How do I listen to Goldberg Variations?
Listen to our recommended recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, performed by Lang Lang, on Apple Music and Spotify and scroll down to explore our masterpiece guide to the monumental work.
Why did Bach write the Goldberg Variations?
Legend has it that Bach wrote the music to soothe the sleepless nights of one Count Kaiserling, who asked his private harpsichordist, Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, to perform the variations.
How many Bach Goldberg Variations are there?
30 variations
What are the Goldberg Variations? The work itself consists of 30 variations, starting with a single ‘Aria’. After transforming the music over the course of an hour, using different time signatures, textures, and harmonies, the beautiful first aria returns, with a completely different feel from the first hearing.
What level is Aria from Goldberg Variations?
Level 4
This Level 4 “Aria” is in the original form.
What is an aria piano?
In music, an aria ([ˈaːrja]; Italian: air; plural: arie [ˈaːrje], or arias in common usage, diminutive form arietta [aˈrjetta], plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger work.
What style of music is Goldberg Variations?
Baroque
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is probably the most famous Baroque variation (with a shout-out to Handel’s Harmonious Blacksmith). Composers across all other eras wrote variations, including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms.
Why are Goldberg Variations so good?
Consisting of an opening aria and then 30 different variations on it, the Goldberg Variations — named after its first performer Johann Gottlieb Goldberg and published in 1741 — is Bach’s most popular keyboard work, partly because it isn’t laden with the academic formality of the Well-Tempered Clavier, and covers so …