What is the best version of The Well-Tempered Clavier?

The best recordings of JS Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier

  • András Schiff (piano) (2012) ECM New Series 476 4827.
  • Edwin Fischer (piano) (1933-36) Documents 231784.
  • Angela Hewitt (piano) (2008)
  • Gustav Leonhardt (harpsichord) (1989)
  • Read our reviews of the latest Bach recordings here.
  • Read more about Bach and his works here.

Why did Bach write The Well-Tempered Clavier?

He did this in 1722 and then again 20 years later; books I and II. In Bach’s own words The Well-Tempered Clavier was composed “for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning and especially for the pastime of those already skilled in this study.”

What key is The Well-Tempered Clavier in?

C major
Book 1 of The Well-Tempered Clavier opens with C major- the purest of all keys, with no sharps or flats. In Wednesday’s post, we’ll hear how the famous C major prelude finds its way into a piece written in the mid-twentieth century.

What is the best edition for Bach?

The Henle Verlag Urtext is currently the most trustworthy edition of Bach. While it is a bit pricey, this will be one of the best edition of Bach you can find. All of the Bach preludes and the Bach Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier can be found in part 1 and part 2 of this edition. with fingering by András Schiff.

What is Bach’s best fugue?

Here are some of my favorite Bach fugues:

  • Fugue in D Major, BWV 532.
  • Fugue in b minor, BWV 544.
  • “St. Anne” Fugue in Eb Major, BWV 552.
  • “Wedge” Fugue in e minor, BWV 548.
  • Contrapunctus 11 from the Art of Fugue.
  • and then Contrapunctus 14.

How difficult is the Well-Tempered Clavier?

Some of the preludes alone are not as difficult to learn as the combination of both prelude and fugue together. This is down to the fact that the fugues are written in a complex polyphonic way that is always a major challenge to play well.