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Trills, and your excellent comments

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March 10.  Op. 34 No. 10.  Gorgeousness wrapped in trills the likes of which I haven’t encountered since learning the first movement of  Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3.  Or, as Celia might remind us, 109, the last movement.

Here are your excellent comments about No. 7:

CELIA 3/10: I thought No. 7 was beautiful, too!  I played it twice this morning and it made much more sense the second time.  I would like to play it a few more times.  Honestly, I have been kind of non-responsive because I am already several days behind, but I am working on catching up.  I am finding that I definitely need to play each of these pieces at least twice to get a sense of what is going on – the music and harmonies don’t intuitively make sense the first time I am playing each piece (although that may be partly due to playing a lot of wrong notes.)  I’ve been really tired at the end of the day lately, but I have been finding that playing these pieces first thing in the morning is really wonderful and refreshing – the music makes more sense to my brain at that time of day.

HELEN 3/10: Can’t imagine why you are tired.  (Oh, yes I can.)  I’m so glad you are taking time to play these pieces twice, and I understand wanting to play each a few more times!  And for all of us, how about that discipline of playing Shostakovich in the morning!

GRACE 3/10: I am, indeed, processing. My favorite so far should be no surprise – no 4. I’ve been playing, then listening to a recording, then playing again if I feel so inclined. So often the harmonies really elude my understanding, especially because of their gradual unfolding as Steven mentioned. I found that these preludes had me thinking of my old Prokofiev Capriccio, so much so that I have been playing it again.

HELEN 3/10: No surprise on your favorite, indeed.  I’m glad you are listening to these as well as playing.  Who are you listening to?  Steven, who are you listening to?  (To whom are you listening . . .)  I’ll post your answers.

GRACE 3/10: Listening to these:https://youtu.be/FqCy3vCGUNU

Yeah those trills are something else!

STEVEN 3/10 (PST): I’ve been listening to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gtoFtPAfes&list=PLvZDNzW5XwavKPa2mZDUBn9rDZnV8Tzwb
I agree with Grace, #4 has been my favorite so far. I was starting to feel like I had the hang of these preludes, at least enough to hear what they should sound like, but then these last two (9 & 10) were really rough for me. I’m looking forward to the later pieces. Listening, at least, I’ve found I generally prefer the second half to the first.

HELEN 3/11:  Interesting comments about Grace and Steven liking No. 4 (Fugue Nerds R Us).  I like the pianists the two of you chose.  Grace’s pianist has a humorous sound, to me, and Steven’s is quite gentle and lyrical.  Great stuff.

May 2: A minor

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GRACE 5/2: Sending you love during this difficult time with your father. I wish him much comfort.
Today’s fugue feels as though it was written by Bach’s morbid doppelganger. Very intriguing to read! I am really enjoying the fugues in particular, which is exciting as I often struggle through fugues (but the struggle is good for me).

STEVEN 5/2: I hope your father’s doing well, and I hope he’s enjoying the Shostakovich as much as I am.

After years of just listening, I can usually hear the pieces in my head while I’m playing, but for today’s prelude (#2) I had to go look it up, and even then couldn’t connect my playing to the way the piece “should” sound. Getting the tempo and the flow between notes right would require a lot more practice than I’m willing to put in on this one.

HELEN 5/3: Yes to both comments here on yesterday’s A minor!  I loved it, but it was indeed a wild ride, and like Steven, I kept asking myself what it was supposed to sound like, because my tempo was too slow.

I don’t know if my father can hear the Shostakovich, but it’s a nice thought.  Maybe.  Depending on one’s tastes and my skill.

Making up May 6 & 7 (on May 8)

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After two days of extreme distraction, no piano playing, I approached the keyboard tonight to play Thursday’s dark Prelude and Fugue, and yesterday’s brighter offering.  I was stunned by the A major fugue — one very cogent arpeggiated chord after another — so tonal!

I will play today’s Prelude and Fugue — and tomorrow’s — tomorrow.

It’s a grand thing, during loss, during upheaval, during change, during seasons, to have a musical project (and a group to answer to in case I feel like blowing off the project).  I’m grateful.

Love,
Helen

Mother’s Day, May 9

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HELEN 5/10: I wrote this on May 9, Mother’s Day, yesterday, but didn’t get it posted until May 10.

Yesterday’s fugue, no. 8, was a doozy — five pages of not nearly enough hands, and very hard to count.  At least I’ve listened to the piece a lot, and had recognition to fall back on.  I thought several times, “what if I were sight-playing this without having heard it first?”  Some of you will have to offer your opinion of the experience of reading no. 8.

At least today’s fugue (no. 9) was a relatively short four pages, and only two voices.

Again, I’m taken with how he brings us back to the tonic after such wild wanderings, it’s always so artful and restful after the drama of crazy chromaticism.

STEVEN 5/10: I had much the same reaction. Does Shostakovich know how big hands are? I’ve gotten to the point where I usually don’t bother holding the long notes because I assume that hand will be needed elsewhere. While #9 was a nice break, today’s was back to being pretty tough. I find I’m enjoying the preludes more, just because I can play them well enough to hear the melody. I guess that means I’ll need to go back through the fugues again when my sight-reading is better. 🙂

GRACE 5/10: These last two pieces have been mind-blowing. When I see how long the fugues are I just have to submit to the process and read one measure at a time. I’m enjoying the fugues more than I thought I would. The way today’s ends is haunting. I listened to Ashkenazy play it after I played it and wow! Goosebumps.

HELEN 5/10: Yes both comments regarding No. 10. Difficult, long, and utterly gorgeous.  Yup, Steven, ties are hard in Bach, usually impossible (without my clear study of each piece) here.  And Grace, thanks to you I listened to the fugue after playing it today.  A journey, like driving to a cemetery, with stunning resolution.

Key and Chromaticism

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HELEN 5/20: Can’t believe four days have passed since I last wrote. However, wow, the music that has filled the space.

Fugue 18 was seven pages long. Prelude 17 reminded me of a Southern harmony.

One of the reasons I play the Well Tempered Clavier each summer is to hone my understanding of key relationships. Somewhere in the last few days I’ve begun to muse as I slog through these pieces, “What am I learning about key relationships from Shostakovich?” Something for us to discuss at the end of the month.

GRACE 5/20: Well I must say my sightreading is improving a lot reading all of this chromatic music! I can’t depend on my ear to correct me, so I’m getting better at just reading it.

I played catch up yesterday (oof). Had a contractor over doing some work, so I started with Bach (C sharp major book two) by way of apology then launched into Shosty 18 and 19. The whole time I’m reading it I’m thinking, “oh this poor man. I’m reading this chromatic music, badly, making this a hostile work environment.” But as he was leaving he was very complimentary! “You should play professionally! That music at the end there, that was really amazing!” I offered my surprise (“really? Shostakovich can be a bit of an acquired taste, I’m glad you enjoyed it”) and explained about the 24 pieces club. “Well, you’re doing great.”

Talked to my friend Alex (fellow podcast host, he knows more music theory than me) about it and he joked, “don’t you know chromaticism is an OSHA violation??”

CELIA 5/20: Sorry I haven’t been responding. I’m loving reading your updates every day. Our new baby Lydia is doing well, but refuses to nap unless someone is holding her! So, feeding her and holding her are the only things on my to-do list that are regularly happening this month.

I haven’t had a chance to play most of the preludes and fugues, but I have been enjoying listening to Ashkenazy play them. I have never listened to these pieces before and am finding them beautiful and intriguing. I can’t wait to discuss them with you soon.

2021 WTC I: Day 1, C major

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HELEN 7/1:  OK, here I am in Napa at my friend’s house. I brought my own copy of WTCI, even though she has an identical copy. I always the enjoy the beginning of this project, even though it’s a big darned project. So beautiful and comforting. My friend is playing the C minor Partita, so there is lots of Bach going on here today!

Wishing everyone a great start to the month, kudos to Grace for getting a head start with her travel.  XOXOXO Helen

KATIE 7/1:  Hi all!  I am so excited to be joining you again! And what a wonderful, comforting way to return. I haven’t touched the piano since the last time we played WTC and I loved the experience of coming back to C Major. The prelude is so familiar, I barely looked at the music, but also fits so nicely in the hand and is so meditative — I couldn’t ask for a more perfect piece to return with. I did have to play it a few times over to feel comfortable at the keyboard again. I am attempting the fugues this year as well, and C Major was a nice way to ease into it. I loved seeing how clearly marked all the key transitions were in this fugue. It was (again) a very comforting return to fugue playing.

I have been greatly enjoying reading all your comments this year and am looking forward to joining you for WTC!  — Katie

GRACE 7/1:I love the first prelude. To me it’s one of the most perfect pieces. Always a pleasure. The fugue doesn’t feel quite as comfortable in my hands, but it is also lovely.

2021 WTCI: Day 2, C minor

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HELEN 7/2: Great comments, and Katie . . . so glad to have you along for the ride again!

I played No. 2 this morning while Kay was showering, hoping to preserve her ears from the calamity of my inability to process today. You would think I’ve never heard of C minor.

But there are more interesting comments hanging fire out there, from those that know today’s offering better. Steven? Sabrina? Who else?

2021 WTCI: Day 5 D Major

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KATIE 7/5: So I *must* have learned the D major prelude and fugue at some point, because compared to the C#s this was a breeze! I’ll definitely have to go back and listen to the C#s before I try them again because I got completely lost about three measures into each. It’s so lovely to have the pieces organized this was so we get logical, clean preludes and fugues between the hard, chromatic ones.

HELEN 7/6: I enjoyed the D major immensely, and thought about the students who know it better than I do. Yes, how nice of Bach not to put hard keys next to each other. Thank goodness for the alterations between white and black keys!

2021 WTCI: Day 6 D minor

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KATIE 7/6: Did anybody else find the d minor set oddly reminiscent of C Major? I felt like it repeated the same techniques and same flow from key to key.

HELEN 7/7: Good point Katie. The repetition and steady development of harmony is definitely something Bach exploited time and again, captivating minds and emotions.

Loved loved loved Eb this morning. So noble.

2021 WTCI: Day 16, G minor

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KATIE 7/16: I’m finding this year a very interesting process. I definitely find it easier to sight read and predict the patterns as I am going through the book, but my fingerings are getting worse and worse! Especially for the fugues, I find myself in predicaments where I have to completely readjust which hand is playing which line to fit in a note. And on today’s fugue I just left one out completely because I don’t think either hand could reach it comfortably! Is anybody else having this difficulty? Any suggestions or advice?

GRACE 7/16: Hi Katie, Yeah for the first time with Bach I’m struggling to hold notes. I actually think it’s because I’m doing a better job of noticing that I need to hold notes because my sight reading has improved so much!

HELEN 7/19: I switch up the hands for the middle voices, or I start paying attention to the fingering 🙂 or I use the pedal. When all else fails, I just don’t worry about it. (Don’t tell my current students!)

2021 WTCI: Day 22 Bb minor

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HELEN 7/22: Oh my, today’s is one of my favorites, the sad, yummy, and extremely economical Bb minor from book 1.

GRACE 7/23: I’m still slowly playing catch-up. My piano has been a little annoying lately because it needed to be tuned (though even after tuning these days, the upper register is really aging poorly lately). Just got it tuned yesterday so before you know it I’ll be back up and running. I only wish my B5 strings would cooperate with the tuner…

I’m up through XVI now. Really enjoying the fugues and finding that I’m picking out more of the slowed and reversed voices than I think I did last summer. Now that my reading is really improving, I am more able to mindfully consume what I am reading and not just plug away at it.

2021 WTC II: Day 1, C major

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GRACE 8/1: Gonna do my best to keep up this time!!

2021 WTCII: Day 2, C minor

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HELEN 8/2: And . . . we’re back. I am noticing, especially on today’s prelude, that my fingering is atrocious, and the fingerings in my Henle were not intuitive. I finally got the hang of it, and it was very efficient fingering, but very tricky to catch. What on earth did I do in previous years on this prelude, I wonder?

2021 WTCII: Day 13: F# Major

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HELEN 8/13: Am I keeping up ok?  Thank you Grace for your post last week, and what a great question for life in general.  I’m keeping up on Bach.  Can’t say much about anything else.  Except, perversely, I forgot to play on Wednesday, and it was F Major WTCII day, one of my favorites!  I caught it up yesterday.

I am trying to read the music without looking at my hands, with mixed results.  Sometimes I can get into a zone where my fingers just know where to go, and then I fall out of the groove and it’s a mess.  Perhaps the good zone is in easier sections.  I am not analytical enough these days to know.  Certainly if I could gain a better sense of the geography of the keyboard, my sight reading would explode.

Goldberg October 17

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STEVEN 10/17: I’ve been falling behind on Goldberg, so I’m going to see if I can catch up a bit today. In the meantime, I found this video you all might enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sToqbqP0tFk

HELEN 10/21: Steven, this video is spectacular.

Anyone else having trouble with every variation that is marked “2 Clav?” Makes me wish I had a harpsichord in the house, or, like a couple of our lot, an organ. It would be so much easier than fooling around on one keyboard with these tricky variations!

PDQ November: November 4

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HELEN 11/4: Mr. Schickele is a trickster, basing his first fugue on chopsticks, and the second on Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, the famous four note theme. One could say that there is something to be learned regarding musical form from the Short Tempered Clavier. I hope to figure out that “something!”

GRACE 11/5: With the frenzy of returning from vacation, I just played the first prelude and fugue yesterday. Was amused how long it took Orri to realize it was chopsticks!

This is definitely outside my comfort zone – jazzy satire that I’m trying to approach with a sense of amusement and just sort of let it be what it is.

Gillock Redux ’22: February 23

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HELEN 2/23:  It’s the penultimate night!
Then, only FOUR DAYS TO RACHMANINOFF!
Get in shape.  Burpees, push ups, running in place.  (Or, a little Gillock.)

CELIA 2/24: Hi Everyone! I’m playing catch up, but the good news is these pieces are fairly short and easy to sight read. Looking forward to starting Rachmaninoff soon!

2022 July, WTCI

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Hello fellow travelers of the WTC and beyond.

For anyone’s edification — those who can actually find this — here are my 2022 daily readings of the WTCI in a playlist.  This pedantic collection could disappear at anytime, but for some reason I feel compelled to let others know just what a project like this looks like, when you are not, say, Sir Andràs Schiff, or Tatiana Nikolaeva, or Stephen Prutsman, but rather what it looks like when it’s me, or perhaps you.  This undressing succeeds if it encourages your own continued progress.

Love,
Helen

2022 August, WTC II

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Hello fellow travelers of the WTC and beyond.

For anyone’s edification — those who can actually find this — here are my 2022 daily readings of the WTCII in a playlist.  This pedantic collection could disappear at anytime, but for some reason I feel compelled to let others know just what a project like this looks like, when you are not, say, Sir Andràs Schiff, or Tatiana Nikolaeva, or Stephen Prutsman, but rather what it looks like when it’s me, or perhaps you.  This undressing succeeds if it encourages your own continued progress.

Love,
Helen