The WTF Bach Podcast

I rarely just play on this podcast, but that’s how I’d like to package this little present for my listeners. Rather than spending days researching and writing, today I will play four fugues and introduce them only briefly. It’s some twenty minutes of music I hope you can enjoy during your holidays. The quote I read to introduce this short concert is by Mortimer J. Adler.Bach wrote this music before 1717 (at the latest.) These are fugues whose themes originated in the work of other composers. Bach borrows these themes and creates his own work. These fugues are not commonly played which make them all the more fun to listen to and study.As always, thanks for listening, thanks for spreading the word and supporting this podcast. I’m looking forward to 2025 with you Bach enthusiasts.Fugues I performed:Fugue in C major, BWV 966 (on a theme by Adam Reinken)Fugue in C major, BWV 946 (on a theme by Tomaso Albinoni)Fugue in a minor, BWV 965 (on a theme by Adam Reinken)Fugue in A major, BWV 949 (probably on a theme by Tomaso Albinoni)Support us:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachWrite us:bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s episode we have a look at one of Bach’s Arnstadt masterpieces, the fugue in c minor BWV 574 on a theme by Giovanni Maria Bononcini (The composers Giovanni Bononcini and Antonio Maria Bononcini were his sons.) According to the Neue Bach Ausgabe, this fugue is the first double fugue in history.Here is a picture of the title page in his brother’s hand with the erroneous attribution to Legrenzi:You can download the music to the fugue here. (The MIDI version I created at the end of the episode is BWV574b.) Today’s sponsor is Modartt. I am playing the organ using their wonderful software, Organteq. Read about the physical modeling here. Thanks to them, and thanks to all my listeners.Support us:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachWrite us:bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

EDIT June 2024. I have misunderstood the term ‘Applicatio’ in this episode. I now understand it to refer to the fingering and not the application of ornaments— despite the fact that many ornaments are ‘applied’ in the piece. ‘Applicatio’ as I now understand it sometimes referred to the hand position on a string instrument, or here, where to ‘apply’ the fingers. This video highlights the correction. -e.s.Firstly, here is the image of what’s in question:If you’ve ever wondered what all the ‘squiggles’ are about over certain notes in sheet music, this episode will you give you a good idea. Here is the ‘Applicatio,’ the little piece which would have shown Bach’s son (and other future students) how to apply these ornaments- notice the fingering and the ‘J.N.J.’:Just a quick episode today! Stay tuned for more writings and longer episodes soon.Support us:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachWrite us:bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Discover the fascinating connection between the golden ratio and Bach's music. Explore how mathematical principles like Phi influence his compositions, showcasing examples in pieces like the 'Art of Fugue' and 'Confiteor.' Delve into the intrinsic emotional depth in Bach's works, where music intertwines with profound themes. Hear about the historical significance of the Fibonacci sequence in art and nature. This podcast blends mathematical elegance with musical beauty, illuminating Bach's innovative spirit and his dedication to harmony.

In this episode I delve into two very diverse chorale preludes: one from the so-called, “Great 18” and one from the individually transmitted. Here is a link to Bach’s own autograph of the Leipzig chorales. Beautiful handwriting! Marie-Claire Alain’s recording of BWV 655 (completely different to Koopman’s) The “Organ Sonatas” I recorded with LH/RH hard panning On Spotify on Apple MusicP.S. This is the first episode released on the new substack website- please shout if you experience problems!Support us:https://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachWrite us:bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

--I AM STARTING A SUBSTACK SOON SO JOIN THE FUN:WTFBACH.SUBSTACK.COM--Thanks for listening! In this episode we discuss the history of the Chorale- how it became called 'Chorale' and how it factors into Bach's music.Pieces featured:BWV 691 and BWV 93 (Chorale) at the same timeBWV 651BWV 682Performers were: Michel Chapuis, Kay Johannsen--Here are the links to the cantata cycles mentioned at the end, thank you, Tucker! From the profile you can access different ensembles' complete cantata cycles as well as other great selections.Tucker's Spotify Playlists Support us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach Write us:bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Though this episode starts with quite the extended introduction, this is in factEPISODE THREEIn a four-part study into the 14 additional canons on the back of the Goldbergs, BWV1087.Here in this video, we dismiss a popular Bach video, and examine which videos are in fact Möbius strips. Here is the disproven crab canon video.Here are two studies which don't quite go far enough:One. I love this channel, don't get me wrong- they just didn't quite examine the consequences of chromatic inversion.Two. The American Mathematical Society publishes similarly.Both studies miss the technical inversions that I have pointed out in this episode.--And now the blurb from the other two episodes studying BWV 1087: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 discuss engraving and canons 5-9.Here is what they look like as seen on the back of Bach's own copy:and HERE is the link to engraving- you can see how Balthasar Schmid (I accidentally added an 'S' to his name in the episode) engraved Bach's BWV988.Support us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachIdeas? Wanna sponsor an episode?Write us:bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Finally! The influential Joshua Rifkin guests on the WTF Bach Podcast. Rifkin made Bach fame with his groundbreaking (and controversial!) theory that Bach’s vocal works (and other 17th & 18th century) composers’ works were sung with only one singer per part. He recorded the b minor mass, several cantatas, and other Bach works in this format. We spoke for almost three hours about ragtime, the Beatles, PDQ Bach (my distant uncle), even crossword puzzles, coffee and meditation. For this episode, though, I culled it quite severely to only that which deals with Bach’s music. It’s fascinating to hear him talk about his scholastic endeavors dealing with first-hand examination of source material. Do you agree with Rifkin? Do you like the sound of one singer per part?- -Follow Evan's instagram, because... well... it's the only one you should follow.- -Support us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach--Suggestions? Want Evan to analyze a specific piece of Bach? Have other questions for Evan about music or... anything... anything at all?Write us: bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Q: What if those really slow interpretations of the cello suites from the 30s and 50s could be sped up?A: Exactly. https://www.jsbachcellosuites.com - check out this website! It's a great source on the history of the recordings of these pieces. Thanks for all your feedback, donations, ideas, everything. Please follow @wtfbach on instagram for (almost) daily Bach content. We thank YOU for supporting us!https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach Write us:bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks for supporting us through 50 episodes! What makes Bach, BACH?!As a special celebration, the 50th episode of The WTF Bach Podcast is a live lecture presented by Tonebase.The topic is the ever looming one: why is Bach's importance so great? Studying the ideas behind a few of his instrumental collections, we see that Bach's ideas are always expanding outward, perhaps lending to his all-pervasive influence. Learn more about Tonebase. Support us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach Ideas? Wanna sponsor an episode?Write us:bach (at) wtfbach (dot) com Get full access to WTF Bach at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe