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 BWV915 Allabreve in D major BWV589 Cantata 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! -- Bach's Music Floating in Outer Space Performers featured today ...
Oct 10, 2022•47 min
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 562 Martin Lücker's performance of BWV 562 I know I said ...
Sep 20, 2022•28 min
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: https://www.p...
Sep 04, 2022•21 min
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/wtfbach https://www.paypa...
Aug 07, 2022•18 min
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 construc...
Jul 24, 2022•24 min
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 Cortot Glenn Gould’s video mentioned is here: https://youtu.be/gvs4v_aswfk Ton Koopman’s featured live performance is here: https://youtu.be/eLJ24CnVRyQ And the film in which Leonhardt himself plays Bach (T...
Jul 10, 2022•30 min
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 Brandenburg concerti to get fired’ -- **PS: Any of my listeners want to start correcting ...
Jun 26, 2022•32 min
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 Donate to this ...
Jun 12, 2022•37 min
GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN? THE BACH STORE is in GERMANY March25-April8. Stream it here: Twitch.tv/wtf_Bach Let'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/wtfbach https://www.paypal.me/wtfbach https://venmo.com/wtfbach https://cash.app/$wtfbach Links to music played in this episode: Milstein 1957 Milstein 1975 Rober...
Mar 21, 2022•42 min
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 have been impossible to complete s...
Dec 06, 2021•38 min
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 = 14 B-A-C-H as a melody and fugue subject. Where the missing...
Nov 19, 2021•39 min
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 ...
Oct 25, 2021•42 min
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 Support us: https://www.patreon.com/wtfbach https://www.paypal.me/wtfbach https://venm...
Oct 21, 2021•27 min
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 sto...
Sep 30, 2021•32 min
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 t...
Jul 26, 2021•24 min
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 1...
Jun 21, 2021•37 min
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...
Jun 02, 2021•58 min
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 compositio...
May 18, 2021•42 min
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 : Find a playlist of the music here: https:...
Mar 15, 2021•26 min
I 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...
Mar 08, 2021•4 min
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 ‘anti-golden section’ in...
Feb 19, 2021•43 min
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/WTFBach Find a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha2...
Jan 26, 2021•38 min
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:/...
Oct 26, 2020•22 min
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....
Sep 25, 2020•1 hr 16 min
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 playlist...
Sep 08, 2020•51 min
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. As I...
Aug 17, 2020•49 min
This 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 ...
Aug 02, 2020•25 min
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 -- Forgive my delay in getting this to all of you: I have a noble undertaking regarding a popular Bach book which i...
Jul 24, 2020•43 min
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' here : N...
Jul 03, 2020•31 min
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 ...
Jun 20, 2020•35 min
