The WTF Bach Podcast

Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion?In the previous fugue, fugue twelve, we saw Bach took four voices, a turned everything upside down: 1234 became 4321 and what went up came crashing down. Now, fugue 13 is again a 'mirror' fugue... or is it?This thirteenth fugue is in three voices and uses a technique almost identical to it's sister fugue, number 12, but is still more complicated. Topics Covered: Which comes first in number 13, the rectus or the inversus? --DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH INSTAGRAM (they think Bach's music is 'Branded Content' - yikes. Public domain y'all) I AM MOVING STREAMS TO TWITCH.TV/WTF_BACH PLEASE FOLLOW ME THEREFind a selected playlist of the music found and discussed in this podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYA... have you seen: http://bachchurch.com ??? Support us!Why not join Evan's Patreon, where he unique Bach-related insights on a weekly basis:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach  Write us:bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

This is an interview with mandolinist/composer/singer Chris Thile. Our conversation on May 14, 2021 spanned many diverse topics from how he felt about growing up in a religious community, to his favorite barrel aged spirits. --Musicians/Bands mentioned (Alphabetically):Bach, Beethoven, Bela Fleck, Bill Monroe, Edgar Meyer, Glenn Gould, Mike Marshall, Mozart, Nickle Creek, Radiohead, Richard Green, Russel Sherman, Vivaldi, Yo-Yo Ma--Music/Books/Booze mentioned:Russel Sherman, 'Piano Pieces' Saint Anne's Reel: https://thesession.org/tunes/103What does a mandolin look like?Tolkien, 'The Lord of the Rings'Smith & Cross rumPlymouth Gin--Check out Chris' new album here: http://smarturl.it/laysongs--Follow Evan on Instagram for daily Bach: www.instagram.com/WTFBachBecome a patron of this show & how to support us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach Suggestions? Want to sponsor an episode?Write us:bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion? A few important things I neglected to mention in the 11th counterpoint, but where to go after that 11th fugue anyhow? Into the mirror…Look into *CLICK* the mirror! Bach, not satisfied with creating a triple fugue whose subjects were the same three subjects of the previous triple fugue- inverted- now pens a four-voice fugue where the entire texture will be inverted to create a new composition altogether. It's like writing two fugues at once. This can be done with any piece of music, but only Bach could make such a complicated composition sound like beautiful and convincing music both right-side-up and upside-down.   --Follow Evan on Instagram for even more Bachian content: www.instagram.com/WTFBach Find a selected playlist of the music found and discussed in this podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYA... have you seen: http://bachchurch.com ??? Support us!Did you enjoy the reading from Evan's practice diary? Why not join his Patreon, where he shares similar insights on weekly basis:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach  Write us:bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Rather than moving on to the twelfth fugue, we have a brief visit to the third of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach:Canon alla Duodecima in Contrapunto alla Quina (Canon at the twelfth in counterpoint at the fifth). This canon is very similar in construction to the previous canon, though at the larger interval of the 12th. --Evan is now mid-49 days of toccatas every day on his instagram stories: Watch Check out Bach's 'gift canon' here: Find a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYAFollow Evan on Instagram for even more content about Bach: www.instagram.com/WTFBachSupport us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach  Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

I don't know if you are already hip to it, or if you're just catching on, but it seems like releasing music as 'NFTs' could be in our futures. I wanted to have the first NFT version of The Art of Fugue. Check the auction out here: https://mintable.app/music/item/JS-Bach-The-Art-of-Fugue--Electronic--The-First-Ever-Bachs-Music-as-NFT--Presented-by-WTF-Bach/f9CWCc0ho7bbad8 Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

The closing of our chapter on compound fugues, contrapunctus eleven, a powerful, complicated, and long fugue. Two expositions of the first theme? One in inversion? And wait, this is a triple fugue where all themes come in inversion and… also not in inversion? Holy B***!  Topics covered:The original order of the fugues found in P 200 (the autograph score).The 11th fugue as a possible early finale to The Art of Fugue. Glenn Gould’s version of this fugue. Could there be an ‘anti-golden section’ in this one?--Follow Evan on Instagram for even more Bachian content: www.instagram.com/WTFBachFind a selected playlist of the music found and discussed in this podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYASupport us!https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachSuggestions? Want Evan to analyze a specific piece of Bach? Have other questions for Evan about music or anything at all? ... p.s. ... have you seen: http://bachchurch.com ???Write us:bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Two fugues in original print are essentially the same: these are both this 10th contrapunctus. This fugue is a double fugue with counterpoint at the tenth (alla decima) Topics covered: What does it mean when music is in a 'key' what keys did Bach often write in, and does it mean anything special that The Art of Fugue is in the key of d minor? Follow Evan on Instagram for even more Bachian content: www.instagram.com/WTFBachFind a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYASupport us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbachSuggestions? Want Evan to analyze a specific piece of Bach? Have other questions for Evan about music or anything at all?Write us:bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Back to four voices! Bach begins yet again another fugue with a unique theme. The fugue will become a double fugue with our well known ‘Art of Fugue’ theme. The counterpoint then begins to appear in two ways: either on the same note or at different notes which are related to the perfect 5th, or 12th, as the title of this fugue (Alla Duodecima) suggests. Not only is this double counterpoint, but double counterpoint at ...double the intervalic possibilities...? Bach Vision Test (Vulfpeck): https://youtu.be/vJfiOuDdetg--Find a playlist of the music here.The Art of Fugue arranged for Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUnOx6hfBEFollow Evan on Instagram for even more content about Bach: www.instagram.com/WTFBach--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 at all?Write us:bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

This is an interview with Jack Stratton of Vulfpeck. I loved our conversation during the summer of 2020. See some of the topics covered below and stay tuned for the next episode which will feature his arrangement of the ninth contrapunctus from The Art of Fugue. It was great to speak to a non-classical musician so eager about classical music and so involved with Bach. --Sleepify (Silent album by Vulfpeck) Vulfpeck Arranges the ninth contrapunctus from The Art of Fugue:Version 1: https://youtu.be/YcxQdRIY11oVersion 2: https://youtu.be/vJfiOuDdetg Fugue State (song by Vulfpeck) Musicians/Bands mentioned (Alphabetically):Bach, The Beatles, Beethoven, Naftule Brandwein, Cream, ELO, Glenn Gould, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Liszt, Louis Marchand, Reinhold Mack, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Nirvana, Oscar Peterson, Queen,  Bernard Purdy, Albert Schweitzer, Nate Smith, Steely Dan, Dave Tarras, Michael Winograd, Jack’s non-musical influences (Alphabetically): Caldwell Esselstyn, Larry David, Dean Ornish Other things mentioned (Chronologically): A Musical Offering, Silberman Pianofortes, Encore Records (Ann Arbor), The Blind Pig (Ann Arbor), Alan Watts, S.J. Perleman The Ill Mannered Clavichord, The Well Tempered Clavier,  --Follow Evan on Instagram for interactive content: www.instagram.com/WTFBachSupport us:https://www.patreon.com/wtfbachhttps://www.paypal.me/wtfbachhttps://venmo.com/wtfbachhttps://cash.app/$wtfbach Suggestions? Want to sponsor an episode?Write us:bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe

Back to it! Opening a new chapter in The Art of Fugue, this new chapter is one based on compound fugues, that is, our beloved ‘Art of Fugue Subject’ will now began to be combined with other new and unique themes.  Instead of going from a ‘simple’ to a double fugue, Bach drops a voice (all previous fugues were in 4 voices) and composes immediately a triple fugue for three voices. Like perfectly symmetrical juggling, this fugue is filled with beauty and amazing structural points.  --Find a playlist of the music here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ha250UDFktGqZjpt1hk7L?si=fIqZwtTUQJmzB9SYwskeYAThe Art of Fugue arranged for Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUnOx6hfBEFollow Evan on Instagram for even more content about Bach: www.instagram.com/WTFBachSupport 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 at all?Write us:bach@wtfbach.com Get full access to WTF Bach? at wtfbach.substack.com/subscribe