Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) was not officially published until 1801. By that time, many hand-copied manuscripts had circulated through Europe. According to Charles Rosen: “Beethoven, at the age of 13, played the entire WTC in public.” His feat was published in the newspapers of that time. In my view, both books of the WTC—with a few exceptions—are absolute masterpieces. If you love the WTC, you might want to check out my recent article: Honesty About Church Music (Examples Provided). I give a few WTC examples in which Glenn Gould breaks the “commitment rule” of fugue playing. I also share a fantastic choral piece for SOPRANO-ALTO-BASS.
Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.
