Podcasts by The WTF Bach Podcast

I Play Bach's Table of Ornaments from 2023-12-03T13:00

Firstly, here is the image of what’s in question:

If you’ve ever wondered ...

Bach and the Golden Ratio. from 2023-11-08T13:06:13

How did Bach understand the concept of Phi? 1.618…? Here ...

Bach's Most Joyful Piece? (Chorale Preludes x2) from 2023-10-25T12:06:01

In this episode I delve into two very diverse chorale preludes: one from the so-called, “Great 18” and one from the individually transmitted.

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Introducing: The Chorale! Chorale Preludes, Four-Part Chorales, &c. from 2023-10-01T13:00

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I AM STARTING A SUBSTACK SOON SO JOIN THE FUN:

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The Crab Canon Isn’t a Möbius Strip. (BWV 1087 Canons Part THREE) from 2023-07-26T20:30

Though this episode starts with quite the extended introduction, this is in fact

EPISODE THREE

In a four-part study into the 14 additional canons on the back of the Goldber...

Special Guest: Joshua Rifkin. One Voice Per Part from 2023-07-11T12:00

Finally! The influential Joshua Rifkin guests on the WTF Bach Podcast. 

Rifkin made Bach fame with Listen

Casals, Rostropovich... più allegro (Cello Suites!) from 2023-06-22T12:18:27

Q: What if those really slow interpretations of the cello suites from the 30s and 50s could be sped up?

A: Exactly.

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50th Episode! A LIVE Lecture Sponsored by Tonebase from 2023-06-08T16:08:42

Thanks for supporting us through 50 episodes! 

What makes Bach, BACH?!

As a special celebration, the 50th episode of The WTF Bach Podcast is a live lecture presented by Ton...

The (Other) Goldberg Canons BWV 1087 (Part 2) from 2023-05-02T15:09:11

EPISODE TWO:

On the back of his own personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', Bach notated an additional fourteen canons. These were discovered only as late as 1974(!) and are amon...

What is Chromaticism? (Albinoni Fugues) from 2023-04-19T18:24:01

I was recently asked to explain chromaticism, so I thought I'd give it a try here.

Bach's fugue based on a theme by Tomaso Albi...

The (Other) Goldberg Canons BWV 1087 (Part 1) from 2023-03-14T12:00

On the back of his own personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', Bach notated an additional fourteen canons. These were discovered only as late as 1974(!) and are among the most interesting co...

An Encyclopedia and a Fugue from 2023-02-25T17:32:31

This episode was inspired by my recent discovery and purchase of an Encyclopedia Britannica. It's a fascinating collection of knowledge and I highly recommend finding some volumes and reading th...

What’s a Pythagorean Comma? (Introduction to Temperament) from 2022-12-18T13:00

More than simply, “in tune” or “out of tune” a temperament is a solution to the ancient problem of creating a circle out of a spiral. By the time Bach had his shake at this problem, the musical ...

The Prelude in C, BWV846: New versions, Inverted harmonies and more! from 2022-11-20T21:51:51

How much more famous can music be than that one Prelude in C?

The Prelude BWV 846, the first prelude in the Well-Tempered Clavier, is heard everywhere, but why? How? What purpose coul...

What is Bach’s Longest Piece? (And his Shortest?) from 2022-11-06T13:00

It started with an Instagram Post, but like all questions about Bach, to answer the question of Bach's 'longest...

Cantata 147 (Listener’s Choice Part Two) from 2022-10-23T12:00

A brief analysis of Cantata 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV147. Such a large piece of music, it gets it own episode. Will I continue to devote episodes to t...

Listener’s Choice, Part One of Two: You asked, I talked. from 2022-10-10T12:00

SPOILER ALERT! I split this episode into TWO! The NEXT episode will cover cantata BWV147 exclusively. 

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To begin your week! Three pieces you requested were: Listen

What Was the Only Non-British Music at the Queen’s Funeral? from 2022-09-20T13:18:54

It was brought to my attention that, yesterday, at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, there was only one non-Biritsh piece of music included. It was of course penned by our beloved J.S. Ba...

What Did Bach Have for Dinner May 3, 1716? (And Other Documents...) from 2022-09-04T12:00

This week I chose to read experts from the 'New Bach Reader', a compilation book of documents from Bach's life or shortly thereafter. These documents are sometimes letters, receipts, or newspape...

Four Chances to Hear Bach Differently (MIDI and Musical ’Unbias’ Examples) from 2022-08-07T12:00

Last Episode WTF Bach explained how computers, using MIDI, could help us understand Bach in a unique way.

Here then, is a brief episode of four Bach MIDI files, played with very basic...

How can computers illuminate Bach? (MIDI and Musical ‘unbias’) from 2022-07-24T12:00

How can computers help us understand Bach? What is MIDI? 

