Apr 3, 2012 — What makes Bach's Goldberg Variations tick? Pianist Jeremy Denk reveals how Bach's musical DNA -- a simple strand of bass notes -- is fleshed out into the beautiful melody that fuels the Goldbergs.
n p r n e w s
on:
NCPR is supported by:
This is a Visitor-Supported website.
More from NPR
May 24, 2013 — If President Obama's newly recalibrated counterterrorism strategy demonstrates anything, it is his penchant for nuance.
May 24, 2013 — Many black women in the U.S. have or know someone who has done domestic work. With an expanding black middle class, some find themselves conflicted: To hire help or not?
May 24, 2013 — In the aftermath of the destruction in Moore, Okla., residents throughout Tornado Alley want storm shelters installed in schools. Some schools in the region already have them, but funding to build new ones is hard to come by.
May 24, 2013 — Los Angeles is home to a large slice of the world's bluejeans trade. But as the U.S. apparel industry continues to shrink, the city's high-end bluejeans business faces a threat. The European Union has imposed a nearly 40 percent tariff, which could cripple the city's jean business.
May 24, 2013 — In 2003, Richard Rubin set out to talk to every American veteran of World War I he could find. With help from the French, he tracked down dozens of centenarian vets and recorded their stories in a new book called The Last of the Doughboys.
Jeremy Denk discusses the Aria from Bach's Goldberg Variations. (NPR)
Jeremy Denk vs. The Goldberg Variations: The Musical DNA
by Tom Huizenga
Apr 3, 2012 — What makes Bach's Goldberg Variations tick? Pianist Jeremy Denk reveals how Bach's musical DNA -- a simple strand of bass notes -- is fleshed out into the beautiful melody that fuels the Goldbergs.What makes Bach's Goldberg Variations tick? Pianist Jeremy Denk has a few ideas. From the comfort of his living room piano, he reveals how Bach's musical DNA — a simple strand of bass notes — is fleshed out into the beautiful melody that feeds the Goldbergs.
Oddly enough, Bach just may have gotten his idea for the Goldbergs from a piece by Handel. And in what Denk calls one of the greatest instances of "musical one-upmanship," Bach blew Handel out of the water by creating a set of variations (on the same 8 bass notes) so extraordinary in their scope they've remained a milestone in the history of Western music.
Credits
Produced by Mito Habe-Evans and Tom Huizenga; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Production Assistance: Amanda Ameer and Anatasia Tsioulcas; Executive Producers: Anya Grundmann and Keith Jenkins
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.9(MDAxNzgwMTg5MDEyMTQ4Nzc4MjdiNWVmMw004))
Missing some content? Check the source: NPR
Copyright(c) 2013, NPR
