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The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, are a set of keyboard variations by Johann Sebastian Bach. First published in 1741 as the fourth volume of Bach's Clavier-Übung ("Keyboard Practice") series, the work is now considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form in music history.

History

Title page of the Goldberg Variations (first edition)

The Variations were probably written around 1741 for Count Hermann Karl von Keyserling; they were performed for the count by his talented young harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, after whom the work was ultimately named.

The tale of how the variations came to be composed comes from a biography of Bach written by Johann Nikolaus Forkel:

"(For these Variations) we have to thank the instigation of the former Russian ambassador to the electoral court of Saxony, Count Kaiserling, who often stopped in Leipzig and brought there with him the aforementioned Goldberg, in order to have him given musical instruction by Bach. The Count was often ill and had sleepless nights. At such times, Goldberg, who lived in his house, had to spend the night in an antechamber, so as to play for him during his insomnia. ... Once the Count mentioned in Bach's presence that he would like to have some clavier pieces for Goldberg, which should be of such a smooth and somewhat lively character that he might be a little cheered up by them in his sleepless nights. Bach thought himself best able to fulfill this wish by means of Variations, the writing of which he had until then considered an ungrateful task on account of the repeatedly similar harmonic foundation. But since at this time all his works were already models of art, such also these variations became under his hand. Yet he produced only a single work of this kind. Thereafter the Count always called them his variations. He never tired of them, and for a long time sleepless nights meant: 'Dear Goldberg, do play me one of my variations.' Bach was perhaps never so rewarded for one of his works as for this. The Count presented him with a golden goblet filled with 100 louis-d'or. Nevertheless, even had the gift been a thousand times larger, their artistic value would not yet have been paid for." (translation taken from Ralph Kirkpatrick's edition, cited below)

It should be noted that Forkel wrote his biography in 1802, more than 60 years after the events related, so it is quite possible that the tale has been embellished in the retelling. Furthermore, the lack of dedication on the title page of the work makes the commission unlikely. Goldberg's young age at the time of publication (14 years) has also been cited as grounds for doubting Forkel's tale; however, Keyserling's young harpsichordist was famed for his abilities at the keyboard, especially sight-reading. In light of this it seems possible that Bach may have given a copy of the variations to the Count for Goldberg to play (possibly during his visit to Saxony in late 1741?).

Bach revisited the theme of the Goldberg Variations in BWV 1087, a late contrapuntal work that consists of fourteen canons built on the first eight bass notes from the Aria of the Goldberg Variations. BWV 1087 was found in 1974, in Strasbourg (Alsace, France), forming an appendix to the Bach's personal printed edition of the Goldberg Variations. Among those canons, the eleventh and the thirteenth are a sort of first version of BWV1077 and BWV1076, which is included in the famous portrait of Bach painted by Elias Gottlob Haussmann in 1746. See the canons of BWV 1087 (external link).

Publication

Rather unusually for Bach's works, the Goldberg Variations were published in his own lifetime, specifically in 1741. The publisher was Bach's friend Balthasar Schmid of Nuremberg. Schmid printed the work by making engraved copper plates (rather than using movable type); thus the notes of the first edition are in Schmid's own handwriting. The edition contains various printing errors.

The title page, shown in the figure above, reads in German: Clavier Ubung / bestehend / in einer ARIA / mit verschiedenen Veraenderungen / vors Clavicimbal / mit 2 Manualen. / Denen Liebhabern zur Gemüths- / Ergetzung verfertiget von / Johann Sebastian Bach / Königl. Pohl. u. Curfl. Saechs. Hoff- / Compositeur, Capellmeister, u. Directore / Chori Musici in Leipzig. / Nürnberg in Verlegung / Balthasar Schmids, which means: "Keyboard practice, consisting of an ARIA with divers variations for harpsichord with two manuals. Composed for connoisseurs, for the refreshment of their spirits, by Johann Sebastian Bach, composer for the royal court of Poland and the Electoral court of Saxony, Kapellmeister and Director of Choral Music in Leipzig. Nuremberg, Balthasar Schmid, publisher."

By "Clavier Ubung" (nowadays spelled "Klavier Übung"), Bach designated the Variations as the fourth (and last) in a series of harpsichord works he published for "Liebhaber", that is to say, skilled and discerning amateurs.

Nineteen copies of the first edition survive today, kept in museums and rare book libraries. Of these, the most valuable is in Paris (the Bibliothèque nationale), which includes corrections and additions made by the composer.

These copies provide virtually the only information available to modern editors trying to reconstruct Bach's intent; the autograph (hand-written) score has not survived. A handwritten copy of just the aria is found in the 1725 music notebook of Bach's second wife Anna Magdalena. Christoph Wolff, on the basis of handwriting evidence, suggests that Anna Magdalena copied the aria from the autograph score around 1740; it appears on two pages previously left blank.

Reception

The Goldberg Variations were once seen as a dry and rather boring technical exercise. Today, however, the emotional content and range of the work is increasingly realised, and it has become a favorite work of many classical music listeners. The Variations are widely performed and recorded, and have been the subject of many articles, books and analytical studies.

(a paragraph about several significant recordings here)

Structure

The work was composed for a two-manual harpsichord (see musical keyboard). After a statement of the aria at the beginning of the piece, there are thirty variations. The variations generally do not follow the melody of the aria, but rather use its bass line and chord progression. Because of this the work is often said to be a chaconne--the difference being that the theme for a chaconne is usually just four bars long, whereas Bach's aria is in two sections of sixteen bars, each repeated.

The bass line is notated by Ralph Kirkpatrick in his performing edition as follows. The bass line can be heard as a sound file (Ogg format, 391K).

This is the bass line that forms the basis of the Goldberg Variations. The digits above the notes indicate the specified chord in the system of figured bass; where digits are separated by comma, they indicate different options taken in different variations.

Variations 8, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20, 23, 25, 26, 27 and 28 are specified in the score for two manuals, whilst variations 5, 7 and 29 are specified as playable with either one or two. With greater difficulty, the work can nevertheless be played on a single-manual harpsichord or piano. All the variations are in G major, apart from variations 15, 21, and 25. Many of the variations are binary in form, that is, an A section followed by a B section - it is generally up to the performer whether to repeat either, both, or none of these sections.

Every third variation in the series of 30 is a canon, following an ascending pattern. Thus, variation 3 is a canon at the unison, variation 6 is a canon at the second (the second entry begins the interval of a second above the first), variation 9 is a canon at the third, and so on until variation 27, which is a canon at the ninth. The final variation, instead of being the expected canon in the tenth, is a quodlibet, discussed below.

As Ralph Kirkpatrick has pointed out, the variations that intervene between the canons are also arranged in a pattern. If we leave aside the initial and final material of the work (specifically, the Aria, the first two variations, the Quodlibet, and the aria da capo), the remaining material is arranged as follows. The variations found just after each canon are genre pieces of various types, among them three Baroque dances (4, 7, 19); a fughetta (10); a French overture (16); and two ornate arias for the right hand (13, 25). The variations located two after each canon (5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, and 29) are what Kirkpatrick calls "arabesques"; they are variations in lively tempo with a great deal of hand-crossing. This ternary pattern - canon, genre piece, arabesque - is repeated a total of nine times, until the Quodlibet breaks the cycle.

At the end of the thirty variations, Bach writes Aria da Capo è fine, meaning that the performer is to return to the beginning ("da capo") and play the aria again before concluding. A complete performance of the Goldberg Variations will usually take between forty and eighty minutes, depending on tempos and how many repeats are observed.

Below is a list of the individual variations with brief descriptions and some comments by writers and performers. It should be noted that the piece has been played in a wide variety of ways, and there are a range of views on the work, not all of them represented here.

Aria

This is the piece that provides thematic material for subsequent variations. In a typical Baroque "aria with variations" work, the variations are based on the melody of the opening aria, but here the bass line (more specifically, the harmonies it suggests) is used for that purpose. The Goldberg Variations aria is a sarabande in 3/4 time, and features a heavily ornamented melody:

The first 8 bars of the Goldberg Variations aria.

The French style of ornamentation suggests that the ornaments are supposed to be parts of the melody, however some performers (most notably Wilhelm Kempff on piano) omit some or all ornaments and present the aria unadorned.

The aria was suggested by Arnold Schering not to have been written by Bach. More recent scholarly literature (the edition by Christoph Wolff, cited below) says there is no basis for such doubts. Peter Williams, writing in Bach: The Goldberg Variations (see reference below), comments that this is not the theme at all, but actually the first variation (a view emphasising the idea of the work as a chaconne rather than a piece in true variation form).

Variation 1

This sprightly variation contrasts markedly with the slow, contemplative mood of the theme. Interestingly, the rhythm in the right hand forces the emphasis on the second beat, giving rise to syncopation from bars 1 to 7. Hands cross at bar 13 from the upper register to the lower, bringing back this syncopation for another two bars. In the first two bars of the B part, the rhythm mirrors that of the beginning of the A part, but after this a different idea is introduced.

Williams sees this as a sort of polonaise. The characteristic rhythm in the left hand is also found in Bach's Partita No. 3 for solo violin and in the A-flat major prelude from the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier.

Variation 2

This is a simple three-part contrapuntal piece in 2/4 time, two voices engage in constant motivic interplay over an incessant bass line. The piece is almost a pure canon. Each section has an alternate ending to be played on the first and second repeat.

Variation 3

The first of the regular canons, this one is a canon at the unison (Canone all' unisono): the follower begins on the same note as the leader. As with all canons of the Goldberg Variations (except the 27th variation, canon at the ninth), there is a supporting bass line here. The time signature of 12/8 and the many sets of triplets suggest a kind of a simplistic dance. Most performers play it at a moderate tempo, but a few (Hans Pischner on harpsichord, Charles Rosen on piano) play it much slower.

Variation 4

Like the passepied, a Baroque dance movement, this variation is in 3/8 time with a preponderance of quaver rhythms. Bach uses close but not exact imitation: the musical pattern in one part reappears a bar later in another (sometimes inverted).

First 8 bars of the fourth variation.

Each repeated section has alternate endings for the first or second time. Organist Kate van Tricht is one of very few performers who play this at a slow tempo.

Variation 5

This is the first of the hand-crossing, two-part variations. It is in 3/4 time. A rapid melodic line written predominantly in sixteenth notes is accompanied by another melody with longer note values, which features very wide leaps:

First four bars of Variation 5.

The Italian type of hand-crossing is employed here, with one hand constantly moving back and forth between high and low registers while the other hand stays in the middle of the keyboard, playing the fast passages.

Most performers play this variation with exceptional and precise speed, Glenn Gould's versions being one of the fastest (all clocking at about 35 seconds, no repeats). However, a few performers (notably Kenneth Gilbert on harpsichord) interpret this at a much more relaxed tempo.

Variation 6

The sixth variation is a canon at the second (Canone alla Seconda): the follower starts a major second higher than the leader. The piece is based on a descending scale and is in 3/8 time. The harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick describes this piece as having "an almost nostalgic tenderness". Each section has an alternate ending to be played on the first and second repeat.

Variation 7

In his own copy of Goldberg Variations, Bach specified that this 6/8 dance should be played al tempo di Giga - in the tempo of a gigue, which is a lively, energetic dance. Since Bach's copy was only found in 1974, early recordings where this variation is played at a slower speed, like a loure or a siciliana, are not uncommon. Slow tempi, however, are also found in post-1974 recordings by Glenn Gould, Wilhelm Kempff and Angela Hewitt, among others.

First 4 bars of the seventh variation.

The dotted rhytmic pattern of this variation (pictured) is very similar to that of the gigue from Bach's second French suite or the gigue of French Overture. Both the bass line and the melody feature much ornamentation.

Variation 8

This is another two-part hand-crossing variation, in 3/4 time. The French style of hand-crossing is employed, with both hands playing at the same part of the keyboard, one above the other. This is relatively easy to perform on a two-manual harpsichord (and two manuals are specified in the score), but quite hard to do on a piano.

Most bars feature either a distinctive pattern of eleven sixteenth notes and a sixteenth rest, or ten sixteenth notes and a single eighth note. Large leaps in the melody can be observed, for instance, in bars 9-11: from B below middle C in bar 9, from A above middle C to an A an octave higher in bar 10, and from G above middle C to a G an octave higher in bar 11. Both sections end with descending passages in thirty-second notes.

Variation 9

This is a canon at the third (Canone alla Terza), in 4/4 time. The supporting bass line is slightly more active than in the previous canons. This short variation (16 bars) is usually played at a slow tempo.

Variation 10 Fughetta

Variation 10 is a short four-voice fugue marked alla breve, with a four-bar subject heavily decorated with ornaments and somewhat reminiscent of the opening aria's melody. A few performers omit some of the ornaments (Charles Rosen on piano, Christiane Jaccottet on harpsichord); Keith Jarrett adds extra ornamentation.

The first section of Variation 10.

The exposition takes up the whole first section of this variation (pictured). First the subject is stated in the bass, starting on the G below middle C. The answer (in the tenor) enters in bar 5, but its a tonal answer, so some of the intervals are altered. The soprano voice enters in bar 9, but only keeps the first two bars of the subject intact, changing the rest. The final entry occurs in the alto in bar 13. There is no regular counter-subject in this fugue.

The second section develops using the same thematic material with slight changes. It resembles a counter-exposition: the voices enter one by one, all begin by stating the subject (sometimes a bit altered, like in the first section). The section begins with the subject heard once again, in the soprano voice, accompanied by an active bass line, making the bass part the only exception since it doesn't pronounce the subject until bar 25.

Variation 11

This is a virtuosic two-part toccata in 12/16 time. Specified for two manuals, it is largely made up of various scale passages, arpeggios and trills, and features a lot of hand-crossing of different kinds.

Variation 12

This is a canon at the fourth (Canone alla Quarta in moto contrario) in 3/4 time, of the inverted variety: the follower enters in the second bar in contrary motion to the leader. The follower appears inverted in the second bar.

In the first section, the left hand accompanies with a bass line written out in repeated quarter notes, in bars 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. This repeated note motif also appears in the first bar of the second section (bar 17, two Ds and a C), and, slightly altered, in bars 22 and 23. In the second section, Bach changes the mood slightly by introducing a few appoggiaturas (bars 19 and 20) and trills (bars 29-30).

This variation is usually played at a moderate tempo, only a few performers (Glenn Gould on piano, Jean Guillou on organ) creating relatively fast interpretations.

Variation 13

This variation is a slow, gentle and richly decorated sarabande in 3/4 time. Most of the melody is written out using thirty-second notes, and ornamented with a few appoggiaturas (more frequent in the second section) and a few mordents. Throughout the piece, the melody is in one voice, and in bars 16 and 24 there is an interesting effect produced by using an additional voice. Here are bars 15 and 16, the ending of the first section (bar 24 exhibits a similar pattern):

The final two bars of the first section of Variation 13.

Variation 14

This is a rapid two-part hand-crossing toccata in 3/4 time, with many trills and other ornamentation. It is specified for two manuals and features large jumps between registers. Both features (ornaments and leaps in the melody) are apparent from the first bar: the piece begins with a transition from the G two octaves below middle C, with a lower mordent, to the G two octaves above it with a trill with initial turn.

Variation 15 Andante

This is a canon at the fifth (Canone alla quinta) in 2/4 time and marked Andante. Like Variation 12, it is in contrary motion with the leader appearing inverted in the second bar. This is the first of the three variations in G minor, and its melancholic mood contrasts sharply with the playfulness of the previous variation. Pianist Angela Hewitt notes that there is "a wonderful effect at the very end [of this variation]: the hands move away from each other, with the right suspended in mid-air on an open fifth. This gradual fade, leaving us in awe but ready for more, is a fitting end to the first half of the piece."

Variation 16 Ouverture

The set of variations fall in two "halves", consisting of the first fifteen, and the following fifteen. The division is clearly marked by a grand overture, marked "Maestoso" (majestic) in the Peters edition, with the overture commencing with a particularly emphatic opening and closing chords. The overture, specifically, a French overture, consists of a slow prelude with dotted rhythms dramatically contrasted with a following contrapuntal section marked "Allegretto". Unlike the previous variations where the B part is somewhat like a variation on the A part, the contrast is more marked here, with the division of the slow, majestic prelude and the faster, livelier overture lying halfway throughout the variation, after the sixteenth bar.

Variation 17

This variation is another two-part virtuosic toccata. Peter Williams sees echoes of Antonio Vivaldi and Domenico Scarlatti here. Specified for 2 manuals, the piece features a lot of hand-crossing. It is in 3/4 time and usually played at a moderately fast tempo. Rosalyn Tureck is one of the very few performers who recorded slow interpretations of the piece.

Variation 18

This is a canon at the sixth (Canone alla Sesta), in 2/2 time. The canonic interplay in the upper voices features a lot of suspensions. Commenting on the structure of the canons of the Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould cited this variation as the extreme example of "deliberate duality of motivic emphasis [...] the canonic voices are called upon to sustain the passacaille role which is capriciously abandoned by the bass."

Variation 19

This variation is a simplistic three-part dance in 3/8 time. On piano, it is usually played gently and with a light touch.

Variation 20

This variation is a virtuosic two-part toccata in 3/4 time. Specified for two manuals, it involves a lot of rapid hand-crossing. The piece consists mostly of variations on the texture introduced during its first eight bars, where one hand plays a string of eighth notes and the other accompanies by plucking sixteenth notes after each eighth note. To demonstrate this, here are the first two bars of the first section:

First 2 bars of variation 20.

In most performances there is a sharp contrast between the gentle, soft Variation 19 and the energetic fast-paced passages of this variation. However, a few performers (particularly Claudio Arrau on piano) choose to play both pieces at a moderately fast tempo, which results in much less contrast between the pieces.

Variation 21

The second of the minor key variations, Variation 21 is a canon at the seventh (Canone alla Septima) in 4/4 time. The bass line begins the piece with a low note (which performers frequently emphasize in some way), proceeds to a slow chromatic descent from a higher note and only picks up the pace of the canonic voices in bar 3:

The first 3 bars of Variation 21.

A similar pattern, only a bit more lively, occurs in the bass line in the beginning of the second section, which begins with the opening motif inverted.

Compared to Variation 15, the first G minor variation, this piece is slightly faster (marked "Andante con moto" ("Slow, with motion") in the Peters edition).

Variation 22 Alla breve

This variation, marked alla breve, features four-part writing with many imitative passages and its development in all voices but the bass is much like that of a fugue. The only ornament is a trill which is performed on a whole note and which lasts for two bars (11 and 12); however many performers who play the Goldberg Variations with repeats frequently add other minor ornamentation on second repeat of each section.

This variation and the Quodlibet (Variation 30) are the only variations (not counting the opening aria) that feature clear statements of the theme on which the set is built. Here it is expressly stated in the bass during bars 1-8.

Variation 23

Another lively two-part virtuosic variation for two manuals, in 3/4 time. It begins with the hands chasing another, as it were: the melodic line, initiated in the left hand with a sharp striking of the G above middle C, and then sliding down from the D above to the A, is offset by the right hand, imitating the left at the same pitch, but a quaver late, for the first three bars, ending with a small flourish in the fourth:

The first 4 bars of Variation 23.

This pattern is repeated during bars 5-8, only with the left hand imitating the right one, and the scales are ascending, not descending. We then alternate between hands in short bursts written out in short note values until the last three bars of the first section. The second section starts with this similar alternation in short bursts again, then leads to a dramatic section of alternating thirds between hands.

