THMUS E514 — The Well-Tempered Clavier: A Musical Treatise on Composition

3 credits
Fall
Philip Lasser

Prerequisite: THMUS 511 . What has been called the foundation of a pianist’s training, Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier has had an impact on keyboard players and musicians in general for nearly three centuries, and has grown in inﬂuence to this day. Written two decades apart, each book contains 24 preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys. However, the Well-Tempered Clavier is much more than simply wonderful preludes and fugues. It is in fact a treatise on musical composition, written not with words but in sound. This course will explore selected preludes and fugues from both volumes and present the compositional world they create and teach. Special attention will be given to Bach’s principles and concepts of abstract composition and their impact on later composers from Mozart to Debussy.