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Baroque · variations

Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 29

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 9, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

One part of a keyboard project that culminated in 1741. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 29 is a variations by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 9, an estimate.

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Also known as Goldberg Variations - 29.

History

Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 29 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. Detached sonorities call and answer

    Repeated upper attacks and brief rests answer wide low attacks and detached chords. Hear their spacing as part of the opening character.

  2. Running motion interrupts the repeated sounds

    Short running interruptions lead to offset triplet replies between the main strands. Listen to how the rests and attacks interlock rather than expecting every entry together.

  3. Triplets begin the new half

    The second half starts with offset triplet responses in a changed register before fuller chords return. Hear the moving exchange before the thicker attacks.

  4. Offset replies gather into the close

    Related triplet replies and a final grace-note gesture lead to repeated upper sounds above low G. Hear the smaller lead-in within the larger closing response.

How to practise it

Separate the repeated upper G pulses from the lower part's change of texture.

  1. Alternate a light G attack with a counted silent sixteenth; keep that rhythm stable for the full opening cell.
  2. Practise the two G eighths into the F-sharp/rest pairs on one steady pulse, then add the upper layer.

How hard is it

Level 9, estimated

Alternating chordal gestures and brilliant passagework require controlled attacks, power and agility.

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 - 29” by J. S. Bach (1685 to 1750). Mutopia edition maintained by Hajo Dezelski. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1421. 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

Separate the repeated upper G pulses from the lower part's change of texture.

Practise it in PlayPiano