Glenn Gould - Fugue in E Major from The Well Tempered Clavier Book 2 - BWV 878

[@schumannian118]

I feel sorrow, loneliness, melancholy, and recollection of the past. The beauty and spirituality of the music is revealed when it acknowledges all of those feelings, and provides a mellow intimacy of gratefulness, contentment, and companionship. Life-affirming and celestial are my best descriptions of this masterpiece

[@danmorgan7775]

I get chills watching this. Two geniuses communicating across the centuries.

[@OmarrAwake]

well said

[@OmarrAwake]

well said

[@MatematicaTel]

No doubt Bach is close to him. Time it´s only a small detail...

[@georginashone5642]

dan you sound pretty cool. I'm now 18 years old been listening to Gould since I was about 16... he just amazes me ya know? words just can't describe Bach's music. it's magic.

[@k4ir0s]

this is just as much Gould as it is Bach :)

[@ekeeywaka]

This is the first version I listened to. And, after hearing it I realize that no other will compare.

[@rrrrrr-kb9sb]

Except his tempo here is slightly too slow

[@Birdylanfern]

@@rrrrrr-kb9sb according to whom?

[@lutubo07]

​@The_Invisible_Mansì, ma il pianoforte chi glielo dava? 🙂

[@dr.b2949]

Try the Version by Gulda: It is not so innig but has power and authority.

[@josealbertoviartmunoz9509]

@rrrrrr-kb9sb 😅😅😅😅😃😅😅 you have the right to be stupid, but there are limits.

[@airbz6783]

Absolute chills hearing this version and seeing the emotion that Glenn pours into it.

[@organman52]

Emotion? I think you mean psychosis.

[@RickGraham]

I couldn't care less about his idiosyncratic ways; just listen. It's beautiful.

[@organman52]

THIS is beautiful? How can it be beautiful and hideous at the same time?

[@mahakala]

i don't know how many times i watched this over years.

[@marciaflyte8978]

I'm the same, then recently listened in quality headphones and it was like I'd never heard it!!

[@navigator1383]

I love the slow tempo of his Bach interpretations. It really allows one to truly appreciate the intricacy and beauty of Bach's pieces.

[@tree_fingers]

Yes this interpretation is much more profound than his studio version of this same piece

[@eduardopuccini]

@@tree_fingers I agree, the beautiful moments of harmony stand out much more in this tempo, making the piece so moving in general.

[@Me-uv6kc]

> when you realize that you need a super slow tempo to hear it how Bach heard it

[@yamahar1298]

Unbelievably beautiful... His Bach is simply unique.

[@nshk9737]

His genius is on display here for us all-unorthodox, profound, beyond comprehension.

[@organman52]

Be genius, you surely mean derangement.

[@ultrazvek100]

Bach is a rare type of a composer whose pieces can be played in such a different manner (slow, fast, staccato, legato etc.) and they still don't lose their meaning...

[@lucienfournier5399]

So true..

[@Nullum000]

s o o o true. is it beautiful? ... yea. but more than that. deep, far, wide, ancient, modern, eternal, simple, complex, elegant, fundamental, omniscient, omnipotent, other-worldly.

[@DeepCrossing1]

yes exactrly it's a test of Bach's genius that his composition can be applied to so many instruments

[@Prof.SeigfriedGildenblatten]

I agree.

[@marlongoolcharan3162]

Any composers music can be interpreted that way...slow, fast. Bach's internal structure*harmonization/ structural development is what determines the tempo. Might I just hypothesize that Bach's tempos were slightly slower than we play then today?

[@krigry32]

There is nothing like a a great artist, a master in his craft, that at the same time knows how to strike a pose.

[@VictorVentriloquista]

Hahahahaha!

[@michaeltheophilus5260]

There is certainly a mystical, metaphysical quality inthis fugue( as there is in all of Gould's playing) and what could be more metaphysical than trencending time and space listening to a piece in 2020 that was writtten in the early 1700s and recorded inthe 1980s

[@RemovdSande11]

What makes Gould so special for me is that whenever you close your eyes and listen to Gould's recordings they "feel" alive, like he is your good friend sitting in front of you playing after a healthy musical discussion .

[@QubitVector]

This piece makes me so thankful to be alive. So thank you God for my life and that this exists, and that this COULD exist.

[@bernios3446]

Glenn Gould polarizes the audience. I don't mind his strange behaviours, in the opposite, in our times where everybody tends to try acting, looking and speaking "cool", he just immersed into the music on a level of intensity that is rare. The beauty that flows of every note of Bach is making even stones cry.

[@anastaciaemilia4026]

simply love your comment

[@MartinMerayoUCDM]

Glenn could really bend the laws of time....it really seems that time bends following his phrasing. Amazing

[@roybrown1529]

A timeless five minutes. How music goes beyond words, and every other art form. The greatest composer interpreted by the greatest musician of the century.

[@lockjiang]

this fugue is the most touching piece among the 24 fugues in the two volumes by Bach, it's good to hear someone paying so much attention to its emotional and contrapuntal details which are not necessarily given its due by other pianists, even some Bach specialist aren't so aware of its emotional depth and beauty.

[@sebastianciarfella3061]

Hmmmmm nah, I'd say the 4th fugue (1st volume) is just the absolute best out of all in every sense, 5 voices, 3 themes, the 2nd longest fugue (depending also on which speed you decide to play it) constantly increasing completely, exaggerated amount of colours in the piece. Just perfection

[@blankname4716]

@@sebastianciarfella3061 his interpretation of the c# minor fugue from book 1 is kinda comical. The playing itself is incredible considering the level of detail kept at such a fast tempo. I personally prefer the interpretation from the channel smalin even though it's a compilation of vocoder recordings. Overall, the c# minor fugue is quite serious in manner (even Gould's version comes off, to me, as a scooby doo mystery). However, the E major fugue here feels like home..

[@RebekahCurielAlessi]

Yes! I suppose learning technical intricacies of a piece is a fragment of the unseen emotional intricacies bound to it.

[@vincent-ataramaniko]

@@sebastianciarfella3061 And it's also a triple fugue .... !

[@vincent-ataramaniko]

@@blankname4716 I found Gould's interpretation of it very dark. At such tempo, the divertissement (I don't know how you call that in English) sounds like death approaching at a very fast pace.

[@pianogus]

The spiritual depth of this fugue belongs in the realm of the divine.

[@johnyprestige]

The best cadence ever at the end!!! so good it's almost ridiculous.

[@Rodrigo.alonso]

Superb,.. beautiful... no words to express such feeling!

[@samdeenabdullah4202]

Really like to see how Glen deeply melt into the music while playing the piano

[@stevenhancoff4036]

A treasure beyond any words... this is the sound of the human soul beseeching God...

[@IskalkaQuest2010]

He LOVES each and every note and their connection to each other!

[@RebekahCurielAlessi]

Yes. And did you notice his loving stroke of the last note?

[@yamahacrossplane3292]

Truly beautiful... and deeply moving. Bach read by Gould, intensely personal and to be honest a jewel.

[@fangxusun1723]

This is the highest level of music making. You need to hear to believe. A whole life is embedded in 5 minutes work.

[@Elvices]

He most probably is not the greatest player of them all, but he's the only one, who accomplished to make me enjoy, love, watch and listen to this kind of classic music, of which I'm not a big fan to begin with, again and again for years now. As this is something that is not only happening to me, but also to a ton of others in the audience,. he indeed has something special to offer. He's able to transport that specialty of him and the magic of the music to the listeners, that no one else can in his special unique way. Not only his idiosyncratic style of playing, which though underlines and transports his deep passion, love and respect from him for the composer and the craftsmanship of this masterpieces, forwards this directly over to the audience. There is a thin line between genius and madness that is just mesmerizing and fascinating.

[@positivegradient]

What a moving performance. I became a Gould fan today.

[@gatopdx]

He was already not well in this video --yet the maturity and depth of his emotion shines through. No longer a kid, he gives us a gift with this.

[@trevjr]

Wow, like a great hymn from above. No one can ever say what a correct tempo is for Bach. This is pure greatness, Bach and Gould.

[@ru99414]

I've been admiring this piece for few months now and I never get enough of it, I even started playing it myself... tough piano is only my secondary instrument. After studying it so well, I do prefer the fugue on harpsichord, but this version from Glenn Gould is absolutely a favorite

[@silviasancheznaveira9993]

Listening to this deep music,I close eyes eyes and feel myself in some other world,a very strange world.

[@ahujeffrey]

From God's mind to Bach's heart to Gould fingers. Only this genius can capture the essence of divine profundity with his simple hands. God bless Glenn Gould

[@supermassivedwarf]

Gould Bless America

[@DiegoCarrillo3]

@@supermassivedwarf what

[@RebekahCurielAlessi]

Yes. God bless him.

[@cj5273]

You nailed it

[@DangerRussDayZ6533]

I love his recordings later in his life vs when he was younger.

[@Gisbertus_Voetius]

This is beyond words.

[@OrenVenezian]

@releasethefrogs Not only slowness but also the special articulation and the phrases he chose to bold and the way he phrased everything. Pure genius, I have no words for it. I can't explain what I feel the moment I hear this truly divine performance.

[@slecnaZlopocasna]

After listening to this I think I wouldn´t be sorry to die because I´ve just heard the most beautiful thing ever... thanks a lot for sharing. It´s absoulte.

[@JohnBoyDeere]

I have watched many of these video's and I think I have come to the conclusion (albeit probably shallow on my part) that Mr. Gould actually becomes every note he plays. His hands are the mechanism, the piano, its strings and sound board the speaker with his soul the music expressed for our ears to hear...

[@MassimoManghi]

yes this is the magic of Bach. To some extent it's not only irrelevant how you play Bach, his music retains its intimate nature also when it's played with different instruments

[@jgross25]

This fugue is written in 4 part structure with each voice is treated independently, almost chorally. In a fugue, the subject is the main thing being stated, and each voice gets the chance to speak that subject. The counter subject is basically the accompanying conversation that goes along with the subject. The subject starts in the bass, and works its way to the tenor, alto and soprano line. For a good explanation, look for the video of Glenn talking about this piece.

[@jacksycz]

It is a great education piece too. We did this in advanced ear training.

[@mairzyd]

When I listen to this, I have to remind myself to breathe. Happy birthday, Glenn Gould.

[@СабаДамения]

Absolutely fantastic!

[@ケンチャーハン-o9p]

生きる意味みたいなものを感じられる次元を超えた演奏

[@kevinjames011]

Absolutely sublime

[@silverbrahmapaolino9528]

Per me la Fuga più espressiva e imponente del grande Maestro di Eisenach, degna di consacrarlo nel tempo come il Dio della musica universale sulla terra

[@dq9677]

I think the people making comments about his posture, or the amount of drama and emotion put in don't understand that it's GLENN FUCKING GOULD.

[@eislakkon3110]

I understand that. I accept his point of view. I accept the right of a musician who try so hard to express his opinion. I find his theatrical movements an exaggeration and excuse me but I don't like that. E

[@michelecherchi154]

@@eislakkon3110 just close you eyes and enjoy this miracle!

[@lordspongebobofhousesquare1616]

@@eislakkon3110 yet you're still here, probably unable to listen to other recordings because you immediately notice they're worse than Gould's :v (don't worry I do too)

[@Kitties_are_pretty]

​@@eislakkon3110 I'm pretty sure Glenn Gould was just crazy, and couldn't control these movements. I don't think it's right to call these movements "exaggerated".

[@octave11thpianist58]

@@Kitties_are_pretty I agree, he's been humming to his own music his own life and he never broke the habit.

[@Prof.SeigfriedGildenblatten]

Beautiful music.

[@pianogus]

Plain, unobstructed, celestial--very difficult when dealing with arguably the best composer of all time. As usual, no fallacies in Gould's rendition. Thank you for the post!

[@navigator1383]

I have never seen Glen Gould with a piece of sheet music in front of him, even when playing with ensembles.--A complete, intimate and thorough mental memorization of the music he is expressing.

[@ilducedimas]

One masterpiece coming up !

[@obxemt]

Mehdi F "As I said, a masterpiece." :-)

[@RemovdSande11]

he played this just ... right. I love Bach, and I admire Gould for playing it this way.

[@usl612]

Magnifica interpretazione della mia fuga preferita.

[@VCguitar1]

This is an extremely great interpretation of this piece. Wow.

[@fredericchopin7538]

Magnificent! So touching!

[@Altivelzian]

Pure music, divine; simply divine

[@robbyburns5822]

This man was SO into Bach's music and understood SO much that it killed him in the end. You can see pictures of him as the years went on and he really was destroyed from the inside. We are only so lucky to have had him, there shall never be another Glenn Gould.

[@jacksycz]

Yeah. That’s an understatement

[@hemiolaguy]

I disagree. Getting close to Bach doesn't kill people -- Bach gives life! Gould was a severe hypochondriac, and what destroyed his health was his incessant self-medication with all sorts of pills.

[@musical_lolu4811]

Weird comment.

[@robbyburns5822]

@@musical_lolu4811 I agree. I was pretty edgy back then

[@87890-]

I did not understand the comment​@@robbyburns5822

[@thanhmvo]

Mesmerizing is the word. Perfectly flavor and not too much salt 👌

[@charlesbenedetti8607]

Indeed we could say he mesmerizes himself by the beauty of the sound....

[@erikwhitesides]

a swift uppercut to the invisible page turner at 1:00

[@maybudha]

lol

[@ringzy]

😂😂

[@midny4087]

LOL I wish he then flicks the invisible page turner off at 1:01 😂

[@jpage99999]

What more can you ask for? I mean, Glenn just gives it his whole being. This is intensely personal, close, introspective, and above all full of "heart". Thanks for posting!

[@sailingforde04]

Wow , suddenly , this makes life just that bit more bareable :D , its music like this we truly live for isnt it Thanks for posting

[@ΕΛΙΣΑΒΕΤΧΑΤΖΗΑΛΕΞΙΑΔΗ]

Perfect teknik, perfect sound, thank you m. Glenn.

[@ruthzelda5217]

this one gets me every time.

[@minseokchoi3022]

When Gould and Bach meet, it becomes the most complete and touching art.

[@Ray0X0]

Please, this is the way this master feels the music...

[@j-pierrelassalle862]

On ne s’en lasse pas ! Superbe !

[@ГалинаРозпаднюк]

Великолепный , великий пианист . Виртуоз. Слушать и смотреть сплошное удовольствие !

[@pobinr]

The slow tempo gives one time to savour the beauty

[@tonikrehl2545]

when i hear it on Glenn gould the Fugue in E i understand it very much better as from all others pianist i ever hear it in the world, and i hear it so many...

[@opticalmixing23]

Very emotional and expressive performance indeed❤

[@RagHelen]

The prelude to this fugue, which is the best in WTK2, is also unbelievably well performed by him.

[@urekmazino8799]

I share the same Opinion:) (about being the best Prelude)

[@metteholm75]

Ohhh! I love him for this!

[@One-cz4ki]

One of the greatest fugues in the whole WTC.

[@cmtmusik]

Yes. These version was recorded in 57, with partitas 5-6. So Glenn Gould made 4 recordings of this fugue: 1.1957 - Audio with Partitas 5/6 2.1963 - Audio of the complete WTC 3.(-) - Video in a modern harpsichord 4.1976-1981 - This Video, part of Glenn Gould plays Bach series Thanks!

[@orlaghfagan5893]

Imagine if Gould had met Bach! Well I suppose maybe he has? Only Gould could express to him what a phenomenal landmark Bach has been in human thought. Someone else has said that we could leave the achievements of Newton or Einstein as a testament to human achievement. - To leave Bach would just be showing off!

[@joefagan9335]

Orlagh Fagan Great points Orlagh. Oh I love your name!

[@elisabou3683]

Well said. I second that.

[@gkollias14]

Glenn Gould is one, a genius and a thinker with a truly incredible potential given by God. He then worked for himself and to please his egocentric self, which was out of his time. that is why he is so special and incredible any time anyone witnesses him.

[@juliewhite7920]

Very expressive

[@claudiaparrines264]

tan apasionado y expresