An in depth “Over”-view of J.S. Bach Little Prelude in C Minor, BWV 934

This evening I prepared a video supplement for an adult student who brought the gorgeously woven Little Prelude in C minor (BWV 934) to his first lesson. Since I had studied this work at the suggestion of another student, from faraway Greece, I had laid a firm foundation in my own layer by layer learning…

A J.S. Bach Little Prelude: Making decisions about phrasing and articulation

The Urtext (original) editions of Bach's keyboard music offer sparse directions about phrasing/articulation, (groupings of notes) so the player has to make important decisions that reflect a Baroque style. But what are the guidelines in a process that has an intellectual and affective dimension? To the extreme, some pianists use pedal and soak up linear…