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Baroque · aria

Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 6, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

One part of a keyboard project that culminated in 1741. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria is an aria by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.

On this page
  • aria
  • Baroque
  • Key of G major
  • gentle

Also known as Goldberg Variations - Aria.

History

Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria belongs to the Goldberg Variations. Bach-Archiv Leipzig places the cycle at the culmination of Bach's Clavier-Übung print project in 1741. The thirty variations explore a remarkable range of keyboard forms and contrapuntal designs: this selection is one part of that larger journey.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. A song above layered support

    Follow the ornamented upper melody while the bass steps downward and inner voices answer. Let the long melodic sounds remain audible through the smaller decorations.

  2. An inner reply becomes active

    The inner voices become more mobile beneath the decorated melody. Listen for their replies without losing the larger singing line.

  3. A new ornamented entry

    The second repeated half opens with a new decorated A entry. Compare its shape with the first opening while hearing the changing support below.

  4. Motion settles into a held close

    Linked upper figures meet an active lower response before the final fermata. Hear that movement as a route toward the held closing sound.

How to practise it

Decorated sustained phrase; long bass line.

  1. Read the plain rhythmic outline first, then add the local decoration without hurrying the held note.
  2. Count the bass durations independently and keep them from becoming repeated accompaniment attacks.

How hard is it

Level 6, estimated

Ornament shaping, melodic voicing and sustained phrase direction matter more than surface speed.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Johann Sebastian Bach, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
Themes transformed
Licence
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
Source
mutopiaproject.org
Credit
“Goldberg Variations - Aria” by J. S. Bach (1685 to 1750). Mutopia edition maintained by JD Erickson. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=979. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Changes to the supplied MIDI: none; disclose any later conversion or edit separately.

More by Johann Sebastian Bach

  1. Prelude in C major, BWV 846Level 4, estimatedOpen to everyone
  2. Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971: III. PrestoLevel 9, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Decorated sustained phrase; long bass line.

Practise it in PlayPiano