J.S. Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier

A renowned organist transfers his decades of experience as a Bach player to the harpsichord, for his first recording of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach Artists: Wolfgang Rübsam (lute-harpsichord) 🎵 Purchase or streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music): 💎 More Information: 🎬🎮 These tracks are available for sync licensing in videos, films, tv-shows, games, advertising and more. For more information and to request a license go to: The Well-Tempered Clavier is the generally accepted English translation of the German title, Das Wohltemperierte Clavier, Bach’s great collection of 48 paired preludes and fugues, often referred to as simply `The 48’. It is the best known of Bach’s clavier works. Part 1 of The Well-Tempered Clavier was completed at Köthen in 1722, and Part 2 in Leipzig around 1740. Each part consists of twenty-four preludes and fugues, one prelude and one fugue in each of the twelve major and minor keys, the keys being arranged in chromatic order, alternating in major and minor keys. The term well-tempered refers to the then novel system of equal (or almost equal) temperament, in which the octave is divided into 12 equal (or almost equal) semitones, and the tuning is such that the transposition is possible without altering the ratio of frequencies for different intervals. In the meantone tuning, on the other hand, which was common until then and still in parallel use, keys are more out of tune the further apart they are from C major. This system made it possible to play equally well in all the keys, and Bach’s collection of The Well-Tempered Clavier was the first complete realization and his achievement the apotheosis of even-tempered tuning. Hans von Bülow called Das wohltemperierte Klavier the „Old Testament“ of piano literature, it is unlike any other work in the history of music, opening up entirely new territories for both performance and composition, casting its spell for centuries to come. Wolfgang Rübsam is internationally known as an authoritative Bach interpreter, from recordings of the organ and harpsichord on several different labels. This new recording is played on a lute-harpsichord, an instrument that Bach would have had at home for both music-making in the family and for teaching. The touch required and the sonority produced is delicate, subtly shaded and closely related in its effect to the music of Bach’s French contemporaries, whose music he knew well, such as François Couperin, Jean-Philippe Rameau and Louis Marchand. Tracklist: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846, Book I: 0:00:00 I. Prelude 0:02:43 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 847, Book I: 0:05:22 I. Prelude 0:08:05 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, BWV 848, Book I: 0:10:49 I. Prelude 0:13:07 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor, BWV 849, Book I: 0:17:12 I. Prelude 0:20:13 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 5 in D Major, BWV 850, Book I: 0:25:04 I. Prelude 0:27:44 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 851, Book I: 0:30:58 I. Prelude 0:33:25 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 7 in E-Flat Major, BWV 852, Book I: 0:35:52 I. Prelude 0:40:37 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 8 in E-Flat Minor, BWV 853, Book I: 0:43:29 I. Prelude 0:46:51 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 9 in E Major, BWV 854, Book I: 0:52:34 I. Prelude 0:54:26 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 10 in E Minor, BWV 855, Book I: 0:56:35 I. Prelude 0:59:51 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F Major, BWV 856, Book I: 1:02:10 I. Prelude 1:03:40 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 12 in F Minor, BWV 857, Book I: 1:05:47 I. Prelude 1:08:20 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 13 in F-Sharp Major, BWV 858, Book I: 1:14:07 I. Prelude 1:15:47 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F-Sharp Minor, BWV 859, Book I: 1:19:08 I. Prelude 1:21:16 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 15 in G Major, BWV 860, Book I: 1:25:05 I. Prelude 1:26:27 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 16 on G Minor, BWV 861, Book I: 1:31:15 I. Prelude 1:33:24 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 17 in A-Flat Major, BWV 862, Book I: 1:36:25 I. Prelude 1:38:02 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 18 in G-Sharp Minor, BWV 863, Book I: 1:41:14 I. Prelude 1:43:09 II. Fugue Prelude and Fugue No. 19 in A Major, BWV 864, Book I: 1:46:24 I. Prelude 1:48:17 II. Fugue 1:51:47 The complete tracklist can be found in the pinned comment below! 👉 Social media links: Instagram: Facebook: TikTok: Spotify: #JSBach #WelTempered #Clavier #Bach #LuteHarpsichord #Baroque #ClassicalMusic #BrilliantClassics