIavlQ&list=HL1326399726&feature=mh_lolz
I found it as notes and then i made it with a music notation program
Enlightenment82 2 weeks ago
Those of you who don't know anything about Salieri aside from the fact he was in the movie Amadeus - Sailieri was a great composer in his own right. Try his Requiem in C minor
Superstarrockmetal 4 weeks ago
HA c sharp major what a troll
sirshitsalot007 1 month ago
@sirshitsalot007 i know right!... as if learning fugues isn't already enough of pain, THANKS JOHANN
mikejr41387 2 weeks ago
I think Gould better than anyone conveys the ideal of separate voices carrying on a conversation. Listening to such pure beauty, it is almost impossible to understand how we as human beings have caused the destruction that we have. Then again, reading some of the comments posted here we can at least understand the kind of mentality required to do so.
Cancrizans 1 month ago
Really cool way to make the video so I can follow the music and listen.
phionaemc2 3 months ago
what edition is this?
cem1891 3 months ago
What fingering should be used for the alternating notes of the prelude? I've seen people use 2-5 and 1-5.
janjohandealgenman 3 months ago
Wonderful, fast but my ears noticed one note played by mistake.
dosergiobr 3 months ago
@dosergiobr B natural in bar 37 and (I'm not sure of this one) A natural in bar 45
123coolmik 1 month ago in playlist Favorite videos
Is it me that played it wrong all my life or the B note at second 00:20 on the right hand didn't sound sharp?
pianocanival 4 months ago
Was the mistake in the bass scale run? I couldnt hear it.
Theonedue 5 months ago
the simplicity of the cadence at the end of the prelude is proof that bach had a sense of humour
DrLoz3 5 months ago
I am currently a music major studying guiar. I would imagine that getting through this particular piece would be espescially difficult, it being in c-sharp! ahh! Geez man! What the hell! Take it down a half step! or up! hahaha!
ZebrasRuleTheWorld01 5 months ago
I love seeing the score along with the music. Could you make the page turns a little faster, though? I keep missing the top of the next page. Maybe for the next video, change pages in the middle or on the last beat of the last bar.
vanimea 5 months ago
@12345anonymousperson >A good example of technical imperfection
I have the impression that this flaw is due to his lack of musical sensitivity. Gould is either speed demon (as with the case in this prelude) or incredibly dull (live concerts like BWV 1052). In either cases his style is plain, dry and tasteless.
VERITS99 6 months ago
I disagree with that in ceartain cases. His goldberg variations in my opinion adds nice, lively musical contur to Bachs pieces, instead of playing them with no dynamic change or diverse tempo (how Bachs pieces were notated then, since he wrote for the harpsicord). Goulds interpretations of the inventions are another great example of unique and more up-beat interpretations of Bachs music (a far cry from plain, dry and tasteless) Listin to Bareneboim, or amatures play Bach. Most have what I term
Theonedue 5 months ago
Highschool graduation recital quality (if anything those are the "dull" performances of Bachs pieces.
Theonedue 5 months ago
@Theonedue Well, I must confess that I have (slightly) changed my opinion toward Gould after watching the video "Thirty two short films on Glenn Gould" which a friend of mine sent me two weeks ago together with the copy of (almost) all CDs of Bach's pieces that Gould plays.
So, though I still prefer performances on periodic instruments, I think I can imagine how and why Gould has chosen his style.
By the way, I agree with your opinion on Bareneboim's "highschool graduation recital quality".
VERITS99 5 months ago
Mistake is 0:19 - 0:20 ?
tarquin161234 6 months ago
Glen gould always has the wrong tempo!!!
SuperKONR 6 months ago
I doubt Bach actually notated Vivace on this prelude and fuge piece. Back then musical tempo was realitive to opinion and was conceptualized independently from a metranomal marking (those devices were not around in Bachs time). Fast to Bach could have been slow for Mozart, ect. The inventions are a good example; all tempo markings are add-ons to the piece by performers.
Theonedue 5 months ago
@12345anonymousperson you have a good ear sir =D... you aren't the only one who caught that
pianist32795 6 months ago
Disgustingly fast ...
violinoamore 8 months ago in playlist Bach
One of my Favorite 3 voiced fugues!
My senior thesis composition for my counterpoint class, was a fugue in C# major in 4 voices using double counterpoint. I was soo proud of myself :)
Ill have to post that here someday :)
Mahlercougar 8 months ago
Too much fast for me.. but Gould is awesome anyway.
willsoneto 8 months ago
@willsoneto I love Gould, but this is kind of too fast for me. When I play it, personally I like it tad slower so I can hear a lot of the awesome sequences that occur. And to hear the out lining chords. He plays it so fast it really flies by the ear. GG is still awesome!
Mahlercougar 8 months ago
Holy Fucking Seven Sharps.
Wow that's freaking awesome haha.
QueenErrr 8 months ago
I can listen to this over and over again! Sounds so cool! =)
FredrikBergenholtz 9 months ago
Not bad for a start!
ttomace 9 months ago
I really wonder how amazing Bach was on the keyboard. Remember he was famed for being a performer, not a composer...C.P.E. Bach himself said his father had two main compositional styles. He would either compose away from the keyboard using lots of theory and then try out the piece on the keyboard. He was also a master improvisor who would write down what he improvised later. The end of this piece is improvisatory and Bach could probably play things like that just by improvising.
hoodloom22 9 months ago
thanks for making the sheet music the background. it's so much better than just having a picture of the composer like many do
MrAmadeusIII 9 months ago
I think in the move "Amadeus," after Mozart rapes Salieri on the harpsichord in front of the king and shit, Bach should come in and play fugue in c# minor, embarrassing Mozart, just like Mozart just did to Salieri. And then Salieri starts wetting his hate pants over Bach, except Bach gets Salieri drunk, high and laid, so Salieri's cool with him. After Bach finishes the fugue, Bach hikes up his pants, walks over to Mozart and says, "Best watch yo' back, cuz."
signinname41 10 months ago 36
@signinname41 i'm sure thats how it all went down.
yumeybaconcutout 9 months ago
@signinname41 You should rewrite "The history of western music." It would be a fascinating read.
fernandofariajunior 8 months ago
@signinname41 In the ultra director's cut of "Amadeus," Bach says to Mozart, "You better watch yo' back, CAUSE I'M FUCKIN' UP YOUR PROGRAM!!!"
Later on when Constanze, Mozart's wife, is pressured into coming to Salieri's place for sex and Salieri wimps out, Bach emerges from the drapes, as the intro to "When Doves Cry" starts to play. He puts out his grape-flavored blunt and then gives Constanze the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and last orgasm of her life.
signinname41 7 months ago
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kalosneanios 7 months ago
@signinname41 You are, like, retarded. Like, I'm not even being cute or anything. So...stfu honey, or find alternate means to express your unique brand of witticism.
As for Gould's performance: cerebral, sharp, and beautiful, as usual.
kalosneanios 7 months ago
@kalosneanios I'm actually offended by the raging mediocrity of your attempt to school me. There's something very "I just learned the internet with the Netzero CD i got in the mail. Hey, what's this "Google" stuff?" about the way you worded all of that. If all that was said to be ironic/tongue in cheek, then bravo. Otherwise....shame on you, Netzero. Giving the internet to just anyone, including underfed hill people, as is evident here, is a grave moral crime.
signinname41 7 months ago
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@signinname41 I would like to see a film like that!
semicroma 7 months ago
@signinname41 All your statement is support in this asumption: if Hollywood say something, this something «have to be the true». The great problem is that Hollywood invent and lies with the same easy way you or me, eat a sandwich!...
Sorry, but in real history, Salieri never touch to Mozart, and was a honest musican, also was a teacher of another great composer: Schubert. The greater talent of Mozart «was and is a subject of fact»; he did not nead to prove nothing! (Sorry about my english)
Sophiestelle 4 months ago
@signinname41 You are not funny. Just thought I should let you know.
DannyDaWriter 3 months ago
@DannyDaWriter It was funny
TheHerbulator 2 months ago
@TheHerbulator haha nah...
DannyDaWriter 2 months ago
@DannyDaWriter HA! Get it, because we both worded it like a factual statement!?
TheHerbulator 2 months ago
@signinname41 That'd be a neat trick considering Bach died before Mozart was even born.
auro1001 2 months ago
@signinname41 HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Nailed it :-)
sillage78 1 month ago
@signinname41
Lovely alternative scene! I love it!
ilovewiki 1 month ago
@signinname41 You obviously haven't heard the miraculous 5-voiced fugue of the last movement of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony, which "proved the existence of God", according to Woody Allen,
so shut up and keep listening to your favourite Bach tunes with your limited understanding of music
Superstarrockmetal 4 weeks ago
@signinname41 you know my dear I was a teacher, this is not my technique. My alumni were sometimes ill and almost all were so poor and it was very hard to get the best of them. The music was the joy to give them the joy of it to TRANSFER convey this feel, I have never ever thought of making fun of the worst of my boys in the choir. sincerely your servant Johann Sebastian Bach Cantor Leipzig
Mrababab121212 4 weeks ago
BACH's birthday is tomorrow.
30inventionman 10 months ago
I love how the score said pesante at the end :)
RoyalDecapitation 10 months ago
Why not write it in Db?
fdeanbetts 11 months ago
@fdeanbetts It's always fun to sight read a piece with the maximum number of sharps possible lol (and it's not hard... every note is sharped... a lot easier than if it was D-flat lol)
kb27787 10 months ago
it really annoys me when glenn gould hums when he's playing. I said so on a G.G. (not allin, hardy harr) video and everyone gave me shit, but it's like come on. Play it like Bach wants. In spite of all that shit, this shit is the best shit ever shit.
signinname41 11 months ago
woo-hoo! it appears I can still read music! It's been at least 30 years since I played anything seriously and I haven't had the occasion to read any music since then. Woo hoo! :)
bckm54 11 months ago
what the hell is this light speed pianistic garbage
PraeludiumUndFuge 11 months ago
@PraeludiumUndFuge Glen Gould making garbage? And who are you? Oh nobody? Oh I see....
Don't hate just because you are a flat fingered ploding beast.
Chakiejan 11 months ago 10
@Chakiejan I'm going to agree with him, actually. Glenn Gould plays the prelude way too fast, in my opinion. I highly doubt Bach would have approved of such a performance.
colinthepianist 4 months ago
This fugue isn't one of Bach's best.
miiwiiplay 1 year ago
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realywierd 1 year ago
Yeah, I find the prelude a little fast too, but it has a nice shape. I really like the fugue though... the best thing about Gould is that he never makes Bach sound boring, which is something many pianists tend to do.
chelseadesouza 1 year ago
i think the prelude is too fast!
x3kidnapmyheartx3 1 year ago
prelude's a little too fast for my taste, but the fugue is brilliant
speedskis777 1 year ago
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speedskis777 1 year ago
amazing
stanley370 1 year ago
You really ought to use an urtext edition or something besides schirmer.... or wherever all those superfluous editorial markings come from.
pianodyne 1 year ago
At the very least, the fugue is wonderfully played.
evolsieilrak 1 year ago
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@evolsieilrak you are a fucking moron
psnapplebee 1 year ago
@evolsieilrak
I agree! The Prelude is charm-free! Absurdly fast - just because he can?
maestrojimbo 1 year ago
just wonderful
gimichi 1 year ago
Gould's playing is alive and vibrant!
KABRIS1 1 year ago
Fast... but accurate.
DMHR100 1 year ago
For some reason it says that the music is: Glenn Gould playing Prélude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major - could you please change this? It is Prelude and Fugue no. 3 in C# Major. Thankyou!
salrubz 1 year ago
I think he plays the prelude a little too fast...
michaeltheace 1 year ago
@michaeltheace too fucking bad fuckwad
psnapplebee 1 year ago
I'm not a pianist so I never understood.... why is Glenn Gould so famous for his Bach playing? The first time I heard his playing I almost avoided listening to Bach's keyboard works altogether. Until Richter of course.
RedWasabii 1 year ago
@RedWasabii As I understand he started playing bach in a another way than was done earlier by other pianists. He use a more staccato way of playing and bringing out the different vioces more clerarly. From what I heard he do not use that much rubato.
semicroma 1 year ago
@RedWasabii
because u have some some big troubles in your brain...i guess.
humpert 1 year ago
@RedWasabii fucking twit
psnapplebee 1 year ago
@RedWasabii
Richter once told Rostropovich that if he worked as hard as Gould, he could play Bach just as well. Gould spoke of Richter as "one of the most powerful musical communicators the world of music has produced in our time". Interesting men.
gr0mithtimon 1 year ago
@gr0mithtimon That's quite interesting. Thanks for sharing. Rostropovich also attempted to render the Bach Cello Suite authentically in his own way like Richter and Gould had done but sadly many label his recording as overly romantic and insensitive.
NimbleTurtle13 1 year ago
@gr0mithtimon
i love gould and his unique bach interpretations but there is no comparison. Richter is the greatest classical pianist of the 20th century. It's amazing that Richters bach was so good even though he had a HUGE repertoire and loved schubert.
hoodloom22 1 year ago
@hoodloom22
There's no such thing as "the best pianist". How you people find the arrogance to state your opinion as if it where undeniable fact is beyond me.
gr0mithtimon 1 year ago
@gr0mithtimon
1) were not where
2) I never said "best pianist"
I said greatest classical pianist because of his huge repertoire and the fact that he excelled in the classical, romantic, and baroque genres.
3) You're right. It is my opinion. I should have mentioned that.
hoodloom22 1 year ago
@hoodloom22
Oh my, I made a spelling mistake. Good job on pointing that out. Perhaps you want to continue in another language, one more natural to me. Also, irregardless of my limited fluency in English, I dare say the words "best" and "greatest" are interchangeable in this context. Finally, you missed my point, which was that there is no "best pianist", not even a "best pianist in my opinion". Its somewhat like saying "the most green in my opinion". Favorite pianist, yes. Best pianist, no.
gr0mithtimon 1 year ago
There is always something strange in Glenn Gould's playing, but his rendition of Bach is incomparable and divine, whether you like it or not.
Hiroshima49 1 year ago
someone can definitely make cram in some diminished and convert to minor key and then add some metal to it.....then its a game battle scene....(ff)
danedaworld 1 year ago
they didn't have things like "p" and "sf" back in the baroque era.(time of Bach)
DaHappyGang 1 year ago
I found many people think this prelude is played to fast. I think I know why, and that is that it depends on the listener if they can hear the line that Gould was clearly hearing in his playing. What is the line in the prelude? It is certainly not the firing sixteenth notes. It's in a simple, lyrical melody in a much clearer eighth-note melody (find it in the score). Listening to that line, you can find the tempo is very appropriate for the prelude, with a little Gould flare.
JChangPianist 1 year ago
@JChangPianist
My bad, I meant to say a quarter note melody.
JChangPianist 1 year ago
@JChangPianist Your eighth note melody theory is nonsense! Tempo is not determined by a piece's slower/slowest note. It is related to style. 3/8 time is a dance form.
Why not let a computer play it for eternity?
P.S "to" should read "too"
maestrojimbo 1 year ago
This Bach guy is good!
frippp66 1 year ago
When Gould plays Bach he becomes Bach!
