Shows
The WTF Bach PodcastEp. 103: The 'Covid Etude' Moral + Tureck’s Hallucination (11 min.)“It seems that classical musicians — and as I now understand, jazz musicians at conservatory— are trained to forget the purpose of the music right at the point they start interpreting it.”In this short episode (11 minutes of talking + 10 minutes of music) I read an entry from my practice diary which may be interesting enough to ponder… As it was passed around during covid, the “Coronavirus Etude” looked something like this:Hopefully you’ll enjoy the lesson I got out of the few ‘performances’ made of such a meme.Meanwhile, Rosalyn Tureck is featured for the...
2025-08-1923 min
The WTF Bach Podcast(4 Min. Rant) Literally Can't Thank You Enough in AdvancePG-13 Warning. This isn’t the norm—just testing the cult of Shinners. Future episodes stay true to our Bach tradition. Enjoyed this? Do you want some more of my originals mixed in with your weekly Bach? Literally Can't Thank You Enough in AdvanceI try to “bear the burden of bitterness which experience forces on us with as much uncomplaining dignity as strength will allow” as restaurants around me tell me to eat beautiful, as any person who pockets their phone to listen is crowned empathetic, as those who literally died walk among us. Language...
2025-07-1103 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBach as A Minor in a minor.Yep. I based an entire episode on the pun. We study two works not usually heard in the organ repertoire, the Prelude (Fantasy) BWV 569 and the Prelude with Fugue BWV 551, both in a minor. These are not the best known pieces in the repertoire, but they command our attention—especially when you consider that one of them was written when Bach was just 14 years old.BWV 569, composed around 1708 when Bach was 23, is a single-rhythm experiment in modulation—akin to his Fantasy, BWV 922. On the page, it looks repetitive, but harmonically it’s anything but:I mentio...
2025-05-211h 06
The WTF Bach PodcastAlleluia! Bach's Jubilant Ululation.The oldest surviving (ca. 1100) German church melody is centered around Easter and the resurrection: Christ ist erstanden. Luther adapted this into Christ lag in Todesbanden. Both texts culminate in a triumphant “Hallelujah!”What kind of music could Bach compose for such a joyous word? In every instance, it demands a distinctly exalted treatment. We discuss the origins of the word Alleluia, and analyze the music when the word appears in his motets, cantatas and a four-part chorale. Plus, the story of the discovery of Bach’s personal bible, the Calov Bible.Here’s the word...
2025-05-011h 02
The WTF Bach PodcastBach’s St. John Passion: Which Version?Today, Good Friday 2025, marks 300 years since Bach performed the St. John Passion in Leipzig. … but it started like this:But wait, I thought the St. John Passion was:In this episode, beyond outlining the basic revisions between the 1724 and 1725 (and a few other) versions of BWV 245, we’ll study how people heard passion music, the purpose of a passion setting, and how Bach, by changing the opening and closing movements, or swapping an aria here and there, envisioned he might guide the listener into a different state of reflection to receive the same Gospel. To...
2025-04-181h 04
The WTF Bach PodcastBaroque Keyboardists Weren’t Specialists—They Played EverythingThe organ held a central role in the life of a baroque keyboardist. Not only was an accomplished harpsichordist or clavichordist comfortable playing with their feet, but the art suggests that the repertoire often called for ad libitum pedal additions. In J.S. Bach’s second collection of chorale prelude for organ, he introduces obligato pedal parts. Below is an image from his Bach’s earliest chorale settings for organ, as preserved in the Neumeister Collection:Whereas we do not see any explicit pedal markings, we imagine the adept player added them when tasteful. A deca...
2025-03-271h 03
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 'Actus Tragicus' BWV 106A beloved cantata from Bach’s early 20s, the Actus Tragicus anticipates the future of opera more than it foreshadows Bach’s own later cantatas. Albert Schweitzer’s beautiful writing on Bach features heavily in this episode. Here is the tuning video with chorale in question toward the end of the episode:WTF Bach is a listener-supported publication. To receive new episodes, to support the work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Let’s have a look at BWV 106. I focus on the two recorders and their almost unison p...
2025-03-1359 min
The WTF Bach PodcastShakespeare's Venus and Adonis. An Audiobook.The bard— not the brook, but don’t worry, this podcast isn’t going to become an English lesson.Thanks for reading WTF Bach! This post is public so feel free to share it.Here is my reading of Shakespeare’s first publication, Venus and Adonis, a poem that is pure music. If I were to list my favorite lines, I might as well copy out half the poem. Just something that pops into my head would be a line like, “Rain added to a river that is rankPerforce will force it overflo...
2025-03-041h 09
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 10: The Final EpisodeUPDATE: One of my astute listeners pointed out that it is in fact Jones’ review of Butler’s work in Music & Letters, and the original work by Butler is this book. Thanks for the correction!Don’t miss the end of this episode where I play three of Bach’s earlier settings of the same tune, BWVs 700, 701, & 738!We finish our study of this late masterpiece by reading some scholarship on the two different versions Bach made of his canonic variations on Luther’s 1539 melody. Whereas Wolff suggests both versions could be ‘authentic,’ Gregory Butler reveals that he believ...
2025-02-1819 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 9: Revisions Part TwoToday, as we did in episode 5 of this miniseries, we’ll examine the revisions Bach made from engraving copy to handwritten copy. This is an important view into the composer’s workshop, and unlike clear ameliorations between layers in his other works, the two versions of BWV 769 present a unique challenge in seeking the “best” version.Changes like this (first beat, alto) are minute, yet fascinating:(Top: engraving. Bottom: fair copy.) Bach made three revisions dealing with a similar leap of a fifth. The most important revision in the inverted canon variation, is in this...
2025-02-1127 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 8: A Bachian FractalShow me a finale as densely packed with thematic material as this one. Here are the five bars — the only five bars — discussed in today’s episode. You might listen while looking at them:Notice the finale comes in two stages, first diminution, then stretto. The signature in the final bar is noteworthy (though it should be mentioned that the letters are an addition by the editor.)And here is a video of the Mandelbrot set fractal, as promised (with perfect background music:) We Rely On Listener Support! How to Donate to this Podcas...
2025-02-0520 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 7: Canon at MOVING IntervalsHave a look at this. This is Bach beginning a canon in inversion. The follower is a 6th below the leader:(If you can’t see that the shapes are inversions, hold up a mirror — seriously!) Yet here, only a few bars later, the imitation seems to be at a different interval:The follower is no longer a sixth below, but a third. How rare! And going on, something else:(We’re looking at the lower two voices in this picture, the quarter notes.) We see the canonic imitation has shifted yet again, to the...
2025-01-2916 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 6: A Sloth CanonImagine composing an ornate melody, then stretching it out so it moves twice as slow, and somehow when you layer the stretched version onto the original, they match up beautifully: One shape, two different speeds. This is what Bach has done in this canon (but he also made sure that the consequence of both lines also blends into the harmonic implications of the chorale melody, which must also past through both lines…)Let’s see what our augmented canon looks like on the page. Here is the opening of the ‘quick’ line:And now see the same...
2025-01-2123 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 5: Canonic Revisions Part OneThe subject of the last several episodes has been Bach’s canonic variations on a Christmas tune by Martin Luther himself. A major inquiry into this work is its existence in two versions: engraved and handwritten. The published version (for reasons explained in the episode) doesn’t fully solve the canonic lines, as seen here:Notice how the notes of the bottom line don’t continue after the fifth note! See two other canons, each with the comes omitted:Variatio 2 omits the follower after only three notes, while the last image shows the second...
2025-01-0322 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 4: Feet & LH, a 7th ApartLet’s delve into a third variation from Bach’s 1747 masterpiece, “Some canonic variations on the Christmas song, ‘From Heaven Above’ for the organ with two keyboards and pedal, by J.S. Bach.”Two versions of this piece exist: the ‘fair copy’ and the ‘publication’ (Stichfassung), which present the variations in a different order. In this episode, we follow the publication, where the canon at the 7th appears as the third variation.The previous two variations featured canons between right and left hands, while the pedals carried the slow moving chorale melody. This variation introduces something new: a can...
2024-12-2718 min
The WTF Bach PodcastIs Pachelbel's Canon Really a Canon?I never knew the authentic version of the world’s most famous canon, having only known arrangements which conceal the fact that the music is indeed a canon in three voices. Here is what the ‘real’ canon looks like:It continues for over 50 bars as a three voice canon at the unison. In my brief survey of this piece, I found one theory that suggests the 9-year-old J.S. Bach was in attendance at the first performance in history. While the canonic treatment is clever and not worthy of our loathing— we blame its ill fate on...
2024-12-2017 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 3: A Canon At The FifthContinuing our mini-series exploring Bach’s canonic variations on the Christmas song, ‘Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her’ BWV 769, we listen to the second canon: a canon at the perfect fifth. Here is what the initial shape looks like in the right hand: So the same shape must be imitated down the perfect fifth. It appears like this in the left hand:I briefly mention the difference between ‘tonal’ and ‘real’ answers. Although the majority of the imitating line appears a perfect fifth below the leader, several accidentals are changed to keep the overall to...
2024-12-1716 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 2: Divine Row Row Row Your BoatThe first variation in these late variations for organ, is a canon at the octave. The two hands, each on a separate keyboard, play the same shape, one octave apart, while the feet provide the chorale melody. It looks like this:Those are the first three measures of 18 measures. That’s right: the shape is imitated note for note for 18 bars! If you’re having trouble seeing that the two upper lines are in fact the same melody, one octave apart, try this image:We Rely On Listener Support! How to Donate to this Podcast:
2024-12-0718 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMiniSeries! 1: Bach's Christmas PuzzlesIn this first of several related episodes, we will learn about Bach’s late contrapuntal masterpiece, the Canonic Variations on Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her, BWV 769. The variations— although certainly not as familiar— should be considered alongside Bach’s other late achievements, the Goldberg Variations, The Art of Fugue, and A Musical Offering. They employ many similar ideas and highlight the composers uncanny ability to ‘squeeze water from a stone,’ making elaborate pieces with minimal material. This first episode discusses the origins of the chorale melody and for what purpose Bach used this piece.
2024-11-2821 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBach Pulls Out His Dagger.Since I was a child I’ve known the story of Bach pulling out a blade. What really happened? In this short episode, I read the contemporary reports from the Arnstadt Consistory Court, where this famous fisticuffs was first recorded. About halfway through the episode (14 minutes), I’ve given you some “chill” chorales, played over a drone. One of my listeners mentioned they wanted some Bach for doing yoga/meditation, so this is what I came up with. If you like the way it sounds, I’ll put a full hour-long track on Spotify for all my Bach enthu...
2024-11-1829 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Urtext Illusion: Textual Variance in Bach's "Aria Variata" BWV 989Last week I posted this piece on YouTube:The most intriguing part of studying this piece was the overwhelming amount of differences between the three earliest sources of this work. Here is a list of the sources I reference in the episode , the copyists, and when they were made:The ‘Andreas Bach Book’ (D-LE III.8.4) J. Christoph Bach; copyist, between 1705-1714P 801 J. Tobias Krebs; copyist, between 1710-1717P 804 J. Peter Kellner; copyist, before 1725In the episode I simply refer to these as Andreas Bach, Krebs, and Kellner.Yo...
2024-10-3154 min
Follow Your Dream - Music And Much More!Evan Shinners - aka WTF Bach. Pianist, Clavichordist And Electronic Music Composer Specializing In The Works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He’s also the Host of The WTF Bach Podcast!Evan Shinners is a celebrated pianist, clavichordist and electronic music composer. He performs as WTF Bach, specializing in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. He’s also the host of the WTF Bach Podcast.My featured song is Augustin Hadelich’s rendition of Bach’s E Major work from Partita. Spotify link.---------------------------------------------The Follow Your Dream Podcast:Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!For more information and other episodes of the podcast click here. To subscribe to the podcast click here .To subscribe to our...
2024-10-2127 min
The WTF Bach PodcastPassion Music for His Son: The F Minor Sinfonia, BWV 795Yes, that recording at the end is none other than Jascha Heifetz with Primrose and Piatigorksy, who apparently recorded three of the sinfonias. The wonderful pianist with that golden sound playing before the string trio arrangement is (I think!) Marcelle Meyer recorded sometime around 1948. WTF Bach needs your support! Consider becoming a subscriber.Today’s episode focuses on the ‘black pearl’ of the inventions and sinfonias. The f minor sinfonia is highly complex piece of passion music embedded within a seemingly innocent collection of music intended for the beginner. Here, rather than the more t...
2024-10-0933 min
The WTF Bach PodcastFantasy & Fugue in C minor BWV 537Becoming familiar with Bach’s music is a never-ending process. First, there is the initial reading, which alone can occupy many happy years. What’s remarkable is that with each further reading, you’re astonished by the details you missed before—quite honestly amazed. You ask yourself: Where—or even who—was I during those earlier readings? You begin to measure your growth as a musician against the depth with which you can now understand the pieces.One fugue, which I initially read with little interest, is the one featured in this episode: BWV 537. Suddenly, I’m struck by its...
2024-09-2546 min
The WTF Bach PodcastAnyone Else Getting Married?In this episode, we’ll explore Bach’s constant involvement with weddings. Weddings and funerals occupied a weekly place in Bach’s life in Leipzig and we’ll shed light on the various ways in which he was involved musically. [I forgot to credit the last recording in this episode to Rudolph Lutz and the J.S. Bach foundation.]Here are (some of) the beautiful parts which make up the chorales, BWVs 250-252. They are beautiful examples of Bach’s handwriting ca. 1730. Note that all three chorales are on the same page.Soprano:Alto...
2024-09-0841 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 3rd Keyboard Partita (A Crucial Revision)A brief(er) episode for you today: Bach’s first published opus was his six partitas for keyboard. In some of the sources within Bach’s circle, copies retained as a ‘Handexemplar’ include revisions by a scribe we can almost say with certainty is Bach himself. The most consequential of these revisions appears at the end of the third partita, where the second half of the Gigue is re-written with what one might call ‘updated’ or ‘refined’ counterpoint. Here we see the main source (G 25) in question:Hard to see here, but if we zoom in, we see that...
2024-08-1222 min
The WTF Bach PodcastPerformer's Commentary, Vol. 3The final performer’s commentary episode for you. This is live commentating (the program notes of the future) on the last of my three simultaneous releases. This album is a bunch of preludes and fugues— some maybe you know, some maybe you don’t.You can stream and individually purchase any track including the performer’s commentary from the third volume below. [More streaming links (including youtube playlists) at the bottom:]How To Support This Podcast:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachor...
2024-08-0453 min
The WTF Bach PodcastNo One Ever Erected a Statue to a Critic (Bach vs. Scheibe)Johann Adolph Scheibe went down in history for attacking Bach’s “turgid and confused” style. “…from the natural to the artificial, and from the lofty to the obscure ... one wonders at the painful labor of it all, that nevertheless comes to nothing, since it is at variance with reason.”Let’s examine the controversy from the beginning. How To Support This Podcast:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachor become a paid subscriber at wtfbach.substack.comThe first th...
2024-07-2636 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMi Fa, et Fa Mi est tota musica (BWV 1078)On March 1, 1749, Bach penned the following into a Stammbuch:Today’s episode covers this canon in depth. What does it mean? How does it sound?Here is a link to the article by scholar, Anatoly Milka.The book, Bach and the meaning of Counterpoint, by David Yearsley is available here.How To Support This Podcast:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachor become a paid subscriber at wtfbach.substack.comThe first three albums of...
2024-07-0732 min
The WTF Bach PodcastPerformer's Commentary, Vol. 2Another performer’s commentary episode for you. If you’ve missed out on the second of my three simultaneous releases, you’ll have a chance to listen to it here, with my live commentary. You can stream and individually purchase any track including the performer’s commentary from the second volume here. —More streaming links (including youtube playlists) at the bottom:How To Support This Podcast:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachor become a paid subscriber at wtfbach.substack.com...
2024-06-2637 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBach's Puzzle Canons (Yes, Please.)Thanks for your feedback on the last few episodes. I’ve gathered my listeners enjoy piecing together musical cells in their minds, so today’s episode will bring you more of that.The eight surviving canons, BWVs 1072-1078 (+BWV deest) were written on small pieces of paper or penned into registry books. Their compact content, usually only a few notes, is then ‘solved:’ copied and transformed to make a perpetual piece of music in several voices.You will hear the solutions in the episode. Here is how they appear on the page:This is the f...
2024-06-0930 min
The WTF Bach PodcastPerformer's Commentary, Vol. 1If you miss those DVDs with the optional director’s commentary, you’re going to enjoy this episode.Each album in my ‘J.S. Bach Complete Solo Keyboard Works’ will be accompanied by this type of work, my commentating as the music plays. You can stream (and individually purchase) any track including the performer’s commentary from the first album here:How To Support This Podcast:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachor become a paid subscriber at wtfbach.su...
2024-05-2647 min
The WTF Bach PodcastWhat Did Bach's Business Card Sound Like?You know that portrait of Bach holding a little scrap of music? Ever wonder what the piece was? What it sounded like? That piece of paper is a six-voice, triple canon: number thirteen in the fourteen additional canons found on the back of Bach’s personal copy of the Goldberg Variations. (Analysis of that specific canon around 32 min.)We’ve covered nine of these puzzling pieces in three previous episodes, but now it’s time to call it a wrap on all fourteen. These additional canons were discovered only as late as the 1970s. For a more...
2024-05-1248 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThree Albums on Presale Today! (Ever Dance With a Double?)ALBUMS ON PRESALE TODAY! BUY THE ALBUMS HERE!Volume One: Apple Music: https://tinyurl.com/nhfuws4t Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/mrxj7pws Volume Two: Apple Music: https://tinyurl.com/mtykbxnz Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/3m7b9v6w Volume Three: Apple Music: https://tinyurl.com/mr44kwmf Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/3e4kwnsb As for the music covered today, we will hear Doubles layered over their preceding dance movements. A Double is an elaboration on...
2024-04-2430 min
The WTF Bach PodcastSome NEWS (and a Cantata...)Thanks for all your support during The Bach Store! If you’re in NYC on Friday, come to Le Poisson Rouge at 158 Bleecker Street at 7pm.Be sure to mark your calendars: April 24th, 2024, my new albums will be on PRE-sale. It marks the beginning of my most ambitious project to date: a very thorough, if possible, ‘complete’ set of the keyboard works of Bach. I will certainly send another reminder as the date approaches.And now for a brief journey into Bach around this date in 1724: today’s episode covers the cantata for the second S...
2024-04-1032 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBach Store is BACK! (+ Bach at 15 yrs. old)You read correctly: The Bach Store is back. In Erfurt, Thuringia, the state from where the Bachs hail. I will play for five hours, March 14-28, 12.00-18.00 GMT +1 (7AM-1PM EST.) You can (hopefully) stream the whole run on my youtube. Subscribe HERE.Or go to: www.youtube.com/@wtfbachHere is the latest video I mentioned in the podcast.Bach Store Merchandise is available on request. Send an email to bach (at) wtfbach (dot com)—Meanwhile, the music in today’s episode comes from the “Neumeister Collec...
2024-03-0625 min
The WTF Bach PodcastIntroducing: The Flute!This week I’ll be performing some flute chamber music in Santa Barbara, California. I realize I’ve never specifically mentioned Bach’s wonderful flute repertoire on this podcast. We tackle here what I find is the most complex composition in the repertoire: the first movement of the b minor sonata, BWV 1030.Pieces heard:BWV 1030.1 Source P. 1008, early version, harpsichord part.BWV 1030.2 The later version, arranged as a flute sonata.Articles:Contentious writing on flute vs. recorderYour Support Is What Keeps Us Alive!http...
2024-02-2451 min
The WTF Bach PodcastTwo More Cantatas (1724, Part 3)This is the final episode introducing Bach’s cantata cycle of 1724. In the first four cantatas of the cycle, we heard how Bach used Lutheran hymnal melodies as cantus firmi in different voice parts in each opening movement (sopranos, followed by altos, followed by tenors, followed by basses.)Here, the next two cantatas see less predictable treatments of the old melodies. Bach evidently valued these two cantatas, as later in life he arranged single movements from both BWV 10 and BWV 93 into his publication of organ music known as the “Schübler Chorales.” Pieces heard:BWV 1...
2024-02-1442 min
The WTF Bach Podcast2024. An Important Bach Year (Part Two)Last episode we introduced Bach’s second cantata cycle from 1724. We saw in the first cantatas of the cycle, Bach used a church melody as the cantus firmus first in the sopranos, then the altos. This episode we will explore the next two cantatas where Bach sets the cantus firmus in the tenors in BWV 7, and the basses in BWV 135. About the melody you may know as “O Sacred Head Surrounded” Pieces heard:BWV 7, Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam (Full Performance)BWV 135, Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder (Full Pe...
2024-01-2045 min
The WTF Bach Podcast2 minutes: P.D.Q. R.I.P.Peter Schickele was one of my idols. He died on Tuesday, January 16. His creation, P.D.Q. Bach, helped bring much needed self-effacing humor to the world of classical music. Links below to help you get into his (and Victor Borge’s— another giant of classical music parody—) life and work:Peter Schickele’s Obituary, NY TimesBeethoven’s 5th announced as a baseball game (a classic!)The Short-Tempered ClavierReport from Hoople (full album- the Beethoven sketch is included)The Definitive Autobiography of P.D.Q. Bach (1807-1742?)and w...
2024-01-1803 min
The WTF Bach PodcastWhy Is 2024 An Important Bach Year?In this episode we delve into Bach’s second cantata cycle begun in 1724. The first two cantatas are briefly covered, (with two further cantatas to follow next episode) as well as the connection between the Lutheran church melodies and the significance of the year Bach began this ambitious project.Pieces heard:BWV 20, O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (Click here to see the live video)BWV 2, Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh dareinBWV 684, Chirst unser Herr zum Jordan KammSupport us:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://ve...
2024-01-0639 min
The WTF Bach PodcastMy Mini Concert for YouI rarely just play on this podcast, but that’s how I’d like to package this little present for my listeners. Rather than spending days researching and writing, today I will play four fugues and introduce them only briefly. It’s some twenty minutes of music I hope you can enjoy during your holidays. The quote I read to introduce this short concert is by Mortimer J. Adler.Bach wrote this music before 1717 (at the latest.) These are fugues whose themes originated in the work of other composers. Bach borrows these themes and creates his ow...
2023-12-2421 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe First Double Fugue in HistoryIn today’s episode we have a look at one of Bach’s Arnstadt masterpieces, the fugue in c minor BWV 574 on a theme by Giovanni Maria Bononcini (The composers Giovanni Bononcini and Antonio Maria Bononcini were his sons.) According to the Neue Bach Ausgabe, this fugue is the first double fugue in history.Here is a picture of the title page in his brother’s hand with the erroneous attribution to Legrenzi:You can download the music to the fugue here. (The MIDI version I created at the end of the episode is BWV...
2023-12-1540 min
The WTF Bach PodcastI Play Bach's Table of OrnamentsEDIT June 2024. I have misunderstood the term ‘Applicatio’ in this episode. I now understand it to refer to the fingering and not the application of ornaments— despite the fact that many ornaments are ‘applied’ in the piece. ‘Applicatio’ as I now understand it sometimes referred to the hand position on a string instrument, or here, where to ‘apply’ the fingers. This video highlights the correction. -e.s.Firstly, here is the image of what’s in question:If you’ve ever wondered what all the ‘squiggles’ are about over certain notes in sheet music, this episode will you give you...
2023-12-0320 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBach and the Golden Ratio.How did Bach understand the concept of Phi? 1.618…? Here are a few examples where Bach highlights the “Golden Section” in a piece through either a fugal technique, a shift in musical language, or something else. Send us your most remarkable golden section moments!For the first episode where I mentioned the golden section and Bach, click here.Pieces covered:Fugue in C major, BWV 846Invention in C major, BWV 770Allegro from Sonata in a minor, BWV 1003Confiteor and Et Expecto from Mass in b minor, BWV 232Cont...
2023-11-0854 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBach's Most Joyful Piece? (Chorale Preludes x2)In this episode I delve into two very diverse chorale preludes: one from the so-called, “Great 18” and one from the individually transmitted. Here is a link to Bach’s own autograph of the Leipzig chorales. Beautiful handwriting! Marie-Claire Alain’s recording of BWV 655 (completely different to Koopman’s) The “Organ Sonatas” I recorded with LH/RH hard panning On Spotify on Apple MusicP.S. This is the first episode released on the new substack website- please shout if you experience problems!Support us:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbach...
2023-10-2552 min
The WTF Bach PodcastIntroducing: The Chorale! Chorale Preludes, Four-Part Chorales, &c.--I AM STARTING A SUBSTACK SOON SO JOIN THE FUN:WTFBACH.SUBSTACK.COM--Thanks for listening! In this episode we discuss the history of the Chorale- how it became called 'Chorale' and how it factors into Bach's music.Pieces featured:BWV 691 and BWV 93 (Chorale) at the same timeBWV 651BWV 682Performers were: Michel Chapuis, Kay Johannsen--Here are the links to the cantata...
2023-10-0155 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Crab Canon Isn’t a Möbius Strip. (BWV 1087 Canons Part THREE)Though this episode starts with quite the extended introduction, this is in factEPISODE THREEIn a four-part study into the 14 additional canons on the back of the Goldbergs, BWV1087.Here in this video, we dismiss a popular Bach video, and examine which videos are in fact Möbius strips. Here is the disproven crab canon video.Here are two studies which don't quite go far enough:One. I love this channel, don't get me wrong- they just didn't quite examine the c...
2023-07-2627 min
The WTF Bach PodcastSpecial Guest: Joshua Rifkin. One Voice Per PartFinally! The influential Joshua Rifkin guests on the WTF Bach Podcast. Rifkin made Bach fame with his groundbreaking (and controversial!) theory that Bach’s vocal works (and other 17th & 18th century) composers’ works were sung with only one singer per part. He recorded the b minor mass, several cantatas, and other Bach works in this format. We spoke for almost three hours about ragtime, the Beatles, PDQ Bach (my distant uncle), even crossword puzzles, coffee and meditation. For this episode, though, I culled it quite severely to only that which deals with Bach’s music...
2023-07-1144 min
The WTF Bach PodcastCasals, Rostropovich... più allegro (Cello Suites!)Q: What if those really slow interpretations of the cello suites from the 30s and 50s could be sped up?A: Exactly. https://www.jsbachcellosuites.com - check out this website! It's a great source on the history of the recordings of these pieces. Thanks for all your feedback, donations, ideas, everything. Please follow @wtfbach on instagram for (almost) daily Bach content. We thank YOU for supporting us!https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachht...
2023-06-2241 min
The WTF Bach Podcast50th Episode! A LIVE Lecture Sponsored by TonebaseThanks for supporting us through 50 episodes! What makes Bach, BACH?!As a special celebration, the 50th episode of The WTF Bach Podcast is a live lecture presented by Tonebase.The topic is the ever looming one: why is Bach's importance so great? Studying the ideas behind a few of his instrumental collections, we see that Bach's ideas are always expanding outward, perhaps lending to his all-pervasive influence. Learn more about Tonebase. Support us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbach
2023-06-081h 00
The WTF Bach PodcastThe (Other) Goldberg Canons BWV 1087 (Part 2)EPISODE TWO: On the back of his own personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', Bach notated an additional fourteen canons. These were discovered only as late as 1974(!) and are among the most interesting compositional exercises we know from the composer. From eight bass notes (the first 8 notes of the 'Goldberg' Aria- the structure in a sense,) Bach creates, yes, fourteen other canons. In this episode, we discuss engraving and canons 5-9.Here is what they look like as seen on the back of Bach's own copy:and HER...
2023-05-0220 min
The WTF Bach PodcastWhat is Chromaticism? (Albinoni Fugues)I was recently asked to explain chromaticism, so I thought I'd give it a try here.Bach's fugue based on a theme by Tomaso Albinoni in B minor, BWVs 951, and 951a: the subject itself contains a chromatic descent (B, A#, A, G#, G, F#) and though Albinoni himself wrote it, it was Bach who brought the ideas behind such chromaticism to the next level. HERE is the recording which I was not able to credit. If you know whose recording this is, please write me, I'll fix it!and HERE is...
2023-04-1927 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe (Other) Goldberg Canons BWV 1087 (Part 1)On the back of his own personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', Bach notated an additional fourteen canons. These were discovered only as late as 1974(!) and are among the most interesting compositional exercises we know from the composer. From eight bass notes (the first 8 notes of the 'Goldberg' Aria- the structure in a sense,) Bach creates, yes, fourteen other canons. In this episode, we introduce the history, the idea behind the canons and the first four canons.Here is what they look like as seen on the back of Bach's own copy:
2023-03-1420 min
The WTF Bach PodcastAn Encyclopedia and a FugueThis episode was inspired by my recent discovery and purchase of an Encyclopedia Britannica. It's a fascinating collection of knowledge and I highly recommend finding some volumes and reading them. This is the Bach article appearing in the EB from as early as 1926 even until the 1960s, written by D.F. Tovey. We also listen to fugue BWV 959, very early, very wild, very W.T.F. in unequal temperament. More episodes on the way! Spread the love!--LINKS:The text of the Borges st...
2023-02-2531 min
The WTF Bach PodcastWhat’s a Pythagorean Comma? (Introduction to Temperament)More than simply, “in tune” or “out of tune” a temperament is a solution to the ancient problem of creating a circle out of a spiral. By the time Bach had his shake at this problem, the musical world had advanced far enough, setting the stage for his great mind to create a well-tempered solution that allowed him to compose in all 24 keys. Not all keys sound the same in the vast majority of temperaments, in fact, in only our modern equal-tempered one do we find all keys equal. Does our insistence on this system destroy the whole point of tempe...
2022-12-1839 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Prelude in C, BWV846: New versions, Inverted harmonies and more!How much more famous can music be than that one Prelude in C?The Prelude BWV 846, the first prelude in the Well-Tempered Clavier, is heard everywhere, but why? How? What purpose could such a piece have served in Bach's day?We discuss two early, shorter versions of the prelude, and one erroneous version with an inauthentic bar (the 'Schwenke measure' - be on the look out if your copy has 36 bars and not 35!)Answering, "How has this prelude influenced musicians even today?" we explore modern versions by John K. Stone...
2022-11-2043 min
The WTF Bach PodcastWhat is Bach’s Longest Piece? (And his Shortest?)It started with an Instagram Post, but like all questions about Bach, to answer the question of Bach's 'longest' piece required posing further questions: Longest how? Minutes? In terms of Measures? In terms of the longest single piece on a concert? ...wait, what is a 'piece' anyhow? Does one of the passions count as a single piece? What about just the amount of notes? You may be surprised to hear the answers... or maybe you've know the answer in your heart of hearts all along.Follow Evan on Instagram for in...
2022-11-0624 min
The WTF Bach PodcastCantata 147 (Listener’s Choice Part Two)A brief analysis of Cantata 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV147. Such a large piece of music, it gets it own episode. Will I continue to devote episodes to the cantatas? Read the bottom of the description. The work is famous for, if nothing else, the two chorales that we know as 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.' As it was suggested by a listener, this is part two of the previous listener's choice episode. --People or Music mentioned:Rudolph LutzJoshu...
2022-10-2359 min
The WTF Bach PodcastListener’s Choice, Part One of Two: You asked, I talked.SPOILER ALERT! I split this episode into TWO! The NEXT episode will cover cantata BWV147 exclusively. --To begin your week! Three pieces you requested were: Toccata in g minor BWV915Allabreve in D major BWV589Cantata BWV147 (NEXT EPISODE!)--Please enjoy my brief analysis of these pieces which, in their own right, could take up many episodes each, and THANK YOU for suggesting I cover them. Please keep your suggestions coming! --
2022-10-1046 min
The WTF Bach PodcastWhat Was the Only Non-British Music at the Queen’s Funeral?It was brought to my attention that, yesterday, at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, there was only one non-Biritsh piece of music included. It was of course penned by our beloved J.S. Bach, whose inclusion in the royal festivities made an impression on me.The piece was this gorgeous fantasy for organ BWV 562, discussed in this episode. Enjoy!The unfinished harpsichord fugue discussed by me Marie-Claire Alain's performance of BWV 562Martin Lücker's performance of BWV 562 I know I s...
2022-09-2027 min
The WTF Bach PodcastWhat Did Bach Have for Dinner May 3, 1716? (And Other Documents...)This week I chose to read experts from the 'New Bach Reader', a compilation book of documents from Bach's life or shortly thereafter. These documents are sometimes letters, receipts, or newspaper notices, but might be a dinner bill for an inn where Bach stayed, or his candid thoughts on singers. I highly recommend this book. Find it here. NEXT EPISODE IS LISTENER'S CHOICE- SEND ME THE PIECE YOU WANT: Bach (at) WTFBACH (dot com) Thank you to each of you who donate to these episodes:...
2022-09-0421 min
The WTF Bach PodcastFour Chances to Hear Bach Differently (MIDI and Musical ’Unbias’ Examples)Last Episode WTF Bach explained how computers, using MIDI, could help us understand Bach in a unique way.Here then, is a brief episode of four Bach MIDI files, played with very basic computer operations (quantized 16th notes, panning between speakers, mechanical slowing down and speeding up). It's likely you've never heard Bach in this way before. The question therefore is, 'Did you learn something?' --Don't forget to donate to this production:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.pa...
2022-08-0718 min
The WTF Bach PodcastHow can computers illuminate Bach? (MIDI and Musical ‘unbias’)How can computers help us understand Bach? What is MIDI? In this episode we learn how MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files, that is, a sort of sheet-music for computers, can help us explore Bach’s music in modern and novel ways. If you don’t read music or play an instrument, MIDI files might be your way into Bach’s mind. Even if you are a virtuoso Bachian, there will be something in MIDI technology that can help you uncover further details throughout Bach’s most fascinating constructions. Dave...
2022-07-2424 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Brandenburg Fifth: A New Way of Hearing It (Part 2)Two episodes ago we covered the first movement of the fifth Brandenburg concerto up to the famous harpsichord cadenza. In this episode we look at the two existing versions of the famous cadenza: an early version a mere 18 measures, and the the famous one, more than three times as long. Alfred CortotGlenn Gould’s video mentioned is here:https://youtu.be/gvs4v_aswfkTon Koopman’s featured live performance is here:https://youtu.be/eLJ24CnVRyQAnd the film in wh...
2022-07-1030 min
The WTF Bach PodcastDid Bach Compose the Sixth Brandenburg to Get Fired? (History of the Brandenburg Concerti)In this episode, we will look at:The genesis of the Brandenburg concerti,What Bach’s job was like when these compositions came about,Who his employer was then,How much music Bach was composing at that time,Why a Baroque composer writes anything at all,The difference between a modern composer and one in the Baroque. Then finally, we will disprove another famous Bach myth:‘Bach composed the last of the Brand...
2022-06-2631 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Brandenburg Fifth: A New Way of Hearing It (Part 1)This episode and the next two will cover the first movement of the fifth ‘Brandenburg’ concerto, BWV1050, a concerto for solo flute, violin and harpsichord. The recording featured in this episode is Il Giardino Armonico (probably my favorite recording of all six Brandenburg Concerti). This is the YouTube link. Thank you for your emails, your donations and your suggestions. Keep ‘em coming Bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Follow me on IG where I post almost daily Bach content: @WTFBach
2022-06-1236 min
The WTF Bach PodcastSeason TWO! Announcing The Bach Store in GERMANY (and BWV1001 & BWV539...)GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN? THE BACH STORE is in GERMANY March25-April8. Stream it here:Twitch.tv/wtf_BachLet's kick off this season discussing the fugue for violin in G minor BWV1001, and its arrangement for Organ BWV539. There is also one for lute (perhaps lute harpsichord) BWV1000. Donate to this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachLin...
2022-03-2141 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThat‘s a Wrap on The Art of Fugue. (Season one finale 2/2!)So! We've done it: Looked in depth at every fugue, every canon, solved the mysteries, busted the myths, sent the Bach heretics back to whence they came. And now? Let's just enjoy... Topics covered:The golden sections in other Bach pieces and how this could help us find the golden section here, even in this fugal fragment. 'God the Father' 'God the Spirit' 'God the Son' as three themes.--THE LAST PAGE ! CLICK HERE to see the 'corrupt' staves on which it would ha...
2021-12-0637 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 14th Fugue in The Art of Fugue. (Season one finale 1/2!)This is the final fugue of The Art of Fugue, the famous 'unfinished' fugue, number 14. We discuss how one could have understood this fugue to have been unfinished in earlier periods in musical history (it was finished) and what exactly is missing. THE LAST PAGE ! CLICK HERE to see the 'corrupt' staves on which it would have been impossible to complete such a dense fugue. **Note the staff three from the bottom**Topics covered:B+A+C+H = 14B-A-C-H as a melody and fugue subject.
2021-11-1938 min
The WTF Bach PodcastSpecial Guest: Christoph Wolff. What else can we learn about Bach?Guest Interview: Christoph Wolff, Former Head of the Bach Archive in Leipzig. I had the privilege of speaking to Christoph Wolff, certainly the most distinguished Bach scholar of the 20th century, even until today. From Jimi Hendrix to Rudolph Serkin, from the music Bach's composed which is lost, to the famous "Seal of 1722", this interview has it all folks. Take a listen!Browse Mr. Wolff's Books Here:--People / Topics Covered:Albert Schweitzer (His Bach biography, Volume 1)"Bach's Seal"
2021-10-2541 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBonus: Dictated in Blindness on his Deathbed? The Original Printed Conclusion to The Art of Fugue?This is the eighth bonus episode.Was Bach dictating this? Blind? On his deathbed? Printed as the original conclusion to The Art of Fugue, "Wenn wir im höchsten Nöten sein" was not meant to be part of the work, but was meant to be compensation for the missing fugue. Even with this piece, there are myths surrounding it. Let's debunk.--Follow me on instagram: @wtfbach Thank you, THANK YOU, for listening.-evan ...
2021-10-2127 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Fourth Canon in The Art of Fugue: Upside Down, Slowed Down... How Much More Down?Rather than moving on to the final fugue, we have a brief visit to the final canon of the four canons in "The Art of Fugue."Canon per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu (Canon in augmentation and contrary motion [inversion]). This form of this canon is very similar in construction to the previous ones, though rather than increasing the interval of imitation, the following voice appears in inversion and moving twice as slowly! A very complicated procedure.--Evan is every day on his instagram stories uploading the gre...
2021-09-3031 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBonus: The 13th Contrapunctus - in another way (for TWO harpsichords!)This is the seventh bonus episode.Among the errors in the assembly of the first printing of The Art of Fugue was the inclusion of an arrangement of fugue number 13 for two harpsichords. We look at the music, how it differs from the original 13th counterpoint (for one harpsichord) and how such an error could have been committed. It appears under the title, 'Alio Modo' ...another way. It contains a fourth, newly composed, non-imitative voice. And yes, since fugue 13 is a mirror fugue, Bach made two arrangements with two newly composed voices. --
2021-07-2623 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 13th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: also fugue this mirror a is?Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion?In the previous fugue, fugue twelve, we saw Bach took four voices, a turned everything upside down: 1234 became 4321 and what went up came crashing down. Now, fugue 13 is again a 'mirror' fugue... or is it?This thirteenth fugue is in three voices and uses a technique almost identical to it's sister fugue, number 12, but is still more complicated. Topics Covered: Which comes first in number 13, the rectus or the inversu...