In this episode we learn how MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files, that is, a sort of sheet-music for computers,...

The Brandenburg Fifth: A New Way of Hearing It (Part 2) from 2022-07-10T12:00

Two episodes ago we covered the first movement of the fifth Brandenburg concerto up to the famous harpsichord cadenza. In this episode we look at the two existing versions of the famous cadenza:...

Did Bach Compose the Sixth Brandenburg to Get Fired? (History of the Brandenburg Concerti) from 2022-06-26T12:00

In this episode, we will look at:

The genesis of the Brandenburg concerti,

What Bach’s job was like when these compositions came about,

Who his employer was then...

The Brandenburg Fifth: A New Way of Hearing It (Part 1) from 2022-06-12T14:15:30

This episode and the next two will cover the first movement of the fifth ‘Brandenburg’ concerto, BWV1050, a concerto for solo flute, violin and harpsichord. 

The recordin...

Season TWO! Announcing The Bach Store in GERMANY (and BWV1001&BWV539...) from 2022-03-21T08:12:30

GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN? 

THE BACH STORE is in GERMANY March25-April8. Stream it here:

Twitch.tv/wtf_Bach

Let's kick off this...

That‘s a Wrap on The Art of Fugue. (Season one finale 2/2!) from 2021-12-06T12:00

So! We've done it: Looked in depth at every fugue, every canon, solved the mysteries, busted the myths, sent the Bach heretics back to whence they came. And now? Let's just enjoy... 

Top...

The 14th Fugue in The Art of Fugue. (Season one finale 1/2!) from 2021-11-19T14:07:28

This is the final fugue of The Art of Fugue, the famous 'unfinished' fugue, number 14. We discuss how one could have understood this fugue to have been unfinished in earlier periods in musical h...

Special Guest: Christoph Wolff. What else can we learn about Bach? from 2021-10-25T12:42:57

Guest Interview: Christoph Wolff, Former Head of the Bach Archive in Leipzig. 

I had the privilege of speaking to Christoph Wolff, certainly the most distinguished ...

Bonus: Dictated in Blindness on his Deathbed? The Original Printed Conclusion to The Art of Fugue? from 2021-10-21T15:37:28

This is the eighth bonus episode.

Was Bach dictating this? Blind? On his deathbed? 

Printed as the original conclusion to The Art of Fugue, "Wenn...

The Fourth Canon in The Art of Fugue: Upside Down, Slowed Down... How Much More Down? from 2021-09-30T14:05:22

Rather than moving on to the final fugue, we have a brief visit to the final canon of the four canons in "The Art of Fugue."

Canon per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu (Canon in augmenta...

Bonus: The 13th Contrapunctus - in another way (for TWO harpsichords!) from 2021-07-26T14:16:21

This is the seventh bonus episode.

Among the errors in the assembly of the first printing of The Art of Fugue was the inclusion of an arrangement of fugue number 13...

The 13th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: also fugue this mirror a is? from 2021-06-21T15:58:49

Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion?

In the previous fugue, fugue twelve, we saw Bach took four voices, a turned every...

Special Guest: Chris Thile. Man in the Mirror (Fugue) from 2021-06-02T08:50:36

This is an interview with mandolinist/composer/singer Chris Thile. Our conversation on May 14, 2021 spanned many diverse topics from how h...

The 12th Fugue in The Art of Fugue|euguF fo trA ehT ni euguF ht21 ehT? from 2021-05-18T08:55:09

Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion?

A few important things I neglected to mention in the 11th counterpoint,...

The Third Canon in The Art of Fugue: Counterpoint at the fifth? Or just a bunch of parallel fifths? from 2021-03-15T16:01:24

Rather than moving on to the twelfth fugue, we have a brief visit to the third of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach:

Canon alla Duodecima in Contrapunto alla Quina (Canon ...

Bonus: I Uploaded a Bach Album as an NFT from 2021-03-08T12:21:56

I don't know if you are already hip to it, or if you're just catching on, but it seems like releasing music as 'NFTs' could be in our futures. I wanted to have the first NFT version of The Art o...

The 11th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: A Triple Fugue&... A Possible Anti-Golden-Section? from 2021-02-19T17:06:46

The closing of our chapter on compound fugues, contrapunctus eleven, a powerful, complicated, and long fugue. Two expositions of the first theme? One in inversion? And wait, this is a triple fug...

The Tenth Fugue at the Tenth: Also... What is a Key? from 2021-01-26T18:45:01

Two fugues in original print are essentially the same: these are both this 10th contrapunctus. This fugue is a double fugue with counterpoint at the tenth (alla decima) 

Topics covered: ...

The 9th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Two Subjects Combined at Two Intervals... Too much? from 2020-10-26T17:17:34

Back to four voices! Bach begins yet again another fugue with a unique theme. The fugue will become a double fugue with our well known ‘Art of Fugue’ theme. The counterpoint then begins to appea...

Special Guest: Jack Stratton (Vulfpeck). Down in a big way... with Bach? from 2020-09-25T16:52:34

This is an interview with Jack Stratton of Vulfpeck. I loved our conversation during the summer of 2020. See some of the topics covered below and stay tuned for the next episode which will featu...

The 8th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Three Themes, Three voices. from 2020-09-08T17:03:39

Back to it! Opening a new chapter in The Art of Fugue, this new chapter is one based on compound fugues, that is, our beloved ‘Art of Fugue Subject’ will now began to be combined with other new ...

Bonus: How to Detect B.S. (Bad Scholarship) from 2020-08-17T17:21:50

This is the fifth bonus episode.

Well folks, I had a hard time getting this out there. As I sat down to debunk "Evening in the Palace of Reason" by James Gaines, I ...

Bonus: A Bach Article from 1985 from 2020-08-02T09:59:21

This is the fourth bonus episode.

Two episodes ago, I began with a quote from Aldous Huxley. That quote came from an article written in 1985. T...

Bonus: Listener's Choice: You asked, I talked. from 2020-07-24T19:45:29

This is the third bonus episode.

You know how at the end of every episode, Gaby says, "Want to have evan analyze a specific piece of Bach... ju...

The Second Canon in The Art of Fugue: A canon functioning at two simultaneous intervals!? from 2020-07-03T14:14:05

Rather than moving on to the compound fugues, we have a pleasant visit to the second of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach:

The 7th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: One theme at three different speeds? from 2020-06-20T17:33:08

This is the last fugue of what we could call 'Chapter two' in The Art of Fugue: this is the third and final 'stretto fugue,' and the most complicated. Whereas in the previous episodes I mentione...

Special Guest: Robert Hill. How does he play Bach? from 2020-06-15T11:33:45

Guest Interview: Robert Hill, Harpsichordist

I had the privilege of speaking to Robert Hill, one of the foremost harpsichordists alive. Our discussion spans many di...

The 6th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: 'In Stylo Francese' from 2020-05-29T17:17:07

The second ‘stretto’ fugue: “Contrapunctus 6, in the French Style” now gives us the theme flying at two different speeds in both directions. We see the theme overlapped, coming both i...

The 5th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Our theme finally overlaps itself! from 2020-05-21T17:09:21

Here we are on a new chapter! The stretto fugues have begun. We uncover the extensive use of stretto at various 'lengths:' 12 beats, 6 beats, 4 beats, 2 beats even down to a single beat. Entranc...

Special Guest: Brad Mehldau. Why does he like Bach? from 2020-05-14T17:00

This is an interview with pianist/composer/arranger Brad Mehldau. Our conversation on May 12, 2020 spanned many diverse topics from what ...

The First Canon in The Art of Fugue: Where do these pieces belong, and how do they get much more complicated than this?! from 2020-04-28T19:04:35

Rather than moving on to the fifth fugue, we have a brief visit to the first of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach:

Canon in Hypodiapason (Canon at the octave). 

To...

Bonus: Bach in Revision: How does Bach improve upon himself? from 2020-04-17T01:01:24

This is the second bonus episode.

In it, you will hear the first three fugues from “The Art of Fugue” in their 'early versions', meaning, the versions which Bach co...

The 4th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Where is the golden section? Exchanging the Dux and the Comes from 2020-04-04T23:34:41

The final piece in the first 'quartet' of fugues from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach: Contrapunctus 4. With this episode we have covered all of the 'simple fugues' in this sprawling work. 

The 2nd/3rd Fugues in The Art of Fugue: What is a Clavichord? Our first countersubject! from 2020-03-22T17:22:33

We discuss the second and third fugues from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach.

We hear them played on a clavichord and a piano, then both arranged electronically with some new insights.  Listen

Bonus: Contrapunctus I: all screwed up... 11x from 2020-03-15T01:36:19

This is the first bonus episode.

In it, you will hear the first contrapunctus from “The Art of Fugue” (which, by now, you can tell your friends is called, ‘Die Kun...

The First Fugue in The Art of Fugue: What is a Harpsichord? Eleven entrances? from 2020-03-11T01:19:05

We discuss the first fugue from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach. We hear it played first on a harpsichord, then on a piano with 'voice-over analysis' then by a computer with the voices panned ha...

What is a fugue? Who was J.S. Bach? Introductory podcast from 2020-02-29T21:24:58

The introduction to baroque composer J.S. Bach. Also, what is a fugue? What is counterpoint? We answer these questions and prepare ourselves for a journey into Bach's great work, 'The Art of Fug...