Music Theory

Learning Bach: Best Songs to Play Right Now

If you are wondering how to play Bach, you are not alone. His classical music is unique in his repertoire and demands special attention. With diligent practice, any pianist can master his music. It is well worth the effort as Bach’s pieces are quite rewarding and enjoyable to play. Johann Sebastian

Musicnotes

• 4 min read
Learning Bach: Best Songs to Play Right Now

If you are wondering how to play Bach, you are not alone. His classical music is unique in his repertoire and demands special attention. With diligent practice, any pianist can master his music. It is well worth the effort as Bach’s pieces are quite rewarding and enjoyable to play.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Background

To learn Bach’s music, it is helpful to know a little about him and his place in musical history. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in 1685 in Germany to a very musical family. He became a celebrated organist and harpsichordist and served as Kapellmeister, or director of music, for various courts and churches.

Part of his responsibilities as Kapellmeister was to compose cantatas and other pieces for different occasions. Although today Bach is recognized as one of the greatest and most important composers who has ever lived, by the end of his life his music was considered old-fashioned. It quickly faded into obscurity upon his death in 1750 and many of his works are lost.

Bach’s Musical Style

Bach was composing at the height of what is known as the Baroque Period. During this time, music was very complex and ornate. A compositional texture called polyphony was very popular. Polyphony, which means “many sounds,” refers to music that has more than one independent melody occurring at the same time.

And here we come to the heart of learning Bach. To play polyphonic music means that your hands have to be very independent of each other, as each one will have its own melody. Your left hand has to be just as strong as your right, and vice versa. In the most complicated of Bach’s pieces, each hand may have two melodies. Imagine the challenge of handling four melodies at the same time.

The Best First Pieces

When learning Bach, it’s a good idea to start simply. Jumping right into the four-voice fugues is not recommended. Unfortunately, Bach did not write much music for beginning pianists. However, there is a wonderful collection of pieces from 1725 known as the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook which serves as a good introduction to this style of music.

This notebook is a collection of keyboard works composed by numerous people, many of them Bach’s friends. He gave the book to his second wife, Anna, on her birthday. The pieces were likely used to teach their children how to play and read music.

Some of the best selections from the AMBN for study include:

These works and others from the AMBN will help you develop the independence of hands needed for the more complex counterpoint that is to come.

The Best Intermediate Level Pieces

After you are confident with some of the pieces from the AMBN, you are ready to plunge into Bach’s keyboard suites. There are six French Suites and six English suites, each a collection of dances that were popular in the Baroque Period. Bach did not give them the names French and English. Those were assigned after his death.

These suites have short movements, which are perfect for moving on to the next level of polyphonic playing. You’ll see titles such as “Gavotte,” “Courante,” and “Sarabande.” Each of the English suites begins with a Prelude and ends with a fast, lively Gigue. The French suites also end with a Gigue but begin with an Allemande.

While it is a good idea to learn an entire suite, it is also fine to single out separate movements that you find enjoyable. Some of the most popular movements for intermediate pianists include:

You can see from these examples that the suites have plenty of two- and three-part counterpoints. Be sure to practice your hands separately first. Become secure in playing each hand alone. Then you can play them together at a much-reduced tempo.

The Best Advanced Pieces

Now it’s time to study The Well-Tempered Clavier. There are two volumes. Each contains 24 matched sets of preludes and fugues, one for each key. These are some of Bach’s most difficult keyboard works. The fugues in particular represent the epitome of contrapuntal writing for the keyboard.

Start your study of the WTC with the beautiful “Prelude in C Major from Book 1, BWV 846”. You may recognize this popular work as it is frequently used commercially. It is also the accompaniment for a vocal solo setting of the “Ave Maria” by Charles Gounod. It’s a great choice for church services, weddings, and funerals.

Another option for your first studies is “Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D Major from Book 1, BWV 850”. This is a bright, cheerful set that provides an excellent technical workout for finger dexterity. As with all complex, contrapuntal works, begin your practice slowly, hands separately, and always observe the fingerings.

With a total of 48 preludes and fugues to work through, you can be busy for a long time. If you’d like a break from the WTC, take a look at Bach’s “Italian Concerto, BWV 971”. This is a three-movement work that shows the influence of Italian composers on Bach’s musical style. As a result, the polyphony is a little simpler and cleaner. It, therefore, makes slightly different demands of the pianist in execution.

Conclusion

In short, there is simply no such thing as bad Bach. Any piece you choose to play will challenge you technically and artistically. You can even branch out into piano transcriptions of his other works, such as “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, or the “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, BWV 1048”. These works are also incredibly satisfying to play.

Enjoy your classical musical journey with Johann Sebastian Bach. His music presents unique challenges which will only strengthen your musicianship and artistry.

Sources Used:

  • https://www.britannica.com/biography/Johann-Sebastian-Bach
  • https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-musicapp-medieval-modern/chapter/texture/
  • https://bachsocietyhouston.libsyn.com/anna-magdalena-bach-and-her-notebooks
  • https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Well-Tempered-Clavier-BWV-846-893

Published on October 31, 2022