Ah........a perfect way to spend a lazy Monday afternoon in retirement. Drinking Italian coffee and listening to this upload. Thank you. One of my cats is under my bed sleeping, so he may also approve of this playing.
I'm also retired, but a biker. If I listen to this in the morning before I go out on the motorcycle, I can hear it playing in my mind, as I dance and weave through the Scottish countryside, bliss.
Dear Paul, After enjoying several Bach recordings of Angela Hewitt, András Schiff, Glenn Gould, and others, I appreciated the beautiful variety of different interpretations. I am also a great admirer of your recordings. As a piano lover I feel extremely grateful for your willingness to take the time on sharing with us your wonderful recordings. Including the sheet music in your videos is very nice and the educational value of your recordings are immense. Thank you for being a great artist and for the gift of your art! (Please forgive my English, not my native language) Best Regards, Daniel
@123dx1 Yes, that is my name. I work at a bank firm. I enjoy partaking in the finer things of life. Those include good amounts of nutrition and a recording of Bach at night. After I've finished skinning my next victim I take a rejuvenating shower and perform a small set of exercises to maintain my fitness.
I always love when people who produce perfect English sentences, not only by grammar, but also choice of words etc. apologize for their English. Just considering how often natives butcher English, it's fun to see someone be very eloquent and simultaneously think their English sucks. Your English is fine, it's alright to be confident! :)
Bravo! Paul, it’s very gracious of you to share your talent, passion, and inspiration with the community. "Thank you" just doesn't seem to quite express the sentiment. -Stephen
I don't generally "rate" people when it comes to music or playing, but I don't remember ever opening a video from Paul and being disappointed. Even the pieces that I have disliked are usually justified by his playing. Definitely gonna add to my "chill" music collection, thanks so much for sharing.
Everything about this video is great. The recording is brilliant, the audio is very good quality, the score on top is useful, there are great pieces by a great composer, and of course you play the pieces beautifully!
Paul Barton is such a brilliant pianist, it’s so wonderful to have this, right here, on utube, to turn to at any time, such a pleasure! Thank you for giving this to the world!
Just to point out some things I think you need to know on the E flat minor prelude and fugue: in the prelude, you played an E natural at measure 18 on the soprano, It's an F natural. And there is a dotted quarter note in the bass at the last beat of measure 19, you played two quarter notes. In the fugue at measure 24 alto last beat, you played a E natural, it is a E sharp. Measure 52 you played an E sharp in the alto, it is an A sharp. Measure 73 The bass on the fourth beat, you didn't play the E natural. 73 you play a D sharp in the soprano, it is an F sharp. At the same measure, you played an E natural on the second beat, it is a E sharp, then an E natural. Just thought you wanted to know :)
Who needs antidepressants when you have Bach and red wine. The red wine has consequences, Bach has none except enduring love of music and enables strength from the depths of despair to carry on in all keys. In memory of my beloved beautiful son, murdered aged 18. I love you so much my Darling.
sensemaya1 I'm so sorry 💙 Bach is always where I go to remind myself that there are beautiful things on this earth, and his music helped me get through the loss of my wonderful best friend. May your son rest in peace.
Eu passo o dia inteiro escutando este incrível homem tocando... Pessoas assim que realmente me inspiram, pessoas que vivem o que acreditam, no estilo de vida que as fazem de verdade felicidades, pessoas que não vivem de aparências, mais vivem com amor, e tudo que elas fazem o amor é refletido, e eu posso sentir o amor das musica executadas pelo Paul Barton. Thank you Paul.
prelude 1 seems so basic but it's so powerful. You really outlined the harmonic development, I love it. Too many times people think Bach is calculated and cold, but his message is so personnal and expressive. The older I get, the more I love Bach. Thanks for your interpretation, you made my day.
Its so hard to learn, especially the parts where your fingers get so close to each other. Would be interesting how many hours, days or weeks u spend to learn a piece like prelude no2 cus ur play was just beautiful and perfect. sry for bad english
NoName I know right? It's so cool, yet at points your fingers have to move fastly in between the black keys. But this is a prelude I definitely want to learn sometime.
Patrickann777 Same here! I've wanted to learn this for quite a while. I thought it may be difficult at first, but it's actually easy if you understand it though, however, I still am a bit unsettled as to whether it is truly easy or not. When I first saw the sheet music, I thought to myself, "This looks cool to play, let me try it" but I asked my piano instructor about it and he said there are some technical difficulties in it that I am not yet ready for or that I do not have the skill for. So I'm putting it aside for now. But I hope to come back to it sooner or later and learn it fully. Even the fugue paired with it as well. But we all know how long *that* would take!
Великая музыка и замечательное исполнение! Спасибо, что выкладываете свои чудесные и познавательные видео про свою семью! У Вас есть чему поучиться! Пишу из России. Дальнейших успехов и здоровья Вам, Вашей талантливой доченьке и всей Вашей семье!
Bach genius was amazing. Just look at the music sheet in the Prelude part, look at how the pianist hands are practically still during all of it, and nevertheless the music is just heavenly.
SomeoneCommenting Yes, see how economical his movements are. He puts all his feelings through his fingers. I disagree with people who think players that act as if they are having an orgasum when they play are being passionate and full of feeling. That is nonsense. This is the way to play. Be as technically perfect as possible. The listeners will pick up on what is being expressed. No need to throw your body into a tizzy.
How economical is the movement of Mr. Barton's hands is a testament of his skill with the piano. It is the trademark of grand masters at their instruments, to make the absolute minimal movements while still sounding fantastic.
I goy into Bach about five years ago when watching his harpsichord tunes on BBC4, and was very moved, now I find that I just love everything that Bach ever composed ❤❤
Bless you Paul Barton, playing Bach for all humanity - much needed now at this difficult stage of our lives in the pandemic 😷 and thanks to J. S. Bach who over the centuries sustains us like no bread can... thanks for the RUclips channel, delivering much needed food for thought
I don't understand music, I don't know how to read it... but this is so beautiful, I can't explain how I feel when I listen to classical music.. feels like I'm floating..
Have studied fugal procedure, listened and played for hours..this a first class rendition of these wonderful, historically significant pieces..thank you mr. Barton!
Yes I love it!! I love how you play Bach straight forward with very little romanticism as it should be played. So often, I see artists try to add too much emotion to Bach but I feel that the notes and patterns and melodies create their own emotion.
The scholar interpretation of how Bach 'should be played like' is a very obscure and historically wrong perspective of the what were the notation possibilities of that time, it's pure anachronism. It's like saying that the violin partitas should be played without vibrato; there was not a canonical corpus to integrate those ornaments in the way settled already in the 19th century. There was more interpretation and less commandment.
@@gbarthg Ha ha. "Canonical. 1 : of, relating to, or forming a canon canonical scriptures. 2 : conforming to a general rule or acceptable procedure : orthodox His proposals were generally accepted as canonical.
Excellent interpretations and performances. I'm doing major studies around voicing, and Bach is really one of the only enjoyable composers out there to help me see and understand the different use cases. It's amazing how talented this composer was. Other composers have flops, but I have yet to hear any "flops" from Bach. I don't know how he did it.
Uncommon excellence displayed here. I particularly liked the C#-Minor and the F-Minor -- serene, contemplative, majestic, ascetic, deeply felt, prayerful realization bordering n the sublime to an extent rarely heard. Just beautiful.
The best performance of the well tempered clavier by that gigantic genius J.S.Bach. Viewing the interpretation along with th score is simply SUPERB AND EXTRAORDINARY
The simplicity of this song brings about it's beauty. Paul I really like the way that you used dynamics in this song, I love your work Paul you make the stuff that I already know much easier to perform, and what I'm learning you help me by leaps and bounds. thanks for shearing your gifts!!!
The wonderful precision of Bach, so ably demonstrated in his music, comes to the fore with The Well Tempered Clavier. Just what's needed to carry us away from the ravages of this pandemic, which it seems, isn't going away anytime soon. Mr Barton, thank you.
Once, as an assignment, I had to transcribe and play a Bach fugue for guitar. It was difficult because the guitar is more limited in regards to how many notes can be played simultaneously.
Paul, I have listened to Bach a great deal over the last 40 years, and I've listened to a great many artists over this time. Too many of them insist on asserting their own interpretation of the timing of these pieces. Your rendition is such a relief after I've listened to others mangling the pieces. I'm sure I don't have to say that your playing of the preludes and fugues is close enough to flawless that it could, I think, be considered essentially perfect. I've just listened to a (very talented otherwise) harpsichordist playing some of book 1. It left me so unsettled that I had to come back to your recording and listen to it again, just to straighten my universe. As I listen to this recording now again, I can sense the tension slowly receding from my shoulders. Expletive starting with 'f' required here - luckily I know about your recording. Just for the record, I can also listen to Nikolayeva playing these (she is fantastic), and three or four others, but for the rest I generally I come away disappointed. In many cases I stop the playback after just a handful of bars. Thanks for all the effort.
I’m learning some of this on the piano. I really want to play for my family but their not that supportive. They are always busy and just say its borning. They aren’t that interested. I wish! But good job playing this I loved it. Can’t wait to play like you!😍😃 you give me hope!!!
Paul, you are simply an amazing pianist! I don't think there is anything you can't play and you do it so very well! The more I listen to you play these Baroque works with the harmonic pedal, the more I like them! I enjoyed some Baroque works when young, but not all of them. They required so much focus and study that it was tough to sit still long enough for some of the more difficult works. However, I managed it (still like to pedal through some of them though....my teacher used to raise a brow and laugh, then get really serious and make me play it correctly, which I did) :-) Yeah, a rebel I know! Have a wonderful night and thanks for all the great music! ~Jackie
just doesn't get any better than this. absolutely excellent playing. an absolute pleasure to listen to this. It must have taken an monumental effort to obtain this level of expertise, and countless hours of practise. seriously hats off.
good luck! I first heard this in a jazz version by Jaques Loussier -assumed the really far out bits were his improvisation but no , it was just as JSB wrote it .well worth a listen . you will find many treasures in this great work of 48 preludes and fugues.
Yes, Jagues Loussier. Jacues omer (spelling) Drs, & Pierre Michelot Bass. Saw them in Concert (Thebarton Town Hall, Adelaide, South Australia 1965). One of those nights you never forget. Most of the legit guys sound mechanical. That doesn't mean playing "Romantic"...just slow down & enjoy the tension & release of his cadences. J.S.Bach is the Grandfather of Modern Jazz pianists. And a Saint for Horn players who listen to him with open ears.
A fantastic addition to your many wonderful uploads, Paul. Watching your masterful hands for long periods of time is infinitely relaxing and a little hypnotic actually. So enjoyable and so appreciated. Thank-you.
It's so hard to overstate just how impressive what this guy is doing is. Having studied Bach and many of the fugues played here, I have a deep appreciation for the skill it takes to play fugues in general. Most of the time the piano has something like melody and accompaniment, wherein one hand supports the other and therefore, usually, one hand is slightly easier to play than the other. That said, there are exceptions, wherein both hands are equally important. BUT THIS IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL. In a fugue, it's not just as if both hands are equally important, but they are BOTH playing a lead melody line, at the same time. Two completely different things happening at the same time. Except there's THREE to FOUR things happening at once, not two. Just. Like. How. I'm not the best pianist in the world, but even practicing every day for six hours I genuinely don't know if I'll EVER be this good.
Sublime. The most beautifully cerebral and spiritual music ever created. Now I know what I'm going to have playing on my next acid trip! Absolute perfection.
Amazing...such talent....you must love what you do! Can you imagine the mind of Bach? A man in HIS day and age with such otherworldly creations...he was not from this world.
Mr Barton you played this work masterfully. I´m struggling against my heavy left hand and your voicing control inspires me and encourages me to become a better piano player little by little. Thank you very much for your valuable kindness of sharing your art with us. Greetings.
Your playing... Breathtaking. Beyond the expression ability of every bit of the complimentary words in the whole universe. I just want to say that you are, sir, a great rare miracle of the nature. Thank you.
as 8th fuga started i raised my eyebrows so high, so i felt my brain sucking into space. it was nearly a faint. also, if you change 0:04 to 0:00 in description box, it will help to navigate.
Bach’s fugues are truly masterworks of pure genius on a technical level but they are also insanely tuneful. It really is wondrous to witness such mastery in motion when listening to them. Wonderful playing on these pieces as well. Great visual presentation to boot! You have yourself a new sub.
This is so symmetrical that whenever I have to pause it, I find myself hesitating until a section is complete. I never have the guts to interrupt the ever so pleasing flow. If I do, if I stop it before a section concludes, when I resume, I always have to go Bach.
Funny, I'm a professional pianist, but when I was in my early 20's all I liked to hear was rap and pop music. I'm glad that now in my early 30s I have grown far from those types of music and into classical genres. I can listen to this all day... something about classical that is so relaxing which other types of music do not fulfill
Just beautiful. I can play the first 3 pieces but it took me a couple years of working every night when I got home from work. But I did it. I got a feeling he is so good he can just sight read them all and pretty much nail them on the first try.
Of course I had to listen to your version of nr. 11 now. I can not compete with that. Wonderful to hear how the piece can sound, played by a profesional!!
I'm learning the C major fugue... It is so hard. I am currently stuck on about 3:01-3:02, as I approach the very difficult finale of the first half. It makes Rondo Alla Turca (a hard piece) feel easy. But props to the man for making a great fugue out of a really basic key!
@@highgroundproductions8590 i'm working on beethovens firsto Sonata Op. 2 No. 1 its quite nice love the 2nd and 3rd movement And i am thinking of picking up the 2nd prelude.
Thanks for posting it! I 'm begining to study music and this video it's so stimulating. Such a great music with the possibility to read the score even watch the fingers playing it!
Dear Mr. Barton(Paul).As a person who is learning to play these preludes and fugues,I am very grateful that you have uploaded these videos which show which fingerings you prefer to use(especially in parts of the music where there is overlap of the voices in the left and right hands!!I really appreciate how you simplify complex parts with very simple and logical fingerings and hand movements which you don't find by simply reading from the score!! You did a terrific job of "unknotting" complex passages very nicely as well in the Goldberg Variations!!! Great work...and I wish you were my private piano teacher.I know that you are a very busy man and need to devote time to your oil paintings too(which are also quite well done).But if you ever do manage to find some spare time do you think that you can one day upload videos with scores of you playing Bach's Art of Fugue???(Piano transcription of course!!) I have searched every music store and library in my city and cannot find an edited version of Art of the Fugue with any fingering suggestions whatsoever!! Was wondering if you could be of any assistance in that ???Thanx Mr. Barton for being such the talented and gifted individual that you truly are!!! Stay Blessed!!
Very nice! The pieces themselves are great, and the way Paul plays it makes it perfect for relaxing afternoons and listening assignments for students alike (I relate to the latter). Thank you!
Monsieur Barton que c'est beau ! Bach est mon compositeur préféré, le bonheur de vous voir jouer et de lire la partition en même temps que vous, c'est merveilleux = double joie ! Je vous écoute souvent, ainsi que Glenn Gould, j'apprécie beaucoup votre jeu. Un grand merci (France Pays de Loire)
For us mobile users:
C Major
P1: 00:04
F1: 02:11
C Minor
P2: 04:22
F2: 06:00
C# Major
P3: 07:39
F3: 08:52
C# Minor
P4: 11:07
F4: 14:52
D Major
P5: 19:59
F5: 21:03
D Minor
P6: 22:50
F6: 24:11
Eb Major
P7: 26:28
F7: 30:24
Eb Minor
P8: 32:00
D# Minor
F8: 36:04
E Major
P9: 41:38
F9: 43:20
E Minor
P10: 44:25
F10: 47:07
F Major
P11: 48:07
F11: 49:12
F Minor
P12: 50:36
F12: 53:46
Adan M Thank you!
It is already in the description
@@denisstrakhov5437 not for mobile users.
Drake Kay I am an mobile user XD
Brendan Jacobi Sorry, learn english!!! I Hope, once you will learn it
The first prelude is so simple and pretty then Bach smacks you in the face with a 4 voice monster fugue
I don't play the piano but I think playing Bach fugues would be sooo confusing!
@@EsperantistoVolulo yeah, especially on the parts that you have to play multiple voices with one hand xD
Probably to confound his beginning students.
I know that first Fugue is so tricky and crazy in some measures/bars))
@@josephososkie3029 And his intermediate and advanced students as well!
Prélude 1: 00:04
Fuge 1: 02:10
Prélude 2: 04:22
Fuge 2: 06:00
Prélude 3: 07:39
Fuge 3: 08:52
Prélude 4: 11:07
Fuge 4: 14:52
Prélude 5: 19:59
Fuge 5: 21:03
Prélude 6: 22:50
Fuge 6: 24:11
Prélude 7: 26:28
Fuge 7: 30:24
Prélude 8: 32:00
Fuge 8: 36:04
Prélude 9: 41:38
Fuge 9: 43:20
Prélude 10: 44:25
Fuge 10: 47:07
Prélude 11: 48:07
Fuge 11: 49:12
Prélude 12: 50:36
Fuge 12: 53:46
Underrated, because it's so useful
Thank you
Omg I was looking for this thank you so much.
just fyi, no offense, but fugue is spelt fugue
Thank you!!
@@decafcoffee0935 depends on the language. Theres fugue, fuge, fuga,
Ah........a perfect way to spend a lazy Monday afternoon in retirement. Drinking Italian coffee and listening to this upload. Thank you. One of my cats is under my bed sleeping, so he may also approve of this playing.
Thank you for the lovely comment, Harry,!
My cats always go to sleep when I play The Well-Tempered Clavier.
Enjoy retirement my dude. I have another 20 years of work ahead of me: Classical music is the only way I'll survive :D
Dude this is life! Hope my retirement could be just as cozy. or could be playing these on my own on a white piano near the window :D
I'm also retired, but a biker. If I listen to this in the morning before I go out on the motorcycle, I can hear it playing in my mind, as I dance and weave through the Scottish countryside, bliss.
Dear Paul,
After enjoying several Bach recordings of Angela Hewitt, András Schiff, Glenn Gould, and others, I appreciated the beautiful variety of different interpretations. I am also a great admirer of your recordings. As a piano lover I feel extremely grateful for your willingness to take the time on sharing with us your wonderful recordings. Including the sheet music in your videos is very nice and the educational value of your recordings are immense.
Thank you for being a great artist and for the gift of your art!
(Please forgive my English, not my native language)
Best Regards,
Daniel
Tampoco nos vengas con tu autobiografía crack
That's okay. I could not tell you were not native until you mentioned it.
@123dx1 Yes, that is my name. I work at a bank firm. I enjoy partaking in the finer things of life. Those include good amounts of nutrition and a recording of Bach at night. After I've finished skinning my next victim I take a rejuvenating shower and perform a small set of exercises to maintain my fitness.
@@tommy7830 Sounds like the *life*!
I always love when people who produce perfect English sentences, not only by grammar, but also choice of words etc. apologize for their English.
Just considering how often natives butcher English, it's fun to see someone be very eloquent and simultaneously think their English sucks.
Your English is fine, it's alright to be confident! :)
Why I feel guilty for listening to this wonderful music for free? RUclips is the greatest thing on the internet.
Damond Barbee
Couldn’t agree more with you on that !! Proof that good things do exist in this world
I feel grateful. Meanwhile maybe it proves that the best things in life are free
well, bach is dead, would be a bit dumb paying
Technically it’s not free but I get your point, Bach is considered such a genius and his works are so pleasing to listen too🎵🎵🎵
I agree
47:07 OMG Bach really didn't have to go this hard but he did and I'm here for it 😩
Bravo!
Paul, it’s very gracious of you to share your talent, passion, and inspiration with the community.
"Thank you" just doesn't seem to quite express the sentiment.
-Stephen
Thank you, Stephen, you are really kind and I appreciate it.
I don't generally "rate" people when it comes to music or playing, but I don't remember ever opening a video from Paul and being disappointed. Even the pieces that I have disliked are usually justified by his playing. Definitely gonna add to my "chill" music collection, thanks so much for sharing.
Everything about this video is great. The recording is brilliant, the audio is very good quality, the score on top is useful, there are great pieces by a great composer, and of course you play the pieces beautifully!
Sorry, but I have to confess that I mostly liked this comment because it was at 99 and I have OCD. It was asking to be rounded up.
Paul Barton is such a brilliant pianist, it’s so wonderful to have this, right here, on utube, to turn to at any time, such a pleasure! Thank you for giving this to the world!
Ok, now that we have this, I can replace the old Sviatoslav Richter recordings in my library :D
Looking forward to hear the rest !
hello master!
You are far to kind to me! - You and my son share the same birthday.
Just to point out some things I think you need to know on the E flat minor prelude and fugue: in the prelude, you played an E natural at measure 18 on the soprano, It's an F natural. And there is a dotted quarter note in the bass at the last beat of measure 19, you played two quarter notes. In the fugue at measure 24 alto last beat, you played a E natural, it is a E sharp. Measure 52 you played an E sharp in the alto, it is an A sharp. Measure 73 The bass on the fourth beat, you didn't play the E natural. 73 you play a D sharp in the soprano, it is an F sharp. At the same measure, you played an E natural on the second beat, it is a E sharp, then an E natural. Just thought you wanted to know :)
He surely already knows, but some minor mistakes are okay when the interpretation is as good as his :)
.... and i thought i was the only nit-picker! :-)
Who needs antidepressants when you have Bach and red wine. The red wine has consequences, Bach has none except enduring love of music and enables strength from the depths of despair to carry on in all keys. In memory of my beloved beautiful son, murdered aged 18. I love you so much my Darling.
sensemaya1 I'm so sorry 💙 Bach is always where I go to remind myself that there are beautiful things on this earth, and his music helped me get through the loss of my wonderful best friend. May your son rest in peace.
She Elf Johnson Thank you for your kind thoughtful reply. It means a lot. And I share your grief over the loss of your wonderful friend. RIP 💔🎼🎹
Sensemaya1, I'm so sorry to hear that! Luckily you still enjoy Classical music since it can bring you peace. I hope your doing better now. ❤
sensemaya1, I wish you all the best.
@@michaelw.4469 Thank you. I'm beginning to accept he is gone but the pain never ends.
Paul Barton, you are so fluent and play with so much ease. Qualities of a true piano professional.
Eu passo o dia inteiro escutando este incrível homem tocando... Pessoas assim que realmente me inspiram, pessoas que vivem o que acreditam, no estilo de vida que as fazem de verdade felicidades, pessoas que não vivem de aparências, mais vivem com amor, e tudo que elas fazem o amor é refletido, e eu posso sentir o amor das musica executadas pelo Paul Barton. Thank you Paul.
He's so good at playing fugues that it scares me a little.
Start by getting Prelude number 1 right, which many Concert pianuusts regularly fuck up, even though children can get it right . . .
@@jimsammann what do you mean? Did Paul mess up prelude 1
@@cat-zd3nt no. He meant that professional pianists mess up playing the prelude I , which I obviously don't agree to.
@@jimsammann please explain specifically. Thanks.
Haha, me too
prelude 1 seems so basic but it's so powerful. You really outlined the harmonic development, I love it. Too many times people think Bach is calculated and cold, but his message is so personnal and expressive. The older I get, the more I love Bach. Thanks for your interpretation, you made my day.
I really think the first piece was written to prove that on a well-tempered harpsichord you could move to any key or mode and stay in tune.
If they think Bach is cold they should listen to the Brandenburgs, notably No. 3
Thank you for this recording. The visual with the sheet music reveals how brilliant and miraculous Bach's music is.
4:22-6:00 i have to learn this omg, no matter what it takes
yes! let me know if you need help.
Its so hard to learn, especially the parts where your fingers get so close to each other.
Would be interesting how many hours, days or weeks u spend to learn a piece like prelude no2 cus ur play was just beautiful and perfect.
sry for bad english
NoName I know right? It's so cool, yet at points your fingers have to move fastly in between the black keys. But this is a prelude I definitely want to learn sometime.
You're in Luck! If I'm not mistaken, it's one of the easier preludes (granted all of them are challenging pieces).
Patrickann777 Same here! I've wanted to learn this for quite a while. I thought it may be difficult at first, but it's actually easy if you understand it though, however, I still am a bit unsettled as to whether it is truly easy or not. When I first saw the sheet music, I thought to myself, "This looks cool to play, let me try it" but I asked my piano instructor about it and he said there are some technical difficulties in it that I am not yet ready for or that I do not have the skill for.
So I'm putting it aside for now. But I hope to come back to it sooner or later and learn it fully. Even the fugue paired with it as well. But we all know how long *that* would take!
Великая музыка и замечательное исполнение! Спасибо, что выкладываете свои чудесные и познавательные видео про свою семью! У Вас есть чему поучиться! Пишу из России. Дальнейших успехов и здоровья Вам, Вашей талантливой доченьке и всей Вашей семье!
Bach genius was amazing. Just look at the music sheet in the Prelude part, look at how the pianist hands are practically still during all of it, and nevertheless the music is just heavenly.
SomeoneCommenting Yes, see how economical his movements are. He puts all his feelings through his fingers. I disagree with people who think players that act as if they are having an orgasum when they play are being passionate and full of feeling. That is nonsense. This is the way to play. Be as technically perfect as possible. The listeners will pick up on what is being expressed. No need to throw your body into a tizzy.
How economical is the movement of Mr. Barton's hands is a testament of his skill with the piano. It is the trademark of grand masters at their instruments, to make the absolute minimal movements while still sounding fantastic.
I goy into Bach about five years ago when watching his harpsichord tunes on BBC4, and was very moved, now I find that I just love everything that Bach ever composed ❤❤
Bless you Paul Barton, playing Bach for all humanity - much needed now at this difficult stage of our lives in the pandemic 😷 and thanks to J. S. Bach who over the centuries sustains us like no bread can... thanks for the RUclips channel, delivering much needed food for thought
I don't understand music, I don't know how to read it... but this is so beautiful, I can't explain how I feel when I listen to classical music.. feels like I'm floating..
Prelude 2 is so epic
It's like a train. BAM-ba-ba-ba-BAM-ba-ba....
Yess i playing
Epicisimo
@@JamesIdentity yes we have ears
@@jagp135 lol he knows
The timing, articulation, dynamics and voicing in all these is simply a feast for the ears! I absolutely love this set of performances! Thank you!
Merci pour ce grand moment de sérénité et la remarquable présentation qui implique une écoute enrichissante.
Oi moça Bonita. Como você está hoje??
Have studied fugal procedure, listened and played for hours..this a first class rendition of these wonderful, historically significant pieces..thank you mr. Barton!
I played six pieces when I was younger, and I remember that I was totally tired of them, but damn, now I love them all :b
I like you because yo play the piano and like kingkrule
Yours are by far the interpretations of Bach that I like the most. Thank you for your generosity and sharing all your music.
Yes I love it!! I love how you play Bach straight forward with very little romanticism as it should be played. So often, I see artists try to add too much emotion to Bach but I feel that the notes and patterns and melodies create their own emotion.
The scholar interpretation of how Bach 'should be played like' is a very obscure and historically wrong perspective of the what were the notation possibilities of that time, it's pure anachronism. It's like saying that the violin partitas should be played without vibrato; there was not a canonical corpus to integrate those ornaments in the way settled already in the 19th century. There was more interpretation and less commandment.
This is quite a gorgeous rendition of the Preludes & Fugues. I prefer to play them on Harpsichord.
@@noriega6399 Did you mean "canonical corpus"? Canonic corpus only refers to canons, and what you're listening to are preludes and fugues, not canons.
@@gbarthg yes, thanks for the correction, I commented while on my phone and didn't pay much attention to the automatic keyboard.
@@gbarthg Ha ha. "Canonical.
1 : of, relating to, or forming a canon canonical scriptures. 2 : conforming to a general rule or acceptable procedure : orthodox His proposals were generally accepted as canonical.
Excellent interpretations and performances. I'm doing major studies around voicing, and Bach is really one of the only enjoyable composers out there to help me see and understand the different use cases. It's amazing how talented this composer was. Other composers have flops, but I have yet to hear any "flops" from Bach. I don't know how he did it.
Uncommon excellence displayed here. I particularly liked the C#-Minor and the F-Minor -- serene, contemplative, majestic, ascetic, deeply felt, prayerful realization bordering n the sublime to an extent rarely heard. Just beautiful.
I would love to see paul play some piano concertos with an orchestra as he can hang with the best of them!
The best performance of the well tempered clavier by that gigantic genius J.S.Bach. Viewing the interpretation along with th score is simply SUPERB AND EXTRAORDINARY
Thank you! This music is like a river dancing and a prayer coming true and a child of my eye toddling towards me. Thank you!
The simplicity of this song brings about it's beauty. Paul I really like the way that you used dynamics in this song, I love your work Paul you make the stuff that I already know much easier to perform, and what I'm learning you help me by leaps and bounds. thanks for shearing your gifts!!!
The wonderful precision of Bach, so ably demonstrated in his music, comes to the fore with The Well Tempered Clavier. Just what's needed to carry us away from the ravages of this pandemic, which it seems, isn't going away anytime soon. Mr Barton, thank you.
Once, as an assignment, I had to transcribe and play a Bach fugue for guitar. It was difficult because the guitar is more limited in regards to how many notes can be played simultaneously.
That sounds incredibly difficult, way to go.
God damn man, that third fugue brought me to tears. Haven't played that shit in years...
Paul, I have listened to Bach a great deal over the last 40 years, and I've listened to a great many artists over this time. Too many of them insist on asserting their own interpretation of the timing of these pieces.
Your rendition is such a relief after I've listened to others mangling the pieces. I'm sure I don't have to say that your playing of the preludes and fugues is close enough to flawless that it could, I think, be considered essentially perfect.
I've just listened to a (very talented otherwise) harpsichordist playing some of book 1. It left me so unsettled that I had to come back to your recording and listen to it again, just to straighten my universe. As I listen to this recording now again, I can sense the tension slowly receding from my shoulders. Expletive starting with 'f' required here - luckily I know about your recording.
Just for the record, I can also listen to Nikolayeva playing these (she is fantastic), and three or four others, but for the rest I generally I come away disappointed. In many cases I stop the playback after just a handful of bars.
Thanks for all the effort.
Paul, you have make me cry, I sincerely thank you for that.
I’m learning some of this on the piano. I really want to play for my family but their not that supportive. They are always busy and just say its borning. They aren’t that interested. I wish! But good job playing this I loved it. Can’t wait to play like you!😍😃 you give me hope!!!
Man... I really want one of these pianos. They sound so good. Too bad I am broke...
Joshua Hunt Don’t waste your money on a Fuerich. It sucks.
@@Npvsp isn't feurich viennies?
@@Npvsp You must be deaf lol
Paul, you are simply an amazing pianist! I don't think there is anything you can't play and you do it so very well! The more I listen to you play these Baroque works with the harmonic pedal, the more I like them! I enjoyed some Baroque works when young, but not all of them. They required so much focus and study that it was tough to sit still long enough for some of the more difficult works. However, I managed it (still like to pedal through some of them though....my teacher used to raise a brow and laugh, then get really serious and make me play it correctly, which I did) :-) Yeah, a rebel I know! Have a wonderful night and thanks for all the great music! ~Jackie
Música preciosa para descansar y relajar el espirítu. La grandeza de nuestro amigo Juan Sebastián Bach.
just doesn't get any better than this. absolutely excellent playing. an absolute pleasure to listen to this. It must have taken an monumental effort to obtain this level of expertise, and countless hours of practise. seriously hats off.
Paul Barton is singlehandedly making me want to learn more Bach.
I'd say he's doing it two-handedly. 👐😁
good luck! I first heard this in a jazz version by Jaques Loussier -assumed the really far out bits were his improvisation but no , it was just as JSB wrote it .well worth a listen . you will find many treasures in this great work of 48 preludes and fugues.
Yes, Jagues Loussier. Jacues omer (spelling) Drs, & Pierre Michelot Bass. Saw them in Concert (Thebarton Town Hall, Adelaide, South Australia 1965). One of those nights you never forget. Most of the legit guys sound mechanical. That doesn't mean playing "Romantic"...just slow down & enjoy the tension & release of his cadences. J.S.Bach is the Grandfather of Modern Jazz pianists. And a Saint for Horn players who listen to him with open ears.
Thanks SO much! i was able to find the fugue my grandfather used to whistle, so missed.
A fantastic addition to your many wonderful uploads, Paul. Watching your masterful hands for long periods of time is infinitely relaxing and a little hypnotic actually. So enjoyable and so appreciated.
Thank-you.
It's so hard to overstate just how impressive what this guy is doing is. Having studied Bach and many of the fugues played here, I have a deep appreciation for the skill it takes to play fugues in general. Most of the time the piano has something like melody and accompaniment, wherein one hand supports the other and therefore, usually, one hand is slightly easier to play than the other. That said, there are exceptions, wherein both hands are equally important. BUT THIS IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL. In a fugue, it's not just as if both hands are equally important, but they are BOTH playing a lead melody line, at the same time. Two completely different things happening at the same time.
Except there's THREE to FOUR things happening at once, not two.
Just. Like. How. I'm not the best pianist in the world, but even practicing every day for six hours I genuinely don't know if I'll EVER be this good.
Amazing music rearranging my brain to the better. Thank you!
Huge and great work, very impressive, and above all, very musical.
Once again, congratulations Mister Barton.
Wow. Well played. Thanks for posting--especially cool to see the hands in action with the score in view. Excellent.
Sublime. The most beautifully cerebral and spiritual music ever created. Now I know what I'm going to have playing on my next acid trip! Absolute perfection.
I just listened to this entire set from beginning to end. It's so beautifully done. Thank you Paul!
Muito Grato, Paul Barton! Apreciando, aprendendo, estudando!
Amazing...such talent....you must love what you do!
Can you imagine the mind of Bach? A man in HIS day and age with such otherworldly creations...he was not from this world.
vous aimez Bach ?
Mr Barton you played this work masterfully. I´m struggling against my heavy left hand and your voicing control inspires me and encourages me to become a better piano player little by little. Thank you very much for your valuable kindness of sharing your art with us. Greetings.
Glenn who? Truly amazing to have this birds-eye view of Book One.
Thank you for making this video!! It’s so beautiful!
Notevole interpretazione. Mi piace molto l'uso dell' tocco delicato. Bravo , Good!
Your playing... Breathtaking. Beyond the expression ability of every bit of the complimentary words in the whole universe. I just want to say that you are, sir, a great rare miracle of the nature. Thank you.
For quicker reference for searching for different keys:
P1 C: 00:04
F1 C: 02:10
P2 Cm: 04:22
F2 Cm: 06:00
P3 C#: 07:39
F3 C#: 08:52
P4 C#m: 11:07
F4 C#m: 14:52
P5 D: 19:59
F5 D: 21:03
P6 Dm: 22:50
F6 Dm: 24:11
P7 Eb: 26:28
F7 Eb: 30:24
P8 Ebm: 32:00
F8 Ebm: 36:04
P9 E: 41:38
F9 E: 43:20
P10 Em: 44:25
F10 Em: 47:07
P11 F: 48:07
F11 F: 49:12
P12 Fm: 50:36
F12 Fm: 53:46
as 8th fuga started i raised my eyebrows so high, so i felt my brain sucking into space. it was nearly a faint.
also, if you change 0:04 to 0:00 in description box, it will help to navigate.
Bach’s fugues are truly masterworks of pure genius on a technical level but they are also insanely tuneful. It really is wondrous to witness such mastery in motion when listening to them. Wonderful playing on these pieces as well. Great visual presentation to boot! You have yourself a new sub.
This is so symmetrical that whenever I have to pause it, I find myself hesitating until a section is complete. I never have the guts to interrupt the ever so pleasing flow. If I do, if I stop it before a section concludes, when I resume, I always have to go Bach.
I see what you did there
Mister Paul, Bravo! I am fan of you! I hope i can be pianist like you. Respect from Turkey.
I love that Fugue 7. Great video Mr Paul; I really enjoy seeing the music as well as the hands for each piece. Great learning tool!
Sei un pianista fantastico ed un magnifico interprete del sublime Bach. Saluti
Funny, I'm a professional pianist, but when I was in my early 20's all I liked to hear was rap and pop music. I'm glad that now in my early 30s I have grown far from those types of music and into classical genres. I can listen to this all day... something about classical that is so relaxing which other types of music do not fulfill
I'm one of the people who thinks Bach should never be played with pedal, but the harmonic pedal suited this work very well.
YEAH! Complete WTC from Paul!
This is half WTC
Jack London You are 100% right 😂
CapitanDestroids ???
Just beautiful. I can play the first 3 pieces but it took me a couple years of working every night when I got home from work. But I did it.
I got a feeling he is so good he can just sight read them all and pretty much nail them on the first try.
Correct, he has a video of this being demonstrated.
Its amazing to watch the fingerings so clearly.
Of course I had to listen to your version of nr. 11 now. I can not compete with that. Wonderful to hear how the piece can sound, played by a profesional!!
I don't think I'm ready for this book yet, I'm still working on the 2 part inventions....I would love to though, great stuff!
I'm learning the C major fugue...
It is so hard. I am currently stuck on about 3:01-3:02, as I approach the very difficult finale of the first half.
It makes Rondo Alla Turca (a hard piece) feel easy.
But props to the man for making a great fugue out of a really basic key!
Its so funny how many people say that rondo alla turca is an easy peace. Any way how are you doing on the fugue?
@@myfairlady343 I finished it a while ago. Now I'm working on the C minor prelude and the main sonata that Rondo Alla Turca is part of (Sonata 11).
@@highgroundproductions8590 i'm working on beethovens firsto Sonata Op. 2 No. 1 its quite nice love the 2nd and 3rd movement
And i am thinking of picking up the 2nd prelude.
As I watch, I want to click the up-vote button over and over. Really excellent work.
Your piano playing really inspired me to pick a couple of these songs for my audition to college. Thank you very much!
Merci de votre partage, je me régale, c'est tellement beau, et vous le jouez tellement bien, ça a l'air simple, évident !!!
Thank you, pleasure listening to you playing and following the score
Superb. Paul is also an excellent teacher. First class!
You play very well, we can hear the differents voices, great
Why is it so good to listen tonight. Thank you paul
You are big Paul, im your fan. Your videos always help me. thanks
Paul, This is AMAZING! I need to watch this video when I'm learning some of these fugues to see how I'm screwing up haha
a piece of music Thank you so much. It's so good to hear each song.
음악 한 곡 정말 감사합니다. 모든 노래를 들을 수 있어서 너무 좋아요.
Lovely Recordings man...admire your efforts and fluency
The counterpoints of fugue 2 is just perfect. BRILLIANT
26:29 THOSE SEQUENCES !!! I love it.
Thank you, Paul. Your recordings make me feel so grateful.
Thanks so much Paul for uploading this. You play these beautifully. The score on top make this video a really useful learning tool for me too.
This is absolutely divine!! This is as close as one can get to Gould!! Thank you so much Paul!! 😁😁❤
A new level of metodology on studiyng Bach. Thanks Paul!
Thanks for posting it! I 'm begining to study music and this video it's so stimulating. Such a great music with the possibility to read the score even watch the fingers playing it!
Dear Mr. Barton(Paul).As a person who is learning to play these preludes and fugues,I am very grateful that you have uploaded these videos which show which fingerings you prefer to use(especially in parts of the music where there is overlap of the voices in the left and right hands!!I really appreciate how you simplify complex parts with very simple and logical fingerings and hand movements which you don't find by simply reading from the score!! You did a terrific job of "unknotting" complex passages very nicely as well in the Goldberg Variations!!! Great work...and I wish you were my private piano teacher.I know that you are a very busy man and need to devote time to your oil paintings too(which are also quite well done).But if you ever do manage to find some spare time do you think that you can one day upload videos with scores of you playing Bach's Art of Fugue???(Piano transcription of course!!) I have searched every music store and library in my city and cannot find an edited version of Art of the Fugue with any fingering suggestions whatsoever!! Was wondering if you could be of any assistance in that ???Thanx Mr. Barton for being such the talented and gifted individual that you truly are!!! Stay Blessed!!
Very nice! The pieces themselves are great, and the way Paul plays it makes it perfect for relaxing afternoons and listening assignments for students alike (I relate to the latter). Thank you!
Monsieur Barton que c'est beau ! Bach est mon compositeur préféré, le bonheur de vous voir jouer et de lire la partition en même temps que vous, c'est merveilleux = double joie ! Je vous écoute souvent, ainsi que Glenn Gould, j'apprécie beaucoup votre jeu. Un grand merci (France Pays de Loire)