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Baroque · variations

Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 30

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 7, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A quodlibet within one great variation cycle. Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 30 is a variations by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 7, an estimate.

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Also known as Goldberg Variations - 30.

History

Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Variation 30 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. In its account, Bach-Archiv describes this particular variation as a quodlibet.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. A lower pickup opens the piece

    The lower strand begins with a short pickup and a rising figure while the upper voices wait. Hear that lead-in before following the later upper entries.

  2. Repeated notes meet moving replies

    Repeated upper notes overlap rising and descending replies in the other strands. Listen for the separate shapes rather than blending every layer into a single melody.

  3. A new pickup renews the dialogue

    The second region begins with a new upper pickup above changed lower patterns. Follow its moving replies and tied continuation as the voices exchange material.

How to practise it

Upper source line starts late; different second-line rhythm.

  1. Count the initial silence and find the upper line entry by its duration rather than visual staff position.
  2. Practise that simpler quarter outline independently before combining the overlapping lines.

How hard is it

Level 7, estimated

The quodlibet requires clear balance among combined tunes and harmonic support, not merely recognition of the melodies.

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 - 30” by J. S. Bach (1685 to 1750). Mutopia edition maintained by Hajo Dezelski. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1422. 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

Upper source line starts late; different second-line rhythm.

Practise it in PlayPiano