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The Old Testament of Music

The Listening Service by BBC

Nov 19, 202329:02Music

Tom Service explores JS Bach's extraordinary The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues for keyboard in all 24 major and minor keys. It's widely regarded as a towering achievement and a cornerstone of...

About This Episode

The Old Testament of Music is an episode from The Listening Service by BBC. Tom Service explores JS Bach's extraordinary The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues for keyboard in all 24 major and minor keys. It's widely...

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Episode Details

Published Nov 19, 2023, 29:02 long, audio available.

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What is The Old Testament of Music about?

Tom Service explores JS Bach's extraordinary The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues for keyboard in all 24 major and minor keys. It's widely regarded as a towering achievement and a cornerstone of western art music. The 19th century German conductor and pianist, Hans von Bülow famously described it as “The Old Testament of Music” and generations of musicians and scholars have spoken of its monumental stature in the history and development of music. From the first, C major prelude with its lean and simple series of arpeggios, taking listeners on an exquisite harmonic journey, through to darker and more complex moments, with plenty of playfulness and joy along the way, The Well-Tempered Clavier is an astonishing feat of imagination. These two books of preludes and fugues are a treasure trove, where Bach combines contrapuntal wizardry with his extraordinary gift for expressing human emotion. With help from American pianist, Jeremy Denk, Tom Service lifts the lid on The Well-Tempered Clavier to discover its secrets. Producer: Jonathan Hallewell

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Which podcast is The Old Testament of Music from?

The Old Testament of Music is an episode from The Listening Service by BBC.

How long is this episode?

This episode is 29:02 long.

When was this episode published?

This episode was published on Nov 19, 2023.

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Where can I listen to The Old Testament of Music?

You can listen to The Old Testament of Music on this page when the episode audio is available from the podcast feed.

Which podcast is this episode from?

The Old Testament of Music is from The Listening Service by BBC.

What are the episode details?

Published Nov 19, 2023 and 29:02 long