Pianist Angela Hewitt wrote that the "flurries of double-thirds and -sixths are really pushing the limits of keyboard technique as it existed at the time, paving the way for future composers.", while Peter Williams, marvelling at the emotional range of the work, asks: "Can this really be a variation of the same theme that lies behind the adagio no 25?"

Variation 24

This variation is a canon at the octave (Canone all' Ottava), in 9/8 time. The leader is answered both an octave below and an octave above; it is the only canon of the Goldberg Variations in which the leader alternates between voices in the middle of a section. There are no ornaments in the first section, save for a few appoggiaturas, but the second section features several expressly written trills and turns.

Variation 25

Variation 25 is the third and last variation in G minor; a three-part piece, it is marked adagio in Bach's own copy and is in 3/4 time. The melody is written out predominantly in 16th and 32nd notes, with lots of chromaticisms. This variation generally lasts longer than five minutes in performance (even in Glenn Gould's extra fast 1955 interpretation), and longer than any other piece of the set, although it is only 32 bars long. Pierre Hantai (harpsichord) is one of the very few performers who play this variation at a relatively fast tempo.

Famously dubbed a "black pearl" by Wanda Landowska, Variation 25 is widely believed to be one of the most beautiful and impressive parts of the Goldberg Variation. Peter Williams writes that "the beauty and dark passion of this variation make it unquestionably the emotional high point of the work", and Gould notes that "The appearance of this wistful, weary cantilena is a master-stroke of psychology."

Variation 26

In sharp contrast with the introspective and passionate nature of the previous variation, this piece is another virtuosic two-part toccata, joyous in tone and quite fast-paced. Underneath the rapid arabesques, this variation is basically a sarabande. Two time signatures are used, 18/16 for the incessant melody written in 16th notes and 3/4 for the accompaniment in quarter and eighth notes; during the last 5 bars, both hands play in 18/16. The piece is widely known as the "quicksilver" variation.

Given the tempo of the piece and the additional appoggiaturas that were found in Bach's own copy, this variation is typically regarded as one of the hardest to perform. Very few performers (most notably Rosalyn Tureck on piano) use moderate tempos, most of the interpretations feature at least a moderately fast tempo. Recent research by musicologist and teacher Cory Hall, however, suggests that this variation was probably intended to be played at a much slower tempo to match that of Variation 25.

Variation 27

Variation 27 is a canon at the ninth (Canone alla Nona) in 6/8 time. This is the only canon where two manuals are specified, and the only pure canon of the work, because it does not have a bass line. This is also the last canon of the Goldberg Variations.

Variation 28

This variation is two-part toccata in 3/4 time that employs a lot of hand crossing and is, in effect, a trill etude: the trills are written out using 32nd notes and are present in most of the bars. The piece beings with a pattern in which the right hand picks out three notes per bar, forming a melodic line above the trills played by the left hand. Following this is a section with both hands playing in contrary motion in a melodic contour marked by 16th notes (bars 9-12). The end of the first section features trills again, in both hands now and mirroring one another:

The last 4 bars of the first section of Variation 28.

The second section starts and closes with the contrary motion idea seen in bars 9-12. Most of the bars still feature trills (in both hands in bars 21-23).

Variation 29

This variation is a virtuosic piece which is quite different compared to the rest of the work: instead of elaborate counterpoint, it consists mostly of heavy chords alternating with sections of brilliant arpeggios. It is in 3/4 time. A rather grand variation, it adds an air of resolution after the lofty brilliance of the previous variation. Glenn Gould notes that variations 28 and 29 present the only case of "motivic collaboration or extension between successive variations."

Variation 30 Quodlibet

A page from the original printed edition of the Goldberg Variations.

This variation is based on two German folk songs, "I Have So Long Been Away From You" and "Cabbage and Turnips Have Driven Me Away". Bach's biographer Forkel explains the Quodlibet by invoking a custom observed at Bach family reunions (Bach's relatives were almost all musicians):

"As soon as they were assembled a chorale was first struck up. From this devout beginning they proceeded to jokes which were frequently in strong contrast. That is, they then sang popular songs partly of comic and also partly of indecent content, all mixed together on the spur of the moment. ... This kind of improvised harmonizing they called a Quodlibet, and not only could laugh over it quite whole-heartedly themselves, but also aroused just as hearty and irresistible laughter in all who heard them."

Forkel's anecdote (which is likely to be true, given that he was able to interview Bach's sons), suggests fairly clearly that Bach meant the Quodlibet to be a joke, and many listeners today hear it as such.

Some feel that the joke is in fact about the variation themselves, in effect that "you" in this instance was the theme, the Aria, and the quodlibet laments and anticipates the return of the Aria.

Aria da Capo/Reprise

Written as a note for note repeat of the aria, although it is often performed in quite a different way, often more wistfully. Williams writes that "the Goldberg's elusive beauty ... is reinforced by this return to the Aria. ... no such return can have a neutral Affekt. Its melody is made to stand out by what has gone on in the last five variations, and it is likely to appear wistful or nostalgic or subdued or resigned or sad, heard on its repeat as something coming to an end, the same notes but now final."

The return of the Aria adds to the symmetry of the work, possibly even hinting at a cyclic nature of the entire work - a round trip.

Transcribed and popularized versions

The Goldberg Variations have been reworked freely by many performers, changing either the instrumentation, the notes, or both.

• Joseph Gabriel Rheinberger, transcription for two pianos, op. No. 3
• Ferruccio Busoni prepared a massively altered transcription for piano. According to Michael Kimmelman ([1]), "Busoni shuffled the variations, skipping some, then added his own rather voluptuous coda to create a three-movement structure; each movement has a distinct, arcing shape, and the whole becomes a more tightly organized drama than the original."
• 1984 - Dmitri Sitkovetsky, transcription for string trio
• 1987 - Jean Guillou, transcription for organ
• 1999 - Uri Caine, transcription for several instruments in different styles, including Mozartesque, tango, wedding march, plain jazz, Hammond organ...
• 2000 - Jacques Loussier, arrangement for trio (Play Bach)

Editions of the score

Listed by date

• Ralph Kirkpatrick. New York/London: G. Schirmer, 1938. Contains an extensive preface by the editor and a facsimile of the original title page. Although not labeled as such, this is an urtext edition.
• Hans Bischoff. New York: Edwin F. Kalmus, 1947 (editorial work dates from the nineteenth century). Includes interpretive markings by the editor not indicated as such.
• Christoph Wolff. Vienna: Wiener Urtext Edition, 1996. An urtext edition, making use of the new findings (1975) resulting from the discovery of an original copy hand-corrected by the composer. Includes suggested fingerings and notes on interpretation by harpsichordist Huguette Dreyfus.

See also

• List of recordings of the Goldberg Variations
• Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid

References

• Forkel's biography of Bach, containing the anecdotes above, was entitled Über Johann Sebastian Bachs Leben, Kunst, und Kunstwerke ("On Johann Sebastian Bach's Life, Art and Work"). A recent reprint is by Henschel Verlag, Berlin, 2000; ISBN 3-89487-352-3. An English translation, now out of print, was published by Da Capo Press in 1970.
• Quotations above from Peter Williams are taken from his book Bach: The Goldberg Variations (2001, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521001935).

Notes

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External links

• Music of Intellect the Goldberg Variations
• An essay on the Goldberg Variations by Yo Tomita
• The Canons of the Goldberg Variations
• Goldberg Variations website with an extensive discography
• thegoldbergvariations.com
• The Goldberg Variations - Essay about the Goldberg Variations and Glenn Gould
• Discovering Music - BBC Radio 3
• Goldberg Variations in MIDI The complete Goldberg Variations and 14 Canons on the Goldberg Ground
• Comprehensive Discography of Goldberg Variations at Bach Cantatas Website Also Discussions and Recording Reviews