The Keyboard Music of J.S. Bach - Softcover

'The indispensable vade mecum that has so long been lacking [in Bach scholarship]... provides a solid background for the study and informed interpretation of every keyboard work... belongs in the library of every serious performer and students of Bach's keyboard music.' - Howard Schott, The Musical Times

'A substantial and highly recommendable introduction which fulfills its stated objectives in a reliable and readable way.' - Early Music

'A superb study... It is unlikely that any other scholar will be able to master such expertise in source, analytical, and performance studies for many years to come. If you need a comprehensive and reliable guide to Bach's keyboard music, there is simply no other choice.' - John Butt, University of Glasgow, Piano and Harpsichord

'[An] essential companion for performers and students of Bach's keyboard music... Succeeds in providing a succinct synthesis of an impressive spectrum of literature whilst simultaneously contributing to ongoing scholarly debate.' - Yo Tomita, Bach Bibliography, Queen's University of Belfast

The Keyboard Music of J.S. Bach provides an introduction to and comprehensive discussion of all the music for harpsichord and other stringed keyboard instruments by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Often played today on the modern piano, these works are central not only to the Western concert repertory but to musical pedagogy and study throughout the world.
Intended as both a practical guide and an interpretive study, the book consists of three introductory chapters on general matters of historical context, style, and performance practice, followed by fifteen chapters on the individual works, treated in roughly chronological order. The works discussed include all of Bach's individual keyboard compositions as well as those comprising his famous collections, such as the Well-Tempered Clavier, the English and French Suites, and the Art of Fugue.