Glenn Gould - Bach - Prelude in C minor, BWV 847

[bigcalamaro]

the CD 318....just finished katie hafner's book <3

[tnahurley]

Can't believe he's playing the sixteenths detached. Absolutely wonderful

[mahajohn]

@tnahurley Can you please explain what you mean to me, a moderately musical ignoramus? Are you referring to the sections that start with the diminished arpeggio at 1:28, which seem to ebb and flow? Is "detachment" the technical term for this? I certainly like the rhythmic emphasis on the beat during the first section.

[gemskii42]

@ancelotcastor Yes! Do you mean Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2? That is a wonderful song, I first heard it in one of the Marx Brother's movies :)

[shanyusama]

fucking retarded low brain who can't play faster......

[thenamesfrancisco]

i like the fast version but this interpretation is really cool too

[18mattdamon]

His staccato (sp?) is so perfect, and since he plays it this way, you can really tell how pefectly synced his hands are all throughout. Perfect. :)

[zdeminador]

This just reminds me of that old Tom and Jerry episode called cat concerto or something. Love it.

[ancelotcastor]

@zdeminador search for Liszt's rhapsody Nª2

[Greywingg]

This is a great video! And he's playing slowly for once!

[robertrobin10]

worth his weight in gould!

[MrShadyface]

@robertrobin10

I'm sorry. As much as I approve your taste in music, your taste in puns is just AWFUL.

[HeeCat00]

why is too slow?

[aghaanantyab]

too slow tempo

[Phacias]

Awesomely played, awesomely edited. I bow to this superior piece.

[IBRAHIMpianist]

Weird...



[TheIncredibleGodzy]

Am I the only one bobbing my head when I listen to more than 10 seconds of this prelude ?

[Hamporkcheese]

@TheIncredibleGodzy no way.... your not alone...

[BagOfMagicFood]

I have to play some Caves of Thor when I hear this

[14Dundalk88]

too slow

[lekkerbekje]

@14Dundalk88: like your brain............. When can we see and hear your performance? Bach didn't give info about tempo, those things where added later like the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis somewhere around 1950.

[Nibelungenfrau]

Just one word: GREAT... and thanks for posting. Wowwww...!!!

[stebarbieri]

fantastico Glenn Gould riesce a rappresentare bach in tutta la sua essenza

[baroque500]

This is excellent music. Please do not dampen the experience by posting comments that don't praise the music--your comments aren't really going to change anyone's opinions about it.

[CheekyVimto08]

@baroque500 no-one's making you read. some of us do more than make approving noises

[mistasandrews]

@thenotoriousadin that's because he died

[Otterist]

More word pollution!

[lykigos]

Oh my god!

The man killed COMPLETELY the music of Bach.

I didn't believe it could be done!

[Withergarde]

At last ! Creativity !

[DreamsontheWater]

The hammers going up and down are cute! :)

[Jackpotur]

@DreamsontheWater like they were dancing, right?

[DreamsontheWater]

@Jackpotur Yeah, or, I don't know, they are just calmly bobbing up and down!

[PhysicalsimForever]

Come on, who puts a thumb down to Bach?

[sleazebee]

@PhysicalsimForever right? who ARE these people (in seinfeld voice)

[Jackpotur]

@PhysicalsimForever I'm afraid just to think of it

[TheIcedRealm]

@PhysicalsimForever It might not necessarily be to Bach, but to Gould's lackluster interpretation.

[dreemer777]

Fantastic. Meeting of two geniuses in music. This interpretation is fresh and innovative, that I was really stuck. There is nobody like Gould, there is nobody like Bach.

[albinominotaur]

I played this blind folded in my school talent show. lovely piece by such an amazing pianist.

[Starwalker6978]

The record is Gould, but not the video.

[chiz161190]

In my opinion it's THE BEST interpretation of that piece made on piano!

Generally speaking, as regards playing Bach on piano, in my opinion Glenn Gould was the best.

[chengyanslc]

This is my favorite piece in WTC.

I want to describe this as "explosive"

[thequantumcollapse]

@chengyanslc Mine too. And because this is the first version I heard, I can't listen to the more legato/heavier interpretations now without groaning inwardly a little, haha. I've always thought the staccato made the piece sound like falling raindrops.

[galaxian06]

Meraviglioso!!!!!!!

[tubez4321]

Where are all the grunts and groans?? ^_^

[jazzpsalti]

I LOVE THIS TEMPO

[talalesam]

I'm learning this on guitar as a duet it's sooooo nice but soooooooooooooooo difficult lol

[nihil1]

Gould's interpretation raises our attention to a lot of things that are happening on the score, it's like having simultaneously a lecture about it.

[cwhig]

@nihil1

Interesting.  Say more.

[rouelibre1]

@nihil1 Yes indeed. Gould didn't play music, he explained music. But the laguage he used for his explanations was music instead of words.

So many people are confused about that issue. :O))

I loved your point of vue and couldn't stop from pushing it a little bit further.

[parus55]

Lovely. Just lovely.

[Edou467]

Gould's detached way of playing this piece is outstanding. Sometimes stacatto and sometimes sustained melodic notes on the first and third beat was a genius idea. Slowing down at 0:58 confuse us about what's next, and the tension lasts wonderfully until 1:29. Here, the first four accentuated notes at the beginning of each bar was also genius. The part at 1:41 is finally what we waited for, the climax. The line at 1:56 is perfectly conducted. As usual, good job for your creativity Mr Gould!

[dametalbasser]

Is piano not afterall, a strings instrument?

[ITSWTFBOOMTIME]

@dametalbasser no, its percussion.

[dredeye]

@ITSWTFBOOMTIME No, it's both

[mrwarhol]

@ITSWTFBOOMTIME What makes Iogo evil? some people ask. I never ask.

[MrQuequestring]

otra joya musical que puede que a muy poca gente le interese, pero parense dos minutos a escuchar este preludio de bach interpretado por el gran glenn gould mediante un piano steinway.

[henrymbida]

Best Version!

[OriginalBasaliskos]

C minor is such a beautifully stormy key.

[MousikeTechne]

@OriginalBasaliskos

und drang-y

[aluini]

it's really annoying i don't have perfect pitch it would be really useful to play this piece

[MetalAge19]

I love this prelude i played it for my school`s Anniversary :)

[stockcar5472]

I love this practice - this is how I practice this piece but I do it hands separately first at this tempo then at the intended speed. First staccato, as here, then legato.

[mandril1970]

you should see the Manuel Huerga film "Les Variacions Gould".

[abracadabra324]

toooo slow.....................

[janmorez]

Isn't it a Bb instead of a C at 1:09 ?

[MrMaebell6]

@janmorez Composers regularly move to a different key, or add a seemingly out-of-place root note in the music; regardless, the majority of the piece is in C minor, thus the song is labeled with C minor.

[janmorez]

@MrMaebell6 No I meant in bar 18 left hand 9th note, I play a Bb there instead of a C but I just checked it and it's a C. It's because I play this piece by heart that I unknowingly changed a note. I love the sound of the Bb there though, it really is a nice build-up to the Fm (not stating that Bach didn't do a good job or something lol)

[MrMaebell6]

@janmorez Ahh I see! Sorry for the misunderstanding. There are many interpretations of Bach's music and that is what i find amazing. Bach would probably cringe when he heard people playing his music. Lol

[freddiehangoler]

check this outttttttttttttttt

watch?v=Y8DMxKAe-aM

[ke7hbi]

Great Cinematography!

[ragtimest]

very cool

[brunofelix20]

One word to describe this clip: "Cinema". . . Perfect marriage between image and sound. Thanks for sharing it.

[lisa850331]

Nice :)

[idaspe]

Horrible...

[TheM3etalWolf]

@idaspe Las composiciones de Bach son esplendidas, variables, generan muchos sentimientos en una sola composicion, la apreciasion de la musica no esta en escuchar, sino en saber oir, no puedes dar una opinion tal, como si fuese algo objetivo, por ejemplo para mi como cientos de miles mas, esta obra es fantastica, admirable, y mas que agradable al oido, lo unico que te pido es que al menos hagas la aclaracion que es una opinion subjetiva y personal, y no lo menciones como algo cierto. Saludos.

