Goldberg Variations
E53507
The Goldberg Variations is a monumental keyboard composition by Johann Sebastian Bach, renowned for its intricate set of variations on an aria and its central place in the classical piano and harpsichord repertoire.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
keyboard composition
→
set of variations → |
| approximateDuration |
45 to 80 minutes depending on repeats and tempo
→
|
| basedOn |
bass line and harmonic progression of the opening aria
→
|
| catalogNumber |
BWV 988
→
|
| centralRepertoireFor |
harpsichord
→
piano → |
| clavierUebungNumber |
IV
→
|
| collection |
Clavier-Übung
→
|
| commonlyPerformedAs |
complete cycle
→
|
| composer |
Johann Sebastian Bach
→
|
| compositionForm |
theme and variations
→
|
| dedicatedTo |
music lovers for the refreshment of their spirits
→
|
| difficulty |
highly virtuosic
→
|
| firstPublicationYear |
1741
→
|
| firstPublisher |
Balthasar Schmid
NERFINISHED
→
|
| genre |
Baroque keyboard music
→
|
| hasNicknameOrigin |
associated with harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg
→
|
| hasPart |
30 variations
→
Aria → Aria da capo → |
| historicalAnecdote |
traditionally linked to Count Keyserlingk and Goldberg as insomnia music
→
|
| influenceOn |
later variation sets and keyboard cycles
→
|
| instrumentation |
harpsichord
→
piano → |
| key |
G major
→
|
| movementStructure |
canons at increasing intervals from unison to ninth
→
every third variation is a canon → includes French overture style variation → includes dance movements → includes fughetta → includes quodlibet in final variation → includes virtuosic toccata-like variations → |
| notablePerformer |
András Schiff
→
Angela Hewitt → Glenn Gould → Murray Perahia → Rosalyn Tureck → Tatiana Nikolayeva → Wanda Landowska → |
| notableRecording |
Glenn Gould 1955 piano recording
→
Glenn Gould 1981 piano recording → |
| numberOfMovements |
30 variations plus aria
→
|
| originalTitle |
Clavier Übung bestehend in einer ARIA mit verschiedenen Veränderungen
→
|
| originalTitleLanguage |
German
→
|
| period |
Baroque
→
|
| placeOfFirstPublication |
Nuremberg
→
|
| status |
one of the most important works in the keyboard repertoire
→
|
| tonalDesign |
predominantly in G major with some G minor variations
→
|
| uses |
two-manual harpsichord in original conception
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Johann Sebastian Bach
→
|
notableWork |