logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2009
54s

Bach: Partita No. 1 in B flat: Menuet 2

LISZTONIAN.COM
About this episode

This is the second of two menuets found in Bach's Partita No. 1 in B-flat major (Opus 1). I've always enjoyed this brief section of the work and it includes some tricky finger work despite the deceitfully simple harmonies. Bach certainly had a way of emphasizing the subtle harmonies to invigorate the soul! Bach himself wrote the following on the title page of the first volume of the Clavierubung (which consists of the 6 partitas):

Keyboard Training, consisting of Preludes, Allemandes, Courantes, Sarabandes, Gigues, Menuets and other Galanteries, dedicated to Music Lovers for the Pleasure of their Minds

Up next
Dec 2014
Burgmuller: Op. 100 No. 10 - Tender Flower
I almost forgot about this one! The tenth in Burgmuller's set of 25 etudes for piano - I forgot I had recorded this one along with the previous nine and just came across it. This etude (exercise) is intended to provide technique for repeated notes played by independant fingers. I ... Show More
48s
Jun 2014
Clementi: Sonatina Op. 36, No. 6
I've finally completed the last Sonatina in Clementi's Opus 36! I actually recorded this over a year ago and am just barely getting around to releasing it. I apologize for the long delay. I hope that you will enjoy my recording of this work! 
8m 2s
Oct 2013
Clementi: Sonatina Op. 36, No. 5
The next in the Clementi Sonatina set that I've been working on. This was actually recorded many months ago, but I haven't had time to publish it :-) This performance did not turn out great. I would label it as "sloppy" and "rushed" in many parts. However, I am just as human and ... Show More
8m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2021
Bach Chaconne for Solo Violin
The Bach Chaconne is one of the great masterpieces of Western Classical Music, and today we're going to be diving straight into this monumental work. We'll talk about the legends behind its composition, the work itself, different interpretations of the piece, and its many many ar ... Show More
52m 18s
Jul 2013
Johann Sebastian Bach - Goldberg Variations #5
JS Bach's - Goldberg Variations #5Our version of JS Bach's - Goldberg Variations #5blessings,Shiloh Worship MusicThe Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the wo ... Show More
2m 25s
Apr 2021
Bach Cello Suites
Bach's Cello Suites are now an indispensable part of the cello repertoire, but this wasn't always the case. After Bach's death, they were forgotten. But starting in the 1890s, a cellist named Pablo Casals began playing the Suites, and the rest is history. Bach left very few clues ... Show More
50m 41s
Mar 2023
Reinventing Bach
If you’ve ever learned classical piano, you probably tried to play one of Bach’s Inventions. The composer wrote fifteen pieces containing the most important fifteen keys in order to teach his son the fundamentals of piano and composition. Today, they remain some of the most popul ... Show More
40 m
Jun 2024
Bach is back
Synopsis As Leipzig’s chief provider of both sacred and secular music, Johann Sebastian Bach probably gave a huge sigh of relief on today’s date in 1733. The death of Imperial Elector Friedrich Augustus the First of Saxony earlier that year had resulted in a four-month period of ... Show More
2 m
Apr 2015
Bach Cello Suite No 1 in G Major
Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suite No I in G major is one of the most frequently performed and recognisable solo compositions ever written for cello. Yet it was virtually unknown for almost 200 years until the Catalan cellist, Pablo Casals discovered an edition in a thrift shop ... Show More
27m 29s
May 2023
Bach arrives (literally)
Synopsis On today's date in 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach began his formal duties as the new Cantor of the St. Thomas School in Leipzig, a city that would remain his home for the next 27 years. A newspaper item datelined Leipzig had appeared the previous day, noting: "This past ... Show More
2 m
Oct 2023
Guitarist Plinio Fernandes combines Bach and Brazilian music on 'Bacheando'
New Classical Tracks - Plinio Fernandes (radio edit) by Plinio Fernandes - Bacheando (Decca) “For me, playing the guitar gives me a sense of identity, because it's something that I have been doing since I was very, very young,” guitarist Plinio Fernandes says. “I don't re ... Show More
27m 11s