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 compositional exercises we know from the composer.
From eight bass notes (the first 8 notes of the 'Goldberg' Aria- the structure in a sense,) Bach creates, yes, fourteen other canons. In this episode, we introduce the history, the idea behind the canons and the first four canons.
Here is what they look like as seen on the back of Bach's own copy:
and here are the Handel variations on the Chaccone of which I speak in this episode:
https://youtu.be/X_Lp9ZWWI-Q?t=73
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Concepts Covered:
We explore Bach's personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', on which he notated fourteen additional canons. These canons, BWV 1087, were discovered as late as 1974, and they represent some of the most fascinating compositional exercises by Bach. Using eight bass notes (the first eight notes of the 'Goldberg' Aria), Bach ingeniously creates fourteen distinct canons— on the so-called Goldberg ground. We delve into the history, the concept guiding them, and provide a detailed analysis. This is an insight into Bach's counterpoint techniques and creative process.
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