[idaspe]

@TheM3etalWolf Ante todo, valoro MUCHÍSIMO la educación que tenés, porque es lo que menos abunda por estos parajes. Por supuesto que la obra de Bach es inmensamente rica, y este preludio es de lo más exquisito. Me parece horrible la interpretación-y claro que es mi opinión, y como tal, subjetiva- , porque considero que está escrito para tocarse, como mínimo, al doble de velocidad.

[idaspe]

@TheM3etalWolf Por repetir todo y por ser armónicamente "estático" si se tarda en ejecutar. Una elección de tiempo "agitado" describiría, además, la pasión irrefrenable típica de do menor. Pasión a la que -creo- Bach alude con este tipo de ejecución. Saludos

[TheM3etalWolf]

@idaspe La verdad, el sentimiento es reciproco, ya me esperaba una respuesta con alguna vulgaridad (no es por nada personal, sino que es ya tan regular en sitios de opinion publica como lo es Youtube.), por lo menos aun queda gente con modales y buen gusto, lamento no haber interpretado bien tu comentario, crei que te referias a la obra en si y no la interpretacion, la verdad es que en eso estoy si muy de acuerdo, bueno, la verdad un gusto, hasta pronto.

[idaspe]

@TheM3etalWolf Perfecto ejemplo de cómo dos personas inicialmente en desacuerdo pueden aclarar sus pareceres mediante el diálogo y sin ofenderse..., y de hecho terminar viendo que piensan igual. La versión al clave de este preludio de Ton Koopman es impecable, te la recomiendo. Saludos :o)

[ShipsAreBurned]

damn, he played the hardest part super fast

[KABRIS1]

divvy1400yam600: I would be interested in seeing your video demonstrating your superior interpretation.

[clevernickname70]

"There is so much talk about music, and so little is really said. I do not think words are at all adequate for the subject, and if I found they were, I should end by writing no more music."

Felix Mendelssohn

If you don't like the interpretation, move on to another version but please; don't add more text pollution. In other words, stfu and listen. I know. It's scary. You might actually have to feel something instead of spouting off your personal philosophy, but I promise it's worth it.

[ultrabot90]

@clevernickname70 +9999... (infinite)

[Revan2021]

@clevernickname70 I agree, but stfu yourself. If anything, youtube is a meeting ground precisely for one's "personal philosophy", which is what makes it such a appalling place where the luxury of anonymity changes the "personal philosophy" to cascades of primitive, insulting, judging, and unfiltered thoughts. Though that works both ways; one can also play the role of authority, telling others what to do. What's more flattering?

[Jackpotur]

@clevernickname70 bravo,

[EMPERORMIKI]

@clevernickname70 some people can do both.

[jsilence418]

@clevernickname70 you talk too much !

[CheekyVimto08]

@clevernickname70 no-one's making you scroll down and read

[EMPERORMIKI]

@clevernickname70 take your own advice.

[MadCoSnareLine]

@clevernickname70 You are genius. You literally just changed my outlook on music.

[divvy1400yam600]

I think this is a deliberately idiosyncratic interpretation.

Surely it should be less plodding and tending towards staccato,

I would prefer to hear smoother and faster... as it becomes towards the end..

[evifnoskcaj]

You're arguing semantics. My point was that his talent and genius were not "God-given". Saying such a ridiculous thing is a selfish insult to any performer who is seen as a "genius". Also, typing your words in all caps does not help your argument.

[n00bies1]

Undoubtedly he is thumbing his nose at all of us... and that's what makes it beautiful... Not that he is in itself... but that his little game of getting people who take themselves or this too seriously get all indignant about it...

[rewt5]

Believe you? Why, because you're older? I don't care if gave the audience the middle finger every time he was done performing. He was an amazing pianist and one was of the greatest Bach interpreters of the 20th century. Blah on you, Sir.  :D

[Pischnaholic]

He was like the girl with the curl right in the middle of her forehead.

When he was good, he was very very good

But when he was bad, he was horrid.

He was, of course, a great genius, but possessed by the Imp of the Perverse much of the time.

After he became famous, he amused himself by "testing" the critics (and his audiences) to see just how much it would take before someone would cry out, "But he has nothing on!" as the little child did in the famous fairy tale about the duped emperor.

[EMPERORMIKI]

Well you clearly were the fatass girl no one gave a shit about.

And this is very very good--I find it to be anyway.

God forbid anyone test the critics or the audience--things are fine the way they are.

[evifnoskcaj]

@Pischnaholic He made his own talent by working incredibly hard his entire life. "God" (Christian God I assume) did not give him talent. As far as his interpretation is concerned, the sound that he achieved is much more akin to that of a harpsichord than of a piano which would be far more historically accurate anyway.

[Pischnaholic]

No one MAKES talent. One can DEVELOP talent if it is given, but one cannot CREATE a talent not already there. Talent is INNATE. Either you have it or you don't.

Gould possessed a very high degree of God-given genius. He performed the Beethoven 4th concerto at age 13. The entire keyboard literature was child's play to him from a very early age.

That he often made decidedly PERVERSE use of his God-given abilities shows a marked defect in his character -- not as a "talent" but as a human being.

[gacktooo]

@Pischnaholic there is no 'god'

He and his hands played this piece of incredible music. Give him the credit.

[MaestroTJS]

@gacktooo "God-given," i.e., he was born with a certain something that others do not possess and could not possess no matter how much they worked at it. Call it genetic if you prefer.

You atheists/agnostics are as dumb as shit, but unfortunately you can't use the excuse that you were born that way--you are ignorant in understanding metaphors and symbolism due to intellectual laziness, conceit, closed-mindedness, and a self-imposed inability to see beyond the surface layer.

[raiden098]

@MaestroTJS Nice overgeneralization bro.

[MaestroTJS]

@raiden098 When I come across enough with a different mentality, I'll change my stereotype and get back to you.

Thanks, bro.

I will say, though, that literalist believers are not much better.

[Lethearfuck]

La plupart des gens ne comprennent pas Bach mais Glenn Gould lui l'a compris car il est née pour jouer Bach. Clarté, Touché imparable et magnifique, on entend tout et cela élève l'esprit

[alilapointe1]

it could be any one really could be stevie wonder playing bach

[64wulf]

theres something bothering me about not seeing the guy, like this to me takes out the more human aspect of piano playing in the first place, just seeing the piano move itself, is very well done, idk if its hidden modern abstract thinking in the works but consider whoever got this recoding to be visual genius

[nocturn9999]

this is good one.

[alexbyehi]

OMG, jush show us beeping Glenn!!

[pierrefranconi]

trop lent !!!

[Pischnaholic]

Yes. A pointedly bizarre interpretation. I'd love it if only it weren't so ugly. It's a put-on like so many things he recorded after he became justifiably famous for his early work.

[Pianishh]

normalement ça va beaucop plus vite mais il fait ce qu'il veut^^

[datatransfers667]

@Pianishh toutefois, je voudrais savoir les raisons pour lesquelles il joue ce prelude comme ca. Je suis sûr qu'il a des bonnes raisons...

[tiffiness]

This is one of my favorite songs to play.

[jimenezsnyder]

Enchanting! So much music! We're truly blessed . . .

[onxtcz]

this is a player piano right? this doesnt sound like gould's touch

[sunburstflame]

This is my favorite version by far. Tempo and articulation are very unique. Most play it faster and legato, whereas Glenn slows it down and executes a perfect portamento. Brilliant.

[UncleC1025]

portamento? wtf you talkin' bout?

[onxtcz]

lol

[MaJJ007]

I'd like to hear portamento on piano :D

[sunburstflame]

portato, my bad.

[colfranz1278]

Such a great performance by Glenn! And the wonder is he, unlike many pianists, plays the sixteenth notes staccato.

[psandbergnz]

Beautifully executed! Many thanks.

[Ravel87]

yeah its gould... I have this recording.. I'm guessing they mastered the sound, and the sound is generally different when uploaded onto youtube.

[j8kn9]

not sure if this is really Gould....hes been dead for more than 26 years...this vid sounds really new..

[gr0mithtimon]

playing is him, vid probably isnt. like most of the 32 short films,

[grennflog]

Oh, How nice !

I love this plyaing.

[OliNelson1819]

gould was a genius, a bit weird though.

it sounds good slower! ;-)

[TheFowlyetti]

Great, but definately prefer it faster.. and on a harpsichord :)

[ohlordbabyjesus]

You listen to it however Glenn Gould wants to play it and you'll like it goddammit. It's fucking Glenn Gould.

