Bach Well-Tempered Clavier - Book 1
Valletta Baroque Festival 2024
Performer
Charlene Farrugia
Programme
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
The Well-Tempered Clavier – Book I
BWV 846-869 (1722)
No. 1: Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 846
No. 2: Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 847
No. 3: Prelude and Fugue in C sharp major, BWV 848
No. 4: Prelude and Fugue in C sharp minor, BWV 849
No. 5: Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 850
No. 6: Prelude and Fugue in D minor, BWV 851
No. 7: Prelude and Fugue in E flat major, BWV 852
No. 8: Prelude and Fugue in E flat minor, BWV 853
No. 9: Prelude and Fugue in E major, BWV 854
No. 10: Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 855
No. 11: Prelude and Fugue in F major, BWV 856
No. 12: Prelude and Fugue in F minor, BWV 857
INTERVAL
No. 13: Prelude and Fugue in F sharp major, BWV 858
No. 14: Prelude and Fugue in F sharp minor, BWV 859
No. 15: Prelude and Fugue in G major, BWV 860
No. 16: Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BWV 861
No. 17: Prelude and Fugue in A flat major, BWV 862
No. 18: Prelude and Fugue in G sharp minor, BWV 863
No. 19: Prelude and Fugue in A major, BWV 864
No. 20: Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 865
No. 21: Prelude and Fugue in B flat major, BWV 866
No. 22: Prelude and Fugue in B flat minor, BWV 867
No. 23: Prelude and Fugue in B major, BWV 868
No. 24: Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 869
Programme Notes
Bach's Well-tempered Clavier (the WTC) has come to be regarded as the "Old Testament" of the pianist's repertoire (Hans von Bülow) and the "daily bread" (Robert Schumann).
The two books of preludes and fugues, each with twenty-four pieces, were not composed sequentially or as the result of a single coordinated effort. They occupied Bach for the majority of his life and by 1722 Book I was finalised. The title's significance comes from Bach's desire to demonstrate the viability of a new method of tuning the clavier. He did this by artificially dividing the scale into twelve equal semitones, which replaced the scale's natural acoustic divisions which had led to serious intonation issues.
The term "clavier" did not specifically refer to any keyboard instrument during Bach's time; rather, it could refer to a harpsichord, clavichord, spinet, virginal, or even an organ. He owned a wide variety of instruments, according to an inventory made at the time of his death. Despite its extreme delicacy, the clavichord is said to have been Bach's favoured instrument. Gottfried Silbermann, the renowned organ and harpsichord builder began developing a fortepiano which Bach tried prior to his passing. He reportedly thought it was intriguing but weak in the high register and difficult to play. His compositions in this Book call for a great deal of vivacity, clarity, velocity, warmth, and strength, all of which must be represented by the instrument and the performer.