If there is any part of music whose reptoire I know the least of, it has to be baroque. I only started liking it recently, so my knowledge of it goes only to the history of it. Unfortunately I have to start getting ready to audition for conservatories or universities soon so I need to get a good baroque base. Does anyone have any suggestions on good pieces to use during auditions?

thanks a bundle

WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER

Regardless of whether or not you are doing auditions, you should still learn preludes and fugues from the WTC. It's essential.

Plus, these pieces work very nicely anyways for university auditions.

Also, the inventions and sinfonias of J.S. Bach are also very educational and very fun to play. Bach is my favorite composer to play, even more so than Beethoven, Chopin, or Grieg.

Sam, I am just starting to have fun learning Bach. When I was a child, I just couldnt "grasp" it... MAYBE i could, but i didnt have the patience. I agree compltetly. My Piano teacher when i was in 10th grade gave me WTC1 for a present, and tried to get me to learn a few things... and i gave up. I started back up after 17 years, learned 2 inventions, and now I am doing WTC2 Prelude 12... possibly the Fugue...

My audition rep for a BM in EDUCATION Consists of Bach, Grieg, and Mozart.

Joseph, I am auditioning as a transfer student to SDSU, and the audition guides dont specifically say... BACH, just 2-3 works covering 2-3 periods.

What schools are you looking at? GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

I agree with you Denise - Bach takes a lot of maturity to understand and to perform.

Yes. I once read a piece by the film-maker Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain, Mr Ripley etc), who tries to include a Bach piece in all of his films, to the effect that when he had been a young learner he had misunderstood Bach as 'scales dressed up as music'. That's a good formulation and reflects how many of us feel about the music. Bach is my favourite now: anything from the WTC is fascinating, the Inventions and Sinfonias are good too. Personally I love the partitas too (ever heard Lipatti or Gould play no 1? aaah...).

I have heard various reviews on Gould. I have a few Inventions and Sinfonias that I downloaded from itunes. However yesterday I went to the store, and almost picked up WTC1 by Gould. WOW!! $30 is steep!! I didnt purchase it though. I dont know why I feel drawn to Bach now. Just know I am. If I had the confidence when i was 15, I can only imagine where would be today at ... cough cough... 34-1month. I stopped playing when I was 17-18 because I had reached a point where I could play well, but lost the confidence that I could tackle a more difficult repetoire. Besides that my mom wasnt the most supportive. I came back to lessons in May. I told my teacher... I had 2 fears in high school... Bach and Chopin. Since going back.. I have done 2 inventions, 2 preludes by Bach and 4 Preludes by Chopin. As soon as I knock off my audition next month, we will be tackling my first fugue... not my first attempt though.

BTW for the OP, I suggest Henle's Urtext editions on Bach. I was hesitant to spend the money on it... but I didnt like the notation on the budget versions I had purchased.

Gould is amazing.

Overall, I prefer Richter's (amazing) recording of the WTC to Gould's (amazing) recording of the WTC, but there are certain aspects of Gould's that inevitably find their place in my own interpretations.

I'd recommend listening to Gould's 1981 recording of the Goldberg Variations. It comes in a package deal with his 1955 recording, and an hour-long interview with Gould. (The album is called "A State of Wonder")

If anything, for my auditions I'd most likely do a piece from the Well Tempered Clavier. So any suggestions from those two books?

Book 1: P/F in Dminor, E-flat minor, C-sharp minor, Bflat major