I.S. Bach "HTK" (Well-Tempered Clavier)
"The Well-Tempered Clavier" by I.S. Bach can rightfully be considered one of the highest achievements in the world of music. This cycle, consisting of preludes and fugues, is a real monumental work done by the composer. Subsequently, the two volumes of "HTK" had a tremendous impact on virtually all musicians, future composites and virtuosos from various countries of the world.
History of creation
Work on the "HTK" Bach began in Weimar, where the composer stayed from 1708 to 1717. The first volume was published in 1722, when Johann Sebastian lived in Kothen. The composer made a record on the title page, explaining why he intended his work. There it appeared that it was intended for teaching young people, as well as for playing music to already accomplished musicians. The second volume Bach wrote in Leipzig in 1744, many years after the first. "HTK" consists of two volumes, each containing 24 preludes and fugues, written in different keys. How did the composer arrange them?
The Octave consists of 12 sounds, which are based on the maestro. He wrote his mini-loops for each octave sound in major and minor keys. Thus, it turned out that both volumes contain exactly 24 preludes and fugues.
The clavier setting in a uniformly tempered scale, which was introduced only in the 18th century, allowed to embody a similar venture. Previously used another system - Pythagoras, not allowing to compose works in all keys. This was due to the fact that in the natural structure euphonic sounds were only a few tonalities, because the shortest distance between the sounds was not the same. Sounds were formed by dividing the string, not the octave. Some researchers of the work of Bach are sure that he did not take a strict temperament as a basis, but “Werkmeister’s good temperament”. This is indirectly indicated by the name of the Bach cycle. Werkmaster used 4 varieties of "good temperament" with pure thirds.
The main mystery of HTK and value
Bach wrote his essay primarily for contemporaries who used only the tools available to them: clavichord, organ and harpsichord. As you know, the piano was still quite imperfect at that time. The main mystery is whether the composer heard his works as well as we hear them now? The fact is that the sound is extracted by a pinch on the harpsichord and it is impossible to play legato on it, but on the clavichord it was impossible to change the sound power. It turns out that Bach could have foreseen what music would be like in hundreds of years and how “HTK” would play in such an unusual piano, which soon completely supplanted its predecessors. One cannot overlook the fact that Bach used the semantics of tonalities very widely. Preludes and fugues are full of hidden images and symbols, which is also another mystery.
Invaluable influence of "HTK" on composers of all subsequent generations. For many great composers, the work of Bach became a reference book; it was in this collection that they studied the basics of composition, counterpoint. Other musicians tried to embody a similar venture (to use the whole range of tonalities within the cycle). For example, F. Chopin composed 24 preludes and two opuses of etudes. D. Shostakovich, P. Hindemith and R. Shchedrin belong to the cycles of preludes and fugues.
Interesting Facts
- There is a curious version of the fact that the first part of “HTK” Bach composed in the shortest possible time, since he was temporarily without a tool and did not know what to do.
- Interestingly, earlier other composers attempted to write something similar. This is the organist Johanna Fischer, who composed and published a collection of 10 preludes and fugues written in 10 major and 9 minor keys, and one of them belonged to the Phrygian style. Bach even borrowed a theme for his Fugue E-dur II from this collection.
- The piano was invented during the lifetime of Bach, but the composer did not appreciate it, considering the instrument imperfect and constantly criticizing it.
- Handwritten copies of "HTK" quickly spread among the musicians of that time and gained real popularity in the second half of the 18th century. In the printing press notes were printed in 1801.
- Temperament is a kind of revolution in the world of music. In other words, the tempered scale combined the keys of a sharp and a flat in one, earlier they were designated differently. Such an improvement made it possible to use a more extended circle of tonalities, even those in which there were many signs and it sounded also harmonious.
- Bach created a cycle of preludes and fugues in order to acquaint future musicians with all the tonalities available, proving that each of them sounds perfect.
- In both parts of the collection, preludes and fugues are arranged in pairs, peculiar mini-cycles, united by a single tonality and sounding in contrast to each other.
Execution and interpretation
Unfortunately, there are not very many records of "HTK". This is due to some technical and artistic complexity. For example, Emil Gilels didn’t fully complete Bach’s work, many other recordings are not recognized by critics as successful (Walter Gizeking).
The first cycle record on the clavichord was made in the 1930s by Arnold Dolmech. On the harpsichord, Wanda Landowska recorded in 1949-1953. The first recording appeared on the piano thanks to pianist Edwin Fischer in the mid-1930s. It is noteworthy that until now, this interpretation is very much appreciated by experts, as one of the most perfect.
