Presents
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach needs no introduction. After Mendelssohn reintroduced Bach, whose music had all but disappeared, during the first part of the 19th century, his music was revived and widely performed. An exception to this was his so-called Goldberg Variations, which unlike most of his works, was published during his lifetime in 1741 by his good friend Balthasar Schmid.
The title page to the original edition seen above reads in German: Clavier Ubung bestehend in einer ARIA mit verschiedenen Verænderungen vors Clavicimbal mit 2 Manualen. Denen Liebhabern zur Gemüths-Ergetzung verfertiget von Johann Sebastian Bach,Königl. Pohl. u. Churfl. Sæchs. Hoff- Compositeur, Capellmeister, u. Directore Chori Musici in Leipzig. Nürnberg in Verlegung Balthasar Schmids. In English: Keyboard exercise, consisting of an ARIA (i.e. a theme) with diverse variations for harpsichord with two manuals. Composed for connoisseurs, for the refreshment of their spirits, by Johann Sebastian Bach, composer for the royal court of Poland and the Electoral court of Saxony, Kapellmeister and Director of Choral Music in Leipzig. Nuremberg, Balthasar Schmid, publisher.
The work obtained its nickname from the virtuoso harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg who was said to have given the first public performance. They are generally considered Bach's most ambitious work for keyboard, perhaps intended as a showcase for his own prodigious technical skills as well as his knowledge of the many different styles of music of his day. As its popularity grew, dozens of arrangements for different instrumental ensembles have been made.
Our arrangement of has been made by Professor Vincent Oddo who used the 1853 score made for Breitkopf and Hãrtel by renowned Bach scholar Carl Ferdinand Becker for the Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe (Bach Society Edition of his complete works). There have been other arrangements, notably by the violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky and it is only this arrangement that has ever been recorded to the best of our knowledge. While we feel Professor Oddo's arrangement is as good, please be aware this is not the Sitkovetsky arrangement
Parts
Parts & Score: $43.95