[davidgray2]

Whether or not I like Gould is irrelevant to this comment; you can't tell someone to have a positive opinion of someone else just because you think they're important.

[ohlordbabyjesus]

@davidgray2

okay. but when the ghost of glenn gould comes to torment you for the rest of your waking days, don't say I didn't try to warn you.

[davidgray2]

Yes well I think he'd be laughing with me because I was only trying to piss off his devout disciples. Seems I succeeded!

[EMPERORMIKI]

I think Jesus is laughing harder.

[Friendulum]

Hear, hear!

[CarryFlag8]

i love it

[HerrWarja]

Why don't they show Glenn Gould in this clip?

[thinkgreenlovepurple]

I love this! Makes me want to learn it!

[jobw87]

This sounds awesome on the organ.

[VelusDarkbind]

This interpretation allows us to be pulled in by the piece in an emotional turmoil and reverence. Playing it faster would replace the somber feeling with an excitable and weaker one. Any slower, and we would not feel the opposing tension that it creates within that makes this version so unforgettable.

[explosionmonty]

to play as fast as you can is not all in music. in my opinion its a very good interpretation. I think Bach didnt wrote this to play it in hyperspeed..

[Jacu91]

wrong. his interpretation is brilliant, he just keeps us focused on emotions and you can listen into great bach's harmony. i'm sad that there are a lot of people with opinion "fast equal good".

[davidgray2]

Yes well the better pianist you are the faster you can play. That's because your muscles are trained better.

[clevernickname70]

my god. i cannot get this out of my head.

[ALGER685]

PRECIOSO!!! nadie podria hacerlo mejor.

[Gusakov]

Someone will be able better ?...

[saulboyjt]

Too slow

[DangerDucking]

Lol-interesting, I wanted to see his fingerings, but whatever

[steve0ms]

Schinken.

[TraeBudde]

Beautiful performance of a beautiful peice! Really cool how they showed the mechanics of the piano as he played. =]

[enzobg00d]

totally agree with shark attacks, don't feed the troll people. Emperor MIKI is just, as he said, a joker, so why bother replying? And for goodness' sake, why post such random, mindless, idiotic and irrelevant comments on this beautiful baroque piece??

[KamaMaggot]

its incomplete, !

[TwelfthRoot2]

Really cool video!

[Sh4rk4ttacks]

Guys don't feed the troll..

btw I love this song.

[kknots]

Umm.. what the hell is homosexual agenda, muslims, crypto-satanists, satanists, atheists and I haven't read the bible yet so please stop posting discussion about .. homosexual agenda.. in Glenn Gould plays Prelude in C minor, please don't.

[danielramjattan]

Your comments on this video are the dumbest I've ever seen, and what's even dumber is the fact that I'm actually responding to it. Why did you start this crazy redneck nazi debate in this place anyways? Why aren't you talking about how Glenn Gould is the man and how awesome this piece is?

[winnyokly]

lol

[niyattu]

Glenn Gould a legend it is the best Pianist of the world and the Prelude -is Perfect.

[bradleighstockwell]

From "32 Short FILMS About Glenn Gould," from the same people who did "The Red Violin."

[Yag0o]

I love the tempo! It's perfect, if you have a look at the fact that at Bach's time the harpsichord was the usual keyboard instrument. If you play it too fast - as the most people of the youtube-community do - on that instrument it's just unpleasant noise. And also think of the first Praeludium! All the compositions in WK stand in context to eachother. Just imagine Praeludium I played so fast as the most of us do it with Praeludium II. Horrible!

[darequi]

brilliant!

[ubbddu]

what is the machine in the film?

[Vlaanderson]

Well, it's a very rare and unknown apparate called... a piano! ^^

These are the small hammers hitting the strings and producing the sound.

[ubbddu]

oh my...

so its not a gigantic loom after all,

there - a theory gone.

thanks you civilized one! lol.

[Vlaanderson]

xD! Well I must admit, it could be a loom!

But if you watch 1:30 you can see "Steinway" written on the mounting! :D

[IAmLostWithoutYou]

aaaaaaaaahaaa

[105Na1260]

I think it's a fridge.

[SparkleSong84]

Super performance... I really love the video