Another significant musician who recorded the “HTK” was Sviatoslav Richter in 1972-1973. Almost simultaneously with this idea, the German musician Friedrich Gould caught fire. His reading of the cycle is also highly valued by musicians and is distinguished by an unusually fine and refined game.
Ralph Kirkpatrick, who at that time was considered to be a real expert on the music of the Baroque period, presented the recording of the “CTC” on the clavichord, which he successfully carried out in 1963.
Jazz musician Keith Jarrett was also fond of Bach's works, perfecting his improvisation. Due to this, in 1987 a recording of his reading of "HTK" appeared on the piano, and in 1990 he recorded the second volume on the harpsichord.
A special place is occupied by the project prepared by the Bach-Collegium in Stuttgart. Specialist on the work of Bach Helmut Reeling released a unique recording of almost all the works of the composer. Glenn Gould's recordings from 1962 to 1971 are very popular with musicians and listeners.
Preludes
Preludes and fugues brought Bach to the highest artistic perfection. Each of the pieces is individual and has its own unique way. It is noteworthy that in the epoch of Bach, preludes served as an improvisational introduction, so they were not endowed with a strict form. The composer diversified and expanded the possibilities of this play. In his cycle there are completely different from each other and especially individual samples. Thus, the prelude to c-moll and Es-dur would be more correctly attributed to organ type toccata. The prelude As-dur bears the bright features of folk dance, and the es-moll, on the contrary, is close to the song form. Many of them are usually compared with inventions (a-moll, Cis-dur). All forerunners of "HTK" can be divided into two groups:
- improvisational or freely developing
- built on the principle of the old two-part form
We should also mention the prelude C-dur from the first volume, which is considered a kind of introduction to the entire collection. With very modest means, Bach managed to create an incredible image. The melodic sphere is dispersed and veiled in chords that replace each other continuously. The texture resembles the game on the lute, which conveys to the listeners the image of angels holding these musical instruments in their hands. In addition, this choice of texture contains a hidden meaning and consists of three levels: earth-man-sky.
Prelude C-dur (listen)
Fugues
The fugues from the two volumes of The Well-Tempered Clavier show all the inexhaustible creative imagination of the composer. Each of them is deeply individual and endowed with its own characteristic features. In his fugues, Bach shows the depth and variety of polyphonic work. He sates some of them with holdings of the subject with struttings, uses 3, 4 and even 5 vocal fugues, each of which contains a large number of complex polyphonic techniques.
Bach actively used musical symbolism in his works, quoted melodies of Protestant chorals, used musical rhetorical figures. In addition, associations with other choral works of the composer (masses, passionaries, cantatas) can be made. If you pay attention to the themes of fugues b-moll and es-moll, it becomes clear that they are borrowed from the choral "From the abyss of misfortunes I cry to you." This all helps to most accurately reveal the content of fugues. Many researchers of the work of Bach noted that there is a hidden program in the “CTC”, and the content of the cycle was directly linked to the biblical theme, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Each of the mini-cycles represents a certain biblical image.
For example, the prelude and fugue C-dur from the first volume is associated with the image of the "Annunciation". The theme of the fugue is based on the choral "What the Lord does is for good."
The Last Supper is shown in the prelude and fugue moll from the second volume. The prelude itself begins with a symbol of compassion, ends with a symbol of predestination, which warns of the inevitability of all forthcoming events. The theme of the fugue contains the motifs of the choir "O God, the good God."
The prelude and fugue es-moll, which is associated with the image of "The Descent from the Cross", is an incredibly lyrical image. If the prelude itself is built on the rhythm of a saraband, in which mournful exclamations and bells can be clearly heard, then the fugue is a sad song. Many researchers have noted the similarity of the melodic language with Russian melodies.
Other cycles are marked with similar mournful paints: cis-moll, b-moll. The fugue h-moll is the “Procession to Calvary”, it reminds the audience of the sufferings of Christ. In her subject, Bach three times includes the symbol of the cross.
"HTK" is not just a collection for exercises, it is a powerful and magnificent collection of preludes and fugues. No wonder the famous composer L.V. Beethoven called the work of Bach a real "musical bible". Many generations of talented musicians were brought up on the works of a brilliant organist. No music school can do without preludes and fugues from "HTK" in their programs. It is impossible to fully describe how much influence this labor has on subsequent generations of musicians and on world musical culture as a whole.
Leave Your Comment