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The WTF Bach PodcastThe podcast about all things J.S. Bach. Brought to you by his prodigal son, WTF Bach (Evan Shinners) Author: Evan Shinners
Experience the music of Bach as you never have before. For music lovers, to professional musicians, let WTF Bach guide your mind through a contrapuntal journey. wtfbach.substack.com Language: en Genres: Education, Music, Music Commentary Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Ep. 125: What Is An Ornament?
Tuesday, 3 March, 2026
“The discontent of being between two notes; the urge to break free of a single note.”-Lionel Party (Paraphrased ca. 2005)What an opening:In this episode we listen to at least 14 different interpreters play this expressive trill. Such a simple idea, but how many different ways this idea can be realized! At an even speed or speeding up? With a turn at the end or a turn at the beginning or no turn at all? Crescendo all the way through or perhaps even diminuendo?Between earliest version and the fair copy, Bach seems to smooth out the rhythm in the solo voices. This is a rare case where the earliest version is rhythmically more nuanced than the revision.Bar 6. The last beat is more varied in the early version:It is smoothed out in revision:Bar 9. The top two voices sing in different rhythms in the early version:In revision, Bach makes them consistent:Penultimate bar. Note the 64th notes in the early version:Everything is more uniform in revision:WTF Bach survives exclusively on listener support! Thanks for your help.As we progress through Book One of The Well-Tempered Clavier, our fugal themes become increasingly complex and chromatic. Here, the fugue’s subject is angular, modern even:The subjects come in an memorable stretto toward the end:Want to help this resource stick around? Here’s how:We encourage our listeners to become a paid subscriber atwtfbach.substack.comFree subscriptions are also beneficial for our numbers.You can make a one-time donation:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachSupporting this show ensures its longevity. Thank you for your support!Topics Covered in this episode:J.S. Bach Well-Tempered Clavier Book One, BWV 861 prelude and fugue analysis, also Baroque ornamentation and how to play a trill, performance practice. We examine Bach’s manuscript sources in the early vs late versions of this pair. A general discussion of Baroque keyboard music, harpsichord vs piano performance, fugue structure and form, and Bach’s counterpoint. Get full access to W.T.F. Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe
