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Summer holidays have just started for me, and I want to get *see topic title*

I would like 6 pieces, a selection from the 2 part inventions, 3 part, and the WTC. Preferably in order of difficulty, easiest to hardest especially in terms of counterpoint. And I would like them all to be fairly short pieces too...

Thanks!

2-Part Invention No. 4 in D Major
Prelude and Fugue No. 10, Book 1 in E Minor
3-Part Invention No. 15 in B Minor
Prelude and Fugue No. 5, Book 1 in D Major

Summer holidays have just started for you?

Mine began in the middle of May, and I start school again on September 4!

Why just limit your self to his Inventions and the Well Tempered Clavier? He wrote some excellent Fantasies, Fuges, and Toccatas that have lots of the same kinds of things you find in his WTC, Sinfonias, and Inventions. The Fantasies and the Fuges are very do-able. They are well laid out, at least in my Henle edition, and are really very beautiful contrapuntal music.

John

I HATE YOU!

Mine started yesterday, and they go on until September 6th. And I get AS level results on August 18th.

Thanks for the suggestions. I really have to learn some Bach if I want a decent chance at music college..

Really? Keep in mind that the only Bach I have played is the WTC Book 1 #2, and I didn't do a good job bringing out the voices IMO.

Could you recommend one that is fairly simple?

maybe add some 3-part inventins (sinfonias), which are usually short too (2 page range) and probably easier than many preludes/fugues in WTC.

if you listen to Gould's set of invention recording, you can pick some sounding good to you. i played no.2 sinfonia before, and Gould played it very slow and yet made it sound really beautiful.

There are so many to chose from... Like a box of chocolate or more like a good steak dinner.

There is the Fantasie and Fuge in A-minor BWV 904. There are a lot of held notes in the Fantasie, and Fuge is very much like those in his WTC.

My Henle edition is Urtext so it does not have dynamic markings or tempo indictations. The Fantasie could probably be played moderately fast, and the Fuge more like an Allegro.

The Fantasie in Rondo Form in C-minor, BWV 918 is very nice too, and is well in your grasp, if you worked on the WTC B1 No. 2. I play this one probably Moderato at best because I try to keep the voices as clean as possible. The last section does get a little intimidating, but it's really not that bad once you've worked out the voices. Sing the theme to yourself and that will make it easier to follow all the way through.

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I recommend you look that this one first.
Fantasie in C-minor, BWV 919. Another nice one. Very much like an Invention. Could go Allegro, again work it out carefully.
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Then this one second...
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Prelude in G-Major. BWV 902,1 (He also used the same Prelude for his Wilhem Friedmann Bach Notebook). I play this one Moderately slow. Careful of the held voices as they hold and change through out the base.
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And Finally.... Fuge in A-Minor BWV 947. I'm currently working on this one. It should go fairly quick, perhaps a slower Allegro.

I recommend you look at the G-major Prelude and the C-minor Fantasie first as that these are challenging enough musically. Once you get these down technically, work on them to bring out the melody and the different voices.

Remember, Bach takes time. A lot of time in fact to get right. Many people takes his music for granted and plough right through it as though it is nothing special. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Good luck and let us know how things are going.

John

I'd recommend doing some 2-part inventions first. It's quite difficult to learn how to separate the hands to play two different individual voices. When you get into three-part inventions and fugues, and four-part and five-part and six-part fugues, it becomes seemingly impossible to control all of those distinct voices.


Try even one or two of the inventions: 1 and 8 aren't bad - those were my first two - and 14 is also one of the easier inventions.

You'll find that after playing a couple of these inventions, you'll be able to play your WTC fugue in c minor much more distinctly.

Typically, most students would start out with 2-part inventions (C Major, d minor, and F Major are good to start with, then a minor, c minor, and Bb Major.)

Next up, movements from dance suites. The G Major French suite is particularly good, but all of them are fair game. The English suites and Partitas are usually a bit too involved for the early levels, but the 2nd English suite and first partita are fairly accessible.

There's a big leap between 2-part and 3-part writing. A good transitional piece is the "Little" Prelude in D Major. I like it more than the 3-part inventions and have had several students play it.

Then comes the WTC. Most people start out in the first volume. Most people start out with the c minor - it's a fantastic piece, and the fugue is a fairly short 3-voice masterpiece. Next, the D Major, Bb Major, G Major, Ab Major, e minor, and g minor are all good choices.

Another neat piece that deserves mention is the Fantasia in c minor. It's mostly 2-part, but it's quite a bit more complex than the inventions and has a real harmonic bite to it that's very exciting. If you play it as notated, there's also some fun cross-hand harpsichord style work that looks really cool.

I found the prelude a particularly VALUABLE piece to learn and the fugue particularly beautiful.

I'm having a blast with the 4th 2 part invention. I think my main problem is that I'm used to learning hands together - but I tried hand seperate and it was much easier.

I think I will try the Little Prelude in D major next, I presume thats from the set of 6?

I also think I will record the 2 Part Invention and post it here, so you can correct me where I have gone wrong. I'm sure that I will be playing the right notes in the right order, but I dont know how well I'm doing musically because I've never heard it before

i hope you know that you can go here and hear just about anything...

http://www.classicalarchives.com/

Yeah, that 4th invention is fun.

Do take a look at the 15th 3-Part Invention, if you haven't already. It's quite fun.

John [/qb][/QUOTE]Really? Keep in mind that the only Bach I have played is the WTC Book 1 #2, and I didn't do a good job bringing out the voices IMO.

Could you recommend one that is fairly simple? [/QB][/QUOTE]

If your having a bit of trouble expressing the duality of voices, i'd definately play some 2 parters. You will easily attain the skill to do so with these. then, once you get the feel for playing two voices independently at the same time, adding an additional voice comes relatively easily. At least for me it did. before moving to the well tempered clavier, I would try some small scale fugues that reside in the suites. Remember, the trick in bringing out the subject pattern in a fugue is making sure that it's rhythm is strongly accentuated and replicates it's origin exactly against the added accompaning texture/s. Try to hear the voice's original rythmic figure in your head as you play.

I'll listen to it after I've learnt it, heh

I already have an mp3 though.

bach enthusiast: Yeah, I think my problem is when you have more than 2 voices - I really need to dissect the music properly.

Next up will be the WTC1 #5, and then the 15th 3 part invention. (and then I will go back to my Rach Etudes)

Learned the WTC1 #5 fugue yesterday! It's really awesome. And I think I've got the hang of bringing out voices, by doing what bach enthusiast said, and playing one hand (well, it's 2 voices) and listening to the other in my head.