In the course of teaching, a situation may arise where a particular favored piece is requested by a student that I've never studied--which means a deep-layered journey is ahead of two learning partners. And given that J.S. Bach's Prelude and Fugue in Ab, (Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1) requires thoughtful fingering choices; an awareness of Baroque… Continue reading J.S. Bach Prelude in Ab, BWV 862: A Fresh Start for Student and Teacher
My journey through the Baroque master's Fugue no. 12 has been a labor of love though the form enshrined by J.S. Bach can be intimidating by its structural nit-pickings. Wikipedia, for example, cites BWV 847 in C minor, (the Fugue) as a model of internal order, with a carefully marked out Subject; Answer (a fifth… Continue reading Getting immersed in LEARNING Bach’s F minor Fugue, BWV 881 (Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2)
As mentors immersed in a two-way sharing process with students, we're grateful for opportunities to delve deeply into the masterworks. One companion traveler of mine dotes exclusively on the music of J.S. Bach, preferring this singular journey to any other. And without doubt, I can sympathize with his emphasis because the Baroque Master's body of… Continue reading Teaching J.S. Bach
Having been submerged for 48 hours in mega-science minded theories of playing the piano, I managed to E-merge as the piano teacher I knew before the deluge--refusing to believe that my fingers are throwing hammers at the strings, or obeying the irrefutable laws of Physics. Notwithstanding what Emanuel Ax, and Cedarville University *ProfessorJohn Mortensen are… Continue reading Playing J.S. Bach: Sing, Shape, and Phrase—it’s not rocket science
I can't fathom why a historically great NYC-based Classical music station like WQXR F.M. would choose to feature a big-splash juvenile ONLINE thumbs down to a J.S. Bach masterwork! http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/three-nyc-kids-give-bach-big-thumbs-down/ My published comment criticized the posting: "This is a waste of space considering that WQXR has been a fountain of great music for decades. I… Continue reading Shame on WQXR F.M. for shining a spotlight on Kids’ dislike of Bach’s music
I must admit that I usually experience the "minor" key with poignant intensity, but when I heard Elaine Comparone's most recent performance of J.S.Bach's celebrated D minor concerto, I felt her inner smile radiate through ripples and waves of luscious phrases even as a tragic dimension blanketed the work. Comparone's tapestry of moods, feelings and… Continue reading Comparone plays Bach on the harpsichord with a palette of emotions
The Sinfonia in F minor is a tour de force work of art, perhaps evocative of the composer's Musical Offering in its strikingly atonal sections. Yet there are definitive cadences in Major and minor keys that occur at the terminus of tonally ambiguous tunnels. Bach wrote a preface to the two and THREE Part Inventions… Continue reading J.S. Bach and blurred tonality (learning the three-part Invention or Sinfonia in F minor, BWV 795)
On to three voice counterpoint, following a two-dimensional Bach Invention journey in the company of several piano students. So why not open the door to my private practice room for a layered learning sample a trois. I'm no different than those I teach. The double standard does not exist for those of us who embark… Continue reading Learning a J.S Bach Sinfonia from the ground up (F Major, BWV 794)
I've been practicing a slew of them at the instigation of a go-getter Skype student who sends these in droves. It means I have to set everything aside and dive in, to keep up with the turnover. I had one other adult student who rivaled the importer of Baroque beauties. She loved Chopin so much,… Continue reading My Favorite J.S. Bach Little Preludes
Sakura, 12, is preparing the Bach C Major Prelude from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, for the upcoming MTAC Celebration Festival (Music Teachers Association of California) And she's right on course heading for a satisfying performance in March. Being Left-Handed, she's given her Right extra compensatory practicing in an effort to acquire satisfying equality. But… Continue reading A third year piano student shines playing J.S. Bach’s C Major Prelude (Well-Tempered Clavier)
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