2021-06-2136 min
The WTF Bach PodcastSpecial Guest: Chris Thile. Man in the Mirror (Fugue)This is an interview with mandolinist/composer/singer Chris Thile. Our conversation on May 14, 2021 spanned many diverse topics from how he felt about growing up in a religious community, to his favorite barrel aged spirits. --Musicians/Bands mentioned (Alphabetically):Bach, Beethoven, Bela Fleck, Bill Monroe, Edgar Meyer, Glenn Gould, Mike Marshall, Mozart, Nickle Creek, Radiohead, Richard Green, Russel Sherman, Vivaldi, Yo-Yo Ma--Music/Books/Booze mentioned:Russel Sherman, 'Piano Pieces' Saint Anne's Reel: https://thesession.org/tun...
2021-06-0257 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 12th Fugue in The Art of Fugue|euguF fo trA ehT ni euguF ht21 ehT?Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion? A few important things I neglected to mention in the 11th counterpoint, but where to go after that 11th fugue anyhow? Into the mirror…Look into *CLICK* the mirror! Bach, not satisfied with creating a triple fugue whose subjects were the same three subjects of the previous triple fugue- inverted- now pens a four-voice fugue where the entire texture will be inverted to create a new compo...
2021-05-1841 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Third Canon in The Art of Fugue: Counterpoint at the fifth? Or just a bunch of parallel fifths?Rather than moving on to the twelfth fugue, we have a brief visit to the third of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach:Canon alla Duodecima in Contrapunto alla Quina (Canon at the twelfth in counterpoint at the fifth). This canon is very similar in construction to the previous canon, though at the larger interval of the 12th. --Evan is now mid-49 days of toccatas every day on his instagram stories: Watch Check out Bach's 'gift canon' here:
2021-03-1526 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBonus: I Uploaded a Bach Album as an NFTI don't know if you are already hip to it, or if you're just catching on, but it seems like releasing music as 'NFTs' could be in our futures. I wanted to have the first NFT version of The Art of Fugue. Check the auction out here: https://mintable.app/music/item/JS-Bach-The-Art-of-Fugue--Electronic--The-First-Ever-Bachs-Music-as-NFT--Presented-by-WTF-Bach/f9CWCc0ho7bbad8 Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe
2021-03-0804 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 11th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: A Triple Fugue &... A Possible Anti-Golden-Section?The closing of our chapter on compound fugues, contrapunctus eleven, a powerful, complicated, and long fugue. Two expositions of the first theme? One in inversion? And wait, this is a triple fugue where all themes come in inversion and… also not in inversion? Holy B***! Topics covered:The original order of the fugues found in P 200 (the autograph score).The 11th fugue as a possible early finale to The Art of Fugue. Glenn Gould’s version of this fugue. Could there be an ‘a...
2021-02-1943 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Tenth Fugue at the Tenth: Also... What is a Key?Two fugues in original print are essentially the same: these are both this 10th contrapunctus. This fugue is a double fugue with counterpoint at the tenth (alla decima) Topics covered: What does it mean when music is in a 'key' what keys did Bach often write in, and does it mean anything special that The Art of Fugue is in the key of d minor? Follow Evan on Instagram for even more Bachian content: www.instagram.com/WTFBachFind a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha2...
2021-01-2738 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 9th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Two Subjects Combined at Two Intervals... Too much?Back to four voices! Bach begins yet again another fugue with a unique theme. The fugue will become a double fugue with our well known ‘Art of Fugue’ theme. The counterpoint then begins to appear in two ways: either on the same note or at different notes which are related to the perfect 5th, or 12th, as the title of this fugue (Alla Duodecima) suggests. Not only is this double counterpoint, but double counterpoint at ...double the intervalic possibilities...? Bach Vision Test (Vulfpeck): https://youtu.be/vJfiOuDdetg--Fin...
2020-10-2622 min
The WTF Bach PodcastSpecial Guest: Jack Stratton (Vulfpeck). Down in a big way... with Bach?This is an interview with Jack Stratton of Vulfpeck. I loved our conversation during the summer of 2020. See some of the topics covered below and stay tuned for the next episode which will feature his arrangement of the ninth contrapunctus from The Art of Fugue. It was great to speak to a non-classical musician so eager about classical music and so involved with Bach. --Sleepify (Silent album by Vulfpeck) Vulfpeck Arranges the ninth contrapunctus from The Art of Fugue:Version 1: https://youtu.be/Yc...
2020-09-251h 15
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 8th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Three Themes, Three voices.Back to it! Opening a new chapter in The Art of Fugue, this new chapter is one based on compound fugues, that is, our beloved ‘Art of Fugue Subject’ will now began to be combined with other new and unique themes. Instead of going from a ‘simple’ to a double fugue, Bach drops a voice (all previous fugues were in 4 voices) and composes immediately a triple fugue for three voices. Like perfectly symmetrical juggling, this fugue is filled with beauty and amazing structural points. --Find a pla...
2020-09-0851 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBonus: How to Detect B.S. (Bad Scholarship)This is the fifth bonus episode.Well folks, I had a hard time getting this out there. As I sat down to debunk "Evening in the Palace of Reason" by James Gaines, I found myself overcome with the sense of being a bully:This book, published by none other than Harper Collins (and probably more read than any book by a notable Bach scholar), initially had me enraged with its conclusions about the character of Bach and the reasons for composing such a noble work as 'A Musical Offering' BWV 1079. A...
2020-08-1748 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBonus: A Bach Article from 1985This is the fourth bonus episode. Two episodes ago, I began with a quote from Aldous Huxley. That quote came from an article written in 1985. The article focused on Bach's relationship to words and various writer's relationships with Bach. The whole article is fascinating and, well, I read it to you. A piece of what I consider 'good scholarship', it takes stabs at what Bach playing would be like today, in 2020, but sets the standard for the next episode, in which we will be de-bunking poor Bach sch...
2020-08-0225 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBonus: Listener’s Choice: You asked, I talked.This is the third bonus episode. You know how at the end of every episode, Gaby says, "Want to have evan analyze a specific piece of Bach... just for you?" Boom: Listener's choice volume one. Three pieces you requested were: Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV855 (Book one)Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp minor, BWV849 (Book one)Capriccio on the Departure of the Beloved Brother, BWV992 ...
2020-07-2543 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe Second Canon in The Art of Fugue: A canon functioning at two simultaneous intervals!?Rather than moving on to the compound fugues, we have a pleasant visit to the second of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach:Canon alla Decima in contrapunto alla Terza (Canon at the Tenth in counterpoint at the Third)Topics covered: Aldous Huxley said that Bach is a manifestation of God? How does this second canon differ from the previous canon? What is a 'Cadenza'? So, you can play a canon with a delay pedal, but to what extent? Check out a picture of Bach's 'gift canon' h...
2020-07-0331 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 7th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: One theme at three different speeds?This is the last fugue of what we could call 'Chapter two' in The Art of Fugue: this is the third and final 'stretto fugue,' and the most complicated. Whereas in the previous episodes I mentioned in which direction subjects enter, inverted or not, or at which beat they overlap, in this episode, I disregard all of that in favor of trying to hear the three different speeds in multiple voices at once. I also ask the listener to imagine what this could sound like before the music is played. This is related to a technique called 'Audiation...
2020-06-2034 min
The WTF Bach PodcastSpecial Guest: Robert Hill. How does he play Bach?Guest Interview: Robert Hill, HarpsichordistI had the privilege of speaking to Robert Hill, one of the foremost harpsichordists alive. Our discussion spans many different topics including harpsichord tuning and repair, clavichords, piano actions, lute-harpsichords, early Bach, old Bach, figured bass, inaudible sounds, metronomes, partimento, and anything else listed here: People / Topics Covered:Keith Hill (Instrument maker, Robert’s Brother)Jaap Schröder (Dutch violinist Hill heard in Michigan)Fernando Valenti (American Harpsichordist)Charles Burney (English Music Historian)Lute H...
2020-06-151h 36
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 6th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: ’In Stylo Francese’The second ‘stretto’ fugue: “Contrapunctus 6, in the French Style” now gives us the theme flying at two different speeds in both directions. We see the theme overlapped, coming both inverted and ‘rectus’, and now at 1x AND 2x speeds! Where will Bach go from here?! Topics covered: What does it mean to play in the ‘French style?’ What does ‘diminution’ mean? Pianists mentioned: Zoltán Kocsis, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Pierre-Laurent Aimard,Harpsichordists (organists) mentioned: Helmut Walcha, Davitt Moroney, Robert Hill, Gustav Leonhardt, Isolde Ahlgrimm, Follow Evan on Instagram for...
2020-05-2930 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 5th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Our theme finally overlaps itself!Here we are on a new chapter! The stretto fugues have begun. We uncover the extensive use of stretto at various 'lengths:' 12 beats, 6 beats, 4 beats, 2 beats even down to a single beat. Entrances are now flying both upside down and right-side up without warning. Topics covered: Bach's cousin taught a 12-year old prince about fugues? 'Fleshing out' our Art of Fugue theme, Canons within fugues, The Art of Fugue orchestrated E.H. Gombrich's 'Little History of the World' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_History_of_the_WorldThe...
2020-05-2133 min
The WTF Bach PodcastSpecial Guest: Brad Mehldau. Why does he like Bach?This is an interview with pianist/composer/arranger Brad Mehldau. Our conversation on May 12, 2020 spanned many diverse topics from what he is reading at the moment, what he keeps on his piano, when and how he practices, the connection between bebop and Bach, his favorite video game and more.Bach's Table of Ornaments: http://www.pennuto.com/music/jsb_ornm.htmHear the music mentioned (in the order we mention it) here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5iP9EMbyCBoB6hEyK5waK4?si=ukZQ0wy2T62vjGImM_OkfwRead the literature fr...
2020-05-141h 05
The WTF Bach PodcastThe First Canon in The Art of Fugue: Where do these pieces belong, and how do they get much more complicated than this?!Rather than moving on to the fifth fugue, we have a brief visit to the first of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach:Canon in Hypodiapason (Canon at the octave). Topics covered: What is an octave? Who is 'The Great One'? Why do musicians love Bach so? So... you can play a canon with a delay pedal? Find a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYAFollow Evan on Instagram for even more...
2020-04-2926 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBonus: Bach in Revision: How does Bach improve upon himself?This is the second bonus episode.In it, you will hear the first three fugues from “The Art of Fugue” in their 'early versions', meaning, the versions which Bach conceived before he sent them to be published. This is a rare moment to observe Bach making improvements or corrections on his own compositions. Noticing how Bach revises his own work is a pretty rare and- may I say?- exclusive look into the mind of the great genius. The 'Original Print', as I said, is found here: https://imslp.simssa.ca/files/imglnks/usimg...
2020-04-1723 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 4th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Where is the golden section? Exchanging the Dux and the ComesThe final piece in the first 'quartet' of fugues from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach: Contrapunctus 4. With this episode we have covered all of the 'simple fugues' in this sprawling work. Topics covered: A blind organist from Leipzig... Helmut who? The official Latin terms for the first two entering voices. A fugue made entirely of a subject and a two-note motif? What on earth is a golden section and how does one go about finding one? Find a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7...
2020-04-0537 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe 2nd/3rd Fugues in The Art of Fugue: What is a Clavichord? Our first countersubject!We discuss the second and third fugues from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach.We hear them played on a clavichord and a piano, then both arranged electronically with some new insights. Topics covered: How quiet is a clavichord? So... what's the vibe in general of The Art of Fugue? Countersubjects, inverted entrances, and the subject beginning to change. Find a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYASupport us:https://www.pat...
2020-03-2236 min
The WTF Bach PodcastBonus: Contrapunctus I: all screwed up... 11xThis is the first bonus episode. In it, you will hear the first contrapunctus from “The Art of Fugue” (which, by now, you can tell your friends is called, ‘Die Kunst der Fuge’ in German) in eleven different ways. Eleven is an important number in ‘Die Kunst der Fuge', and this first counterpoint- or fugue- or contrapunctus has eleven entrances. If you hear the entirety of this bonus episode, you will have mastered the first counterpoint and could recognize it even if you heard an ice-cream truck playing it passing you at 70...
2020-03-1536 min
The WTF Bach PodcastThe First Fugue in The Art of Fugue: What is a Harpsichord? Eleven entrances?We discuss the first fugue from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach. We hear it played first on a harpsichord, then on a piano with 'voice-over analysis' then by a computer with the voices panned hard left/right.Topics covered: How does a harpsichord work?, Must one bring out, or even hear every entrance of the subject?, What about authenticity vs. modern approaches to Bach?, Was Evan really called Slim-E? Find a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYAA...
2020-03-1131 min
The WTF Bach PodcastWhat is a fugue? Who was J.S. Bach? Introductory podcastThe introduction to baroque composer J.S. Bach. Also, what is a fugue? What is counterpoint? We answer these questions and prepare ourselves for a journey into Bach's great work, 'The Art of Fugue.'-- Find a playlist of the music in this podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYASupport us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach...
2020-03-0122 min