Goldberg variations

History

" Übung keyboard/being composed/Of one/ARIA/With various variations (“Verschiedene Verändegungen”)/For the harpsichord/has two keyboards. /Made up for the amateurs/For the recreation of their spirit/By/Johann Sebastian Bach/Type-setter of King de Pologne and Prince Électeur of Saxony/Choirmaster and/Directing of the music in Leipzig. /Published in Nuremberg/At Baltasar Schmidt".

According to the tradition, they were written towards 1741 to distract the sleepless nights from the Count Keyserling, and to be played by its Claveciniste Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, raises Compositeur (according to the biography of Bach written by Forkel in 1802). This legend nevertheless is largely disputed today, because of age of the Goldberg young person in 1741 (14 years); absence of any dedication or allusion to the Count Keyserling, contrary to the practices of Bach; and of the absence, in the inventory of the goods of Bach after its death, trace of the rich person gifts made by Keyserling with Bach, according to Forkel (a gold cut filled of one hundred louis gold).

Structure

They are made up of a Aria, followed of thirty Variation S and of a return of the aria, that is to say 32 parts corresponding to 32 measurements of the aria (twice sixteen measurements). The aria, a slow and decorated saraband, is founded on the very widespread basic reason for the " gagliarda italienna" (Italian strapping woman). They constitute the fourth and last part of the Clavierübung (“exercises, or practical of the keyboard”), published in Nuremberg by Baltasar Schmidt, in 1741 or 1742. They are initially intended for the Clavecin with two keyboards, the frequent use of crossings of hands making their interpretation difficult on only one keyboard. Following the example Chaconne for solo violin, these variations rest more on the Basse continues that on the principal air, according to the technique of the chaconne or the English ground. They are divided into ten whole of 3 variations, each group being completed by a gun, according to a going order of the gun in unison (var.3) to the gun with 9th (var.27). Instead of the gun with the 10th foreseeable one, the var.30 is a quodlibet which combines with imagination several popular topics in counterpoint: “Ich bin so lange nicht EIB to dir gewest, ruck her, ruck her” (so for a long time I am not any more near you, approaches, approaches); and “Kraut und Rüben haben mich vertrieben/Hätt' mein' Mutter Fleich gekocht, so wär' ich länger blieben”)” (Cabbages and turnips made me flee, If my mother had made cook meat, I would have remained longer”. The first melody was very widespread with the XVIIe sècle like " Kerhaus" , last dance: piece which one played to render comprehensible that the dance finished.

List variations

Aria
Variatio 1 has 1 clav.
Variatio 2 has 1 clav.
Variatio 3 Canone all' unisono
Variatio 4 has 1 clav.
Variatio 5 has 1 ovvero 2 clav.
Variatio 6 Canone went Seconda
Variatio 7 has 1 ovvero 2 clav.
Variatio 8 has 2 clav.
Variatio 9 Canone went Terza has 1 clav.
Variatio 10 Fughetta has 1 clav.
Variatio 11 has 2 clav.
Variatio 12 Canone went Quarta in motor bike contrario
Variatio 13 has 2 clav.
Variatio 14 has 2 clav.
Variatio 15 Canone in Quinta in motor bike contrario has 1 clav., Andante
Variatio 16 Opening has 1 clav.
Variatio 17 has 2 clav.
Variatio 18 Canone went Sesta has 1 clav.
Variatio 19 has 1 clav.
Variatio 20 has 2 clav.
Variatio 21 Canone went Settima
Variatio 22 Alla breve has 1 clav.
Variatio 23 has 2 clav.
Variatio 24 Canone all' Ottava has 1 clav.
Variatio 25 has 2 clav.
Variatio 26 has 2 clav.
Variatio 27 Canone went Nona
Variatio 28 has 2 clav.
Variatio 29 has 1 ovvero 2 clav.
Variatio 30 Quodlibet has 1 clav.
Aria

Recordings

The Variations Goldberg constitute one of the tops of the form “topic and variations”. One of the most known interpretations is that, with the piano, of Glenn Gould (recorded four times, two more known being those of 1955 and 1981), analytical and singing at the same time. They were many recorded times, with the Piano, the Clavecin, the Orgue, in trio with cord and even with the accordion.

Triés by date

Wanda Landowska - November 1933 Paris - EMI 5 67200 - ADD - harpsichord
Glenn Gould - June 21st, 1954 - CBC - mono - piano
Glenn Gould - June 10th, 1955, New York - Sony Classical 52.594 - ADD - piano

One of the most known recordings: Glenn Gould with the piano at the time of its beginnings. Gould itself will end up criticizing of it the lyric style and interpretation “except tempo”, while issuing general reserves on its style (lack of temporal unit for example). - Without recoveries

Rosalyn Tureck 1957 Abbey Road- EMI-Philips Classics (great pianists) - with recoveries - ADD - piano
Glenn Gould - 1959 direct Catch with the festival of Salzburg - Sony Classical 52685 - ADD - piano
Ralph Kirkpatrick - 1959 Deutsche Grammophon 439.673-2 - ADD - harpsichord
Helmut Walcha - June 1960 - March 1961 - Hamburg - EMI 4 89166 - ADD - harpsichord
Gustav Leonhardt - 1965 Teldec - harpsichord
Wilhelm Kempff - July 1969 Deutsche Grammophon 439.978-2 - ADD - piano
Charles Rosen - July 1969 Sony SBK 48173 - ADD - piano
Gustav Leonhardt - 1978 Deutsche Harmonia Mundi GD77149 - ADD - harpsichord
Trevor Pinnock - 1980 Archiv Produktion 415.130-2 - ADD - harpsichord
Glenn Gould - April May 1981 New York Sony Classical 52619 - DDD - piano

One of the rare works re-recorded by Gould. Interpretation more traditional, more sober and slower than that of 1955 - and with the majority of the recoveries . The meetings of recording gave place to a film of Bruno Monsaingeon.

