Saturday,11 June 2022; 7:30 PM

BacH Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

St. John’s Episcopal Church

400 Main Street

Niantic, CT

Harpsichordist Peter Sykes presents one of the most technically demanding works ever written for the keyboard.

Any virtuosity and mastery Bach demands of the keyboardist pales in comparison to the virtuosity and mastery he demonstrates as a composer.  The work has thirty-two movements. A lovely 32-measure sarabande opens and closes it; in between are thirty variations, presented in ten groups of three.

But what is it that’s actually being varied?  As melodically beautiful as the aria is, it’s the bass line that serves as the foundation of the thirty variations.  Bach builds each movement on the harmony implied by the bass line of each measure.

In general, the first variation of each set is a dance or genre piece from the Baroque period; the second is a toccata for two keyboards (lots of hands crossing), and the third variation is a canon, a piece in which each melodic line imitates the other.

Fun fact: the actual title of the work is Keyboard Practice, consisting of an Aria with Diverse Variations, for the Harpsichord with 2 Manuals. Composed for Music Lovers, to Refresh their Spirits.

(Glenn Gould called this ‘a very down-to-earth description of such a great work’.)

So why is it called the Goldberg Variations? Find the answer on our blog…