Bach: WTC1 No. 3 in C sharp major BWV 848 (Richter)

[JohnEBPiano]

Chopin op. 10 no. 4?

[JustLooking876]

Just as a side note:

The whole prelude interestingly appears in the Sims 3 Late Night Expansion under the name of 'Wilkinson's Bay Sonata' (they FINALLY put the piano back into the game...). I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it.

[tarquin161234]

This whole piece is incredible

[insaneguitarfreak]

@PetetheJazzMan yup, i´m well aware of that, I think any of his fugues would sound fascinating even if they are recorded with the sounds of farts lol

[thefloyd10]

@insaneguitarfreak sounds of farts haha

[rumpranger65]

Also, thanks for putting the sheet music with it. It's wonderful for seeing all the counterpoint, and shows the second part in all its fugal beauty and perfection.

[rumpranger65]

How do you guys keep the left hand so steady and perfect? Right hand, no problem. Left hand, I can't keep it steady and I get "wobbly".

[Keytaster]

just tooo fast. He totally misses the point, really ruins the whole prelude... it needs to be said, Gould hither and thither

[TheClassicalTriad]

This piece is so good!! Check out my recording and see what you think! :D

[Daftpunkfan123]

Nobody does it like Bach!

[Ant2101]

Just amazing!

[vikagusenkov]

Amen to anyways589!!!

[lilnigga864]

dayum niggas dis is some hype ass shit.

[werq34ac]

Typical C# major piece *smirks*

[pianololita]

This is one of the few Fugues that sticks in my mind, probably due to the recurrence of the rather unique opening motif (bars 1-2). BWV 848 is the only set where I like both the Prelude and Fugue together.

[pianololita]

Is it just the recording, or is there sustain?

Incidentally, the Prelude sounds really good with sustain as well (though strictly speaking you're not supposed to use sustain seeing as how it's a Baroque piece and meant to be played detached). When you play it with sustain you can add a lot more emotion and voila - it turns into a Romantic piece!!!

[judily678]

do you think this a easier prelude and fugue than the G sharp major

[yourforte]

It's Bach's notes that matter. They will work on virtually any Western instrument. They sound good on the authentic Baroque instruments and they also sound good on synthesiser. This is a wonderful performance.

[anyways589]

Exactly, it is a matter of taste. What I wrote earlier is my opinion. Play it how ever you damn please!

[3NUNS]

@anyways589 But there will be no pianos in damnation!

[Rasmoujinaltann]

It is actually just a matter of taste.

[anyways589]

I find that Bachs music always sounds better played on the harpsichord. If you really enjoy the piano and early music practice is not your thing, then this performance is wonderful. But though it is playable on the piano, it does not sound right to me.

[insaneguitarfreak]

Bach sounds ALWAYS great, even in midi format in a Tetris game. Just because. Or just because it´s Bach.

[fledgehog]

@insaneguitarfreak i always found the tetris connection interesting, because the way that all the different parts in a bach piece fit together is incredibly reminiscent in my mind of a well-played game of tetris

[dogtransport]

I was under the impression that the WTC Book 1 was written with the clavichord in mind. Forgive me if I'm wrong because I'm not a pianist.

[3NUNS]

@dogtransport : That is what tom-fool opponents of the harpsichord would allege.

[Rasmoujinaltann]

I ment in the fugue.

[Rasmoujinaltann]

Excellent theme!

[crazyunicorn20]

In measure 30 on the fugue and exactly at 2.17, richter oddly plays E-natural instead of E-sharp on the left hand downward scale, i've checked it with several editions and still haven't found out why so.

[3NUNS]

@crazyunicorn20 : Good observation !

[Franci110]

like the fugue ;-P

[tyr12345yurty]

I think I like this version more than gould's. In this version I can hear the notes, it's lighter! But both of them are excellent!

[DavidMTRutten]

Ah the master composer played by the master performer... what more could one wish for?

[tasha122277]

I wish I had more regularity in bowel movements, personally.

[wcbroccoli]

...how about a well-tempered harpsichord, say Werkmeister temperament, instead of an equal tempered piano, and master harpsichordist, like Koopman.

[UserID20]

Theory question. At 2:00 if you pause and look at the second measure there is a cancellation of a double sharp... but not on the same octave.. is that a misprint?

[Pianoplayer002]

THat, or they take into consideration that there actually may be performers stupid enough to think that they have to play a double sharp up there as well... I dunno, it doesn't make sense to me either. I guess it's just a precaution to prevent misreadings of that note

[theofferingx]

How does that make them stupid? And now I have a question... If there is an accidental on one note, is that accidental automatically made natural for the same note that is an octave higher in the same measure?

[wilkw3]

@UserID20 there is few notation system, in european one any chromatic sign concerns a note in every octaves, but still it is useless to write cancellation and then sharp. It has to be older notation system in my opinion.

[roflcoptersoysoy]

C-sharp major? That scale seems mighty uncomfortable.

[pizzaboy456783]

Where do u get the sheet music for this? I know where to get the sheet music, but where did u get THIS SPECIFIC sheet music? (sorry for the caps, i didnt mean it as yelling, its just that u cant use italics when making a comment)

[alon98il]

Cool!!!!1

[Gabry950]

Che musica stupenda

[br0z31x]

i`m like richter, but i`m love gould ..

[sauternety36]

i know how glenn gould is amazing and all that but i still like richters when in comes to bach

[Krouchinski]

Thank you!

Richter is my reference - at least for the WTC!

[AnonymousWhitePerson]

This songbook makes my cock throb uncontrollably.

[cbdesade]

Spoken like a true Miley Cyrus fan...

[judily678]

haha

[AnonymousWhitePerson]

(Das Wohltemperirte Clavier)

[a5urbanipa1]

Does anybody know what happened at 2:00?

[Pianoplayer002]

huh?

[RDSerebrianny]

Yes we know what happened, he played the Pralltriller, as indicated.

[a5urbanipa1]

Didn't it sound weird and completely out of context?

[itsanthonyhere]

Nopeeeeeee

[wcbroccoli]

The leading tone (the dotted 1/8th D##) of the cadence to E# minor is trilled.

Although no ornament appears over the D## in the Bach-Gesellschaft edition, it would be standard Baroque practice to ornament it because it's the leading tone of a cadence on an accented note.

In other words, the D## here should be trilled (from above, not below), whether or not any ornament is written in the score.

[ryab55]

when are you going to upload more bach?

[florhand]

Adding score is a great idea - must be time consuming but much appreciated - I love ths playing!!!

[simipiano]

Grandioso Richter , questa è una delle più belle interpretazioni del WTC a mio parere :9

[didirama28]

Wonderful interpretation. Gould...Richter...who's the best Bach's interpret?

[Coixxman]

Gould

[framaulo]

Gould for Bach, Richter for Bach and for all the rest :)

[NovaTheli]

I agree...

[culgurl95]

Do you have a link to the sheet music or can you send it to me through email?

[alexanderlo968]

MY FAVOURITE!!!!!!!!!!!

[NewDawnFades608]

i love this prelude/fugue, but would you happen to have bwv 847?

[Pianoplayer002]

You never know what might come in a not-too-distant future ;) *smiles secretly*

[NewDawnFades608]

can i take that as a yes? *grins like an eager child*

[Pianoplayer002]

BWV 847 has Now Been Uploaded =) Along with BWV 846 and BWV 864!

[dolofonos]

If without any understanding of history and only the present with which to theorize on why Bach compiled works in different keys then I would have to say it is for the same reason that someone might order three different flavors of ice cream on three different occasions. And besides, he was a logical and organized man in his music anyway, why _wouldn't_ he have quite neatly compiled his works so without need of any motive at all?

[saintdracula]

this is an insane fugue

[blogger314]

how do you mean? in a good way, no?

[saintdracula]

Of course in a good way

[sherilyn29]

lively and animated. It perfectly matches the key of C sharp major! Nothing could be more joyful than this key itself. Thanks for uploading this!

[tothemax91]

funny you say that. It was original in c major but Bach then added the seven sharps to keep it in keeping with the "24 prelude's and fugue's".

[wcbroccoli]

Amusing and true.

It appears that he accumulated various preludes and fugues that he had composed over a period of years before he eventually got the idea to compile them into the collection known as "WTC", tranposing them as needed to provide the required key signatures (and otherwise editing and expanding the originals).

[wcbroccoli]

Bach's purpose was in writing WTC was, among other things, to show that all 24 keys "work" on a keyboard with "well-tempered" tuning (not quite the same as modern equal temperament). This was a hot topic at the time.

He was not trying to show that each key has a different character. The notion each key has a different character is a romantic notion of the 19th century.

[Pianoplayer002]

Except that this is the URTEXT version. That feels pretty authorized to me =)

[3NUNS]

Authorized by whom?

[Pianoplayer002]

I dunno. Generally authorized I suppose. What I mean is that it follows Bachs final revision of the score to the letter and the only changes (like small ornaments) that are present are always mentioned and motivated.

[LeonidasBasileus]

Yeah dude, URTEXT is key

[wcbroccoli]

Authorized by the Bachian high priests, no doubt. LOL

Like most of his music, Bach never published this work. But he did allow it to be circluated in manuscript. The result is that this work was widely distributed, both before and after his death, with variant readings, some of which are obviously in error. The 1st printed edition did not appear until 1801.

Bach's son-in-law, Johann Altnickol, who copied many of Bach's works, may be the best source (?) of WTC.

[wcbroccoli]

Bach's sons inherited major parts of his music library. C.P.E bach tried to purchase the music his siblings inherited in order to preserve it. Forkel edited the 1st printed edition (1801) of WTC I from a copy he obtained from W.F. or C.P.E Bach, both of whom he knew personally. When C.P.E died, his daughter sold his estate to Felix Mendelssohn's father, who then donated it the Berlin Sing-Akademie.

I think WTC II came from copies Altnickol made from 2 sources Bach provided.

[3NUNS]

with the odd unauthorised note ... .

[3NUNS]

looks like the Czerny et al Peter's edition to me ...

[HelveteKeiser]

as was Gould!.....And I like your name!:P

[RabidCh]

Subscribed!

[seahyimin]

thank you very much for uploading this, even with the score

[sam0xin]

There is a 2 MASTER-Inerpreters of GENIUS-BACH in westGLOBE Glen Gould, in eastGLOBE Sviatoslav Richter. Their still THE BEST !

[FREEASTHESTARS]

Omg I love this version I'm taking piano now and man I can't wait to play this I'm sooo excited; love this piece to death I acutally love it in this key. :)

[3NUNS]

Kindly don't use that most pathetic of pathetic syllogisms Omg. Blasphemer thou shall be a fireman in Hell for evermore.

[mazzoneclementi]

Oye, I'm just starting the prelude for this piece and, Lo!, all five pages take a minute-and-a-half to play. What?!? OMG. Ya know, most of us don't even *aspire* to be pros. We just love the sounds that pianos make. I'll be happy if I can play through it without stopping!!

[Timmytimtimtm]

Infact Richter is one of the best performers of Bach too !!!!!!!

[felixhungtingngai]

The fugue is awesome!

[Rakazan]

Yes, but months of intensive practice...

I know what I'm talking about O.o

[JohnnyKapsberger]

"......the playfulness is undermined

by a lack of variance in phrasing concept as outlined by the lack of variety in hand contrast,beat placement,sequential heirarchical variance,and most importantly tempo manipulation....."

Imagine this spoken in the voice of Bette Davis.

Geddit ?

Suddenly it all makes sense.

[cbfoto]

what the hell are you talking about? It's an awesome performance!

[wetlltempredclavier]

Very nice!

My favorite interpretation is Glenn Gould.

[hainanrose]

It's great how you put up the music as it is being played! Better than holding up my book here... Thanks!

[jannokas85]

Absolutely flawless! Another great interpreter of WTC is Jeno Jando!

[fizzymacgummy]

yo is this lmusa?

[chineseguardianangel]

im playing the frist song it sounds great but it kinda hard :)

[Fryderyk104]

its not a song...

[dubaiforty]

Rosalyn Turek is also great. She's so dynamic and powerful. I love her take on well tempered clavier in BBC legends CD. But I enjoy Richter too. Romantic and beautiful =) Thank you for posting!

[tomaxi007]

If you think your favourite is another player, then look how Richter plays all the other composers, than compare again. I never heard such an artist who can interpret so many composers in such a high quality and level. Horrowitz, Rubinstein, Gould etc.., they all were so genius of their kind, but in my opinion Richter is the most versatile pianointerpreter of all.

[123freejose]

true that.

[pianistyin]

very well played. Another really good pianist is zhang hao chen

[Viahandel06]

I prefer Jared Jano's interpretation, but this is still a pretty good take on Bach's WTC.

[mltube]

- Garcon! Another napkin, please!

- You've had enough for today, Mr. Smithsherman. Are you all right? You have been writing and writing, like possessed. What is it about?

- Someone has put a bunch of Richter performances on YT. I must write to open people's eyes. They should know the truth!

- The bar is closing. Do you need any help getting home?

- No, thanks. I think I can cross the street on my own.

:-)

[jannokas85]

LOL. Why does this fellow always write in such over-complicated terms and...hardly ever says anything nice about any great pianist...

[smithsherman]

Go listen to Samuel Feinburg play Bach on the piano at Youtube...then you'll know.

[smithsherman]

The prelude is pleasant but bordering on vapid as the articulation is the only thing that gets interesting treatment.

As to the fugue,I like his general tempo but find that the playfulness is undermined

by a lack of variance in phrasing concept as outlined by the lack of variety in hand contrast,beat placement,sequential heirarchical variance,and most importantly tempo manipulation.

[jannokas85]

Think positive!!!

[dolofonos]

That was well. It's difficult to make Bach sound good on a piano.

[pianofolle]

Very effective, perfect bach's sound. Even though, to my taste, i would slacken the tempo a tiny bit at the end of whole phrases so to avoid the feeling that they are breathless chasing after one another. Anyway, great interpretation and still a modell for all those who want to study this piece.

[sebmoocj]

Can't find your version on YT - or anyting else come to think of it, can you post something?

[mal8739]

Lame? Oh not at all! It's precisely as the notes show. I also like the "Rit" at the end of the fugue as well. Something that Gould does not always do. A bit romantic perhaps, but very defensible interpretation by the greatest pianist of the 20th century!