KABRIS1 1 year ago
I've mastered many Bach fugues, but always found this one frustratingly difficult, not least of which because the C-sharp major key signature confuses me in the midst of playing (I suppose if I memorized it, it would become easier).
If anyone enharmonically transposed it to D-flat major, I'd probably have an easier time of it.
1980NewWave 1 year ago
@1980NewWave
Try "mapping" the harmonic progressions for a more secure memorization
and understanding.
maestrojimbo 1 year ago
@1980NewWave
really? C# major has a lot of sharps but its just a half step above the notes a C major scale. I definitely think there are harder key signatures.
hoodloom22 1 year ago
@hoodloom22 in your opinion, hoodloom, what are the two or three hardest key signatures (I assume you mean for piano/harpsichord/keyboard instruments in general), and why? Thanks. :)
bckm54 11 months ago
maybe i'm too used to angela hewitt's performance, but gould's rendition seems to be a little too fast to sparkle in the prelude.
Pretendkid 1 year ago
Gould throws away the prelude without any feeling or finesse.
I find that his rendition of the fugue is fun and full of joie de vivre.
malma1 2 years ago
@malma1 If GG had released 10 versions of each of these, like he would have liked, everyone could have picked their favorites. But now these few interpretations will be forever associated with him. It's not fair or representative or realistic, so there's little use arguing about them..
jerbiebarb 2 years ago
@jerbiebarb I couldn't agree more with you. Also I think the fast tempo is worth it for the last eight bars of the prelude which are uncontrollably adorable.
youngestofdeez 1 year ago
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The fugue is great, the prelude is not...
raphaelhudson 2 years ago
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Daniel Chorzempa completely owns Gould with this work - fugue needs to be slower and played on the Clavichord to expressively realise the galant nature of this beautiful piece. Gould plays a flattened 9th at 21.6 seconds where usually a regular 9th.
wmhough 2 years ago
I noticed that too :D
xXxGlindaxXx 1 year ago
The ritardando (starting on the diminished 7th run in preparation for the ending) was very effective, and the arpeggiated ending (1st chord) was a nice touch. These little details put his signature on this performance.
pianololita 2 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Gould sais that he retired to "find a way to play Bach"...I think he should have retired all together once and for all!
superbemaison 2 years ago
Of course it is-no doubt about that!!!!
superbemaison 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Richter's version is better
Liebromeistal 2 years ago
Counterpoint is an odd and beautiful invention of mankind.
MelasChupa 2 years ago 32
yup your right... only the true genius can write in that style
MrDesperateArtist 2 years ago 2
@MelasChupa counter point might as well be called "The Bach."
Shadowtech666 1 year ago
@MelasChupa actually, counterpoint is just an invention of western music.
youngestofdeez 10 months ago
@MelasChupa like Glenn Gould.
ohquffy 10 months ago
@MelasChupa lol "invention"
unintended pun.
yumeybaconcutout 9 months ago
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didn't gould see the 92 bpm?
dareal92 2 years ago
probably not, as he would use an urtext, which would not contain the editors personal opinion on tempi.
gr0mithtimon 2 years ago 4
It's fucking Glenn Gould. However he plays it is the way it's supposed to be. He's the Chuck Norris of pianists.
ohlordbabyjesus 2 years ago 81
LOL...This made me laugh ( Chuck Norris part ) but I definitely agree!!!!!!!:D
cynthiavela 2 years ago
@ohlordbabyjesus amen!
pakmanATL 1 year ago
@ohlordbabyjesus Please, not those two men within the same breath. And what is this cult of Chuck Norris, anyway? Last time I checked he was a semi-literate B-movie actor, who seems to think he speaks for the founding fathers'; which, in fitting with most blathering on the "constitution", means he picks and chooses what suits his personal beliefs.
hibernatinghedgehog 1 year ago
@ohlordbabyjesus Also, I dress my dog up as a muhammaden child bride.
hibernatinghedgehog 1 year ago
@ohlordbabyjesus
chuck norris ? Wer ist chuck norris ?
Uwe G.
aronron2727 1 year ago
@ohlordbabyjesus
I agree about the Norris thing, but that's soooo not a good thing for many reasons!
maestrojimbo 1 year ago
@ohlordbabyjesus You're a moron. However famous Gould may be, that does not excuse him from having some of the worst renditions of Bach in existence.
MusicaRicercata 1 year ago
@ohlordbabyjesus Sadly he was the Chuck Norris of pianists. :( Now he is dead, but the music lives on.
Bruceforge 11 months ago
@ohlordbabyjesus I think Gould would disagree. He was adamant that the pianist express himself or herself in their interpretation, rendering meaningless the way "it's supposed to be" played. Even more to the point, who is to say that the pianist couldn't have more insight into the structure of a work than the composer?
Broopster5 10 months ago
@ohlordbabyjesus You should be the Chuck Norris of the youtube comments! Totally agree!
str3123 9 months ago
lol
IAMDACOOOL 2 years ago 2
Ah yes! Love Glenn Gould.
eumakka 2 years ago
And I thought I played this one fast...I'm playing it to about 208 bpm for the eighth notes right now...but he's probably doing 100 bpm per dotted quarter whereas the equivalent to what I'm doing would be about 69 per dotted quarter.
thisismocha 2 years ago
If I were t play this my fingers would end up like spaghetti by the end of the fugue.
Astonishing performance!
insaneguitarfreak 2 years ago 3
I'm thoroughly enjoying the debate, and I respect music as a Holy Art too. Music is the most important aspect of my life.
Personally, I'd rather adherence to the score but I won't scold anyone for trying to convey some other meaning to the said piece of music. It's like the Godowsky studies, they weren't written in spite of Chopin and I think they have became an important next-step in the progression of pianism. I respect your views though Pischnaholic, we just agree to disagree here.
KeithWhalen11 2 years ago
Keith,
I've enjoyed exchanging views with you very much.
Since you're interested in the Godowsky "expansions" as I call them, what do you think of Marc André Hamelin?
I've reached a stage where pianism for the sake of pianism seems empty to me. I decided earlier today that I truly HATE Liszt's Mazeppa -- and not because I can't play it.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
I think Hamelin is a very talented artist, he is definitely up there in my top 5 favorites. I may be a little bias though, he grew up in Verdun Montreal which is about 15 minutes away from where I live across the Saint Lawrence River. :)
Mazeppa is a very flashy piece, it has it's qualities of course but I hate it because I can't play it! My favorite etude is Vision #6, which intrigues me so much more than all the rest for some reason. Have you listened to Liszt's Grand Concert Solo?
KeithWhalen11 2 years ago
How the fu...? How many sharps in that key sig? and at that speed... !
videomeanie 2 years ago
AGHHHHHHHHHHHH OVERLOAD HELL YESSS
polygraph88 2 years ago
YES!!! HELL YES!
nadavnaz2 2 years ago
Gould playing Bach is perfection
JayIvory87 2 years ago
I'm trying to decide which Bach prelude and fugue I should play next. It took me a while just to read through the prelude. The C sharp major sounds incredibly impressive and it's much harder than it sounds. This would definitely be a challenge for me. I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet though. After hearing Glenn Gould play it, I wouldn't want to play a mediocre version of it.
MusicIsxAi 2 years ago
862....17th from the wtc. Its a good 'n :)
heyaidkwhut 2 years ago
Thank you for the recommendation. I really like the piece so I'll keep it in mind. :)
MusicIsxAi 2 years ago
Genio
vivacecilia 2 years ago
the bach indications final prelude"pesante"gould not playng pesante
lupenzo71 2 years ago
the indications aren't bach's, are the editor's.
crazyunicorn20 2 years ago 24
ah ok!:)
lupenzo71 2 years ago 2
@crazyunicorn20 that's right. indications are by editor. bach nearly always doesn't put down indications.
vicongos 1 year ago
@crazyunicorn20 Probs best to use the BGA or an Urtext version for your next vids.
pugay69 1 year ago
@crazyunicorn20 Yes... but some times the editor's Like the Wienner Urtext did lot of studies about bach!!! GLENN GOULD NOT PLAYS WELL BACH!!!
fedechopin 1 year ago
@fedechopin
As if Gould did not study Bach. CAPITALIZED STUPID STATEMENTS ARE STILL STUPID!!!
gr0mithtimon 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@crazyunicorn20 Yes... but some times the editor's Like the Wienner Urtext did lot of studies about bach!!! GLENN GOULD NOT PLAYS WELL BACH!!!
fedechopin 1 year ago
Bach didn't write one single indication in the whole book
anisometropie 1 year ago
@lupenzo71 You dummy......
Chakiejan 1 year ago
@lupenzo71 One has to read between the note, go beyond the score, and not to take things too literally or rigidly as printed...
Hiroshima49 1 year ago
@lupenzo71 Gould plays Gould!
KABRIS1 1 year ago
@lupenzo71 Bach never put in his pieces indications. All of them are from the editor.
MisterAlbertoPiano 1 year ago
Very clear counter-points
morvensky 2 years ago 2
this is my favourite bach prelude and fugue :) im learning rhis right now
turtles772 2 years ago 4
yes me too
crazyunicorn20 2 years ago
Well, so am I. It's a small world, isn't it? Speaking of which, thanks for uploading this, because it's great being able to hear how a professional plays it.
KitakLaw 2 years ago 2
Be sure to listen to Rupert Egerton-Smith's performance. He provides a warmer more expressive, less self-aggrandizing model that's equally virtuosic. RES is a joy to behold.
This Gould is expert, brilliant, extremely well-controlled but devoid of any sense of personal identification with the music. It is as though GG sought to makes himself sound as much as possible like a computerized robot.
Do listen to RUPERT EGERTON-SMITH. Also Angela Hewitt and Agi Jambor and Landowska.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
This is Bach, not romantic. It's not supposed to be highly expressive.
freshechidna 2 years ago
You and your Rupert Egerton-Smith everywhere I go! :)
I think Glenn's is MUCH better, no offense. Rupert is very good, don't get me wrong but you're pitting his talents against one of the finest musicians of our time.
KeithWhalen11 2 years ago
In THIS performance Gould is expert, brilliant, extremely well-controlled but devoid of any sense of personal identification with the music. It is as though GG sought to makes himself sound as much as possible like a computerized robot.
Gould was a Jekyll/Hyde interpreter. Angelic, exquisite -- as in the Bb Major Partita, coldly satanic and mechanical as in this -- or cynically affected as in the Chromatic Fantasy.
He often showered contempt on audiences.
GG does not wear well.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
PS: I would hate to hear GG play Gaspard, just as I hate to hear him play Chopin.
When he was good, he was superb, but often his interpretations were perverted. Beethoven Opus 109 is an excellent case in point.
I'm glad you recognize virtue in Rupert Egerton-Smith. I am not "pitting him against" anyone -- just trying to see that he gets a seat at the table, as it were.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
Well maybe that's where we differ, as I would LOVE to hear him play Gaspard because I know for better or worse that he would do something fresh/interesting with it.
On the subject of Ravel, what did you think of his transcription and performance of La Valse for one pianist?
Don't get me wrong, I think Rupert is phenomenally talented, but Glenn Gould, despite his eccentricities, had great taste and was probably the keenest musician of his era.
KeithWhalen11 2 years ago
Once again re GG:
"When he was good, he was superb, but often his interpretations were PERVERTED. Beethoven Opus 109 is an excellent case in point." His Chopin SUX.
On the other hand his Beethoven 4th Concerto is sublime -- my favorite version.
LA VALSE?
Listen to RICKER CHOI'S performance at the Boston International competition for Exceptional Amateurs. It's phenomenal.
Also Agerich and Freire made a brilliant video of the duo-piano version.
Ravel, himself, could hardly play at all.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
I wouldn't call his interpretations perverted, it's music, it's not the end of the world to take a few liberties. Maybe we just have a completely different philosophy about music and that's alright.
The Nelson/Martha duo is exceptional there, although I really prefer the two-handed version over the four. In La Valse, Glenn is amazing and showcases a frightening amount of command and musicality.
Ravel was hardly the best pianist but his compositions are STUNNING!
KeithWhalen11 2 years ago
Keith,
You'll get no argument from me about Ravel.
I don't know whether the piano version of La Valse or the orchestration came first. I prefer the solo piano version of Vales Nobles et Sentimentales -- also Pictures at an Exhibition. Moussorgsky DID write PAAE for piano solo first.
Are you saying GG recorded La Valse? Never knew that.
As for the rest, I think of serious music as a Holy Art. "Taking liberties" is fine unless it turns to violent rape of the composer's obvious intentions.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
I'll only call it violent rape if someone pays 100 bucks to go see Glenn play their favorite Beethoven pieces and have him turn them all upside down. What he does on compact disc doesn't bother me at all, he doesn't have to adhere to anything. I think he wanted to disturb the status quo a little bit and he achieved just that.
He did record La Valse, and it's the ESSENTIAL recording. There is a video of it floating around on youtube as well but it may have been taken down.
KeithWhalen11 2 years ago
Keith, I'd like to hear G's La Valse.
I looked you up, You're a gifted guitarist and apparently Canadian, also still young, is that right?
I'm nearing 70. The difference in age can have a profound effect on values, mores, and perception.
I'm tremendously moved by Mr. Egerton-Smith, because his work expresses the kind of integrity, understanding, personal warmth and expertise I was brought up to revere.
50 years ago I felt as you do about GG. Egocentric iconoclasm no longer thrills me.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
I will try and upload it tonight at some point, although my windows movie maker is giving me trouble.
Thank you for the kind words, although I have a hard time agreeing with the thought of being gifted. I'm 23 and live in Montreal, Quebec.
I'm humbled by the notion of sharing my views with a music fan of 50 years! Luckily Glenn still thrills me, I have a pretty esoteric taste in music though. Do you like any modern composers?
KeithWhalen11 2 years ago
Modern composers? It depends what you mean by that. I am crazy about Poulenc, Messiaen, enjoy Bartok and Prokofiev in limited doses. Stravinsky is tolerable. I've actually enjoyed rare performances of Wozzeck and Lulu at the Met.
I find it very hard to relate to "Pop" music, however. Andrew Lloyd Webber disgusts me; he's such a whore.
I love your city. Went to Expo 67. Stayed at the Chateau Champlain and later The Clarendon in Quebec City. Great time!
BTW, I love GG when he's Dr. Jekyll.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
Very nice if you could provide Gould's Ravel.
I hope you noticed how many of GG's recordings I admire greatly? As I said, he showed two distinctly different personalities -- like the two-faced Roman god Janus.
Very good talking with you. Dialogue is rare in these here parts.
Do try to listen to RICKER CHOI'S La Valse. He's a fellow Canadian, if that's any inducement. ;-)
Pischnaholic 2 years ago
K, now you're bashing Glenn Gould? Are you out of your mind, Rupert?
micheldvorsky 2 years ago
@Pischnaholic
GG playing Ondine? OMG NOOO - I agree! It would lack Romance and beauty of tonal colors, plus generally I think he doesn't really think/play with horizontal line. But perhaps he was the greatest master of contrapuntal music, although for me his playing lacks understanding of Baroque style/performance practice. Just my take.
maestrojimbo 1 year ago