András Schiff - Decca 1983 - 417.116-2 (1 CD) - all the recoveries
Scott Ross - April 1st, 1985 - Erato DDD - harpsichord
Chen pi-hsien - October 1985 in Festeburgkirche, Frankfurt Naxos 8.550078 - DDD - piano
Maria Tipo - 26- June 28th, 1986 Paris EMI HMV 5 86666 - DDD - piano
Your Koopman - 1987 Erato - harpsichord
Keith Jarrett - January 1989 ECM Records 839.622-2 - DDD - harpsichord
Lars Ulrik Mortensen - 20 March 22nd, 1989 Kastelkirken - Copenhagen - Kontrapunkt 33023 - DDD - harpsichord Thomas Mandrup Poulsen 1984 according to Ruckers/a-415Hz - tuning fork of gold.
Virginia Black - Hakes 1991 - 70032-2 (2 CDs) - all the recoveries
Maggie Sticks - Virgin June 1990 5 61555 (2 CD) - DDD - harpsichord
Vladimir Feltsman - October 26th, 1991 taken direct with the Academy of Moscow - Musical Heritage Society 513260T - DDD - piano - All the recoveries
Pierre Hantaï - June 1992 - Opus 111 OPS 30-84 - DDD - harpsichord
Andrei Gavrilov - 1993 Deutsche Grammophon 435.436-2 - DDD - piano
Jean Guillou - Organ Keukler ND of Alps Snows hoot DORIAN - DOR-90110 - DDD - organ
Eleonore Bühler-Kestler - October 1993, Bayreuth - CHARADE; CHA 3012 - DDD - harpsichord
New European Strings Chamber Orchestrated (Orchestra) - October 1993 Hamburg, transcription by Dmitry Sitkovetsky - Nonesuch - orchestra
Peter Serkin - 1 June 3rd, 1994 Manhattan BMG Classics 09026 68188 2 - DDD - piano
Bernard Lagacé - Analekta (Quebec) 1996 - Montreal (Quebec), Nov. 1995 - DDD - organ
Luc Beauséjour - Analekta (Quebec) 1997 - FL 2 3132 - DDD - harpsichord
Béatrice Martin - Academy of Music of Paris, Cité music, 1998 - harpsichord
Angela Hewitt - Hyperion 2000 - HALF-VALUE LAYER 67305 - London, Henry Wood Hall, August 28th - September 1st, 1999 - piano
Bernard Labadie and Violins of Roy (Quebec) - September 1999 - Dorian xCD-90281 - DDD - arrangement for cords and low continues
Amati String Trio - Synagog December 1999 of Middelburg, The Netherlands Columns Classics 99564 - DDD - trio with cords
Evgeni Koroliov - Hänsler Edition Bachakademie - 1999 - piano
Murray Perahia - July 2000 Sony Classical SK/SM 89243 - DDD - piano
Celine Frisch - 2001 Alpha 14 (2 CDs) - with BWV 1087 - harpsichord
András Schiff - 2003 ECM
Jill Crossland - 2003 Apexes (Warner Classics) 0927 49979 2 - DDD - piano
Pierre Hantaï - 2003 - Mirare MIR 9945 - DDD - harpsichord
Jenő Jandó - 2005 Naxos 8.557268 - DDD - piano

---- Sans date of registration - to insert in the first liste

Christiane Jaccottet - ZYX Classics CLS 4131
Konstantin Lifschitz - Denon Records - #78961 - 16 year old Lifschitz then

Sources

Basso, Alberto. Jean-Sebastien Bach . Torino, 1983. Transl. Helene Pasquier, 2 vol., Beech, 1985.
Cantagrel, Gilles. the Mill and the river. Airs and variations on Bach . Beech, 1998.
Williams, Peter. The Goldberg Variations . Cambridge Music Handbooks. Cambridge University Near, 2001.

In literature

E.T.A. Hoffmann, Kreisleriana chap. I, " Musical sufferings of the choirmaster Johannès Kreisler". Bibl. of the Pleiad, " Romantic allemands" , flight. I, Gallimard, 1963, pp.883-7. One sees Kreisler there playing the " Variations for harpsichord of Jean-Sebastien Bach" in front of a public which " believes that they are pretty small variations". Hoffmann describes with humor the reactions of the tested public, of variation 3 with variation 30.
the Variations Goldberg (1981) of Nancy Huston, with the editions Actes Sud.

With the cinema

the Silence of the lambs , Hannibal Lecter listening several of these variations.
the aria in the English Patient of Anthony Minghella (1996).
Several variations, as well as the aria, in Stupor and tremors of Alain Corneau (2002)
In silence of Ingmar Bergman
In " The séparation" , with Daniel Auteuil and Isabelle Huppert (Christian Vincent) (1999)

In the video games

In the video game Heroes off Might and Magic 2, one can hear the Variatio 1 has 1 clav. in musical bottom, in the castle of the Magician.

Internal bonds

the List of works of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Józef Koffler

External bonds

Small history of the recordings of the Variations Goldberg
All recordings: until 1950,1951-1960, 1961-1970, 1971-1980, 1981-1990, 1991-2000, since 2001
Discography: harpsichord and piano
of Glenn Gould interpreting the Variations Handwritten Goldberg
variations digitized by BNF: specimen of the original edition having belonged to the type-setter, with handwritten corrections of its hand; also the handwritten appendix of 14 guns, BWV 1087 contains. on the initial reason for the first 8 measurements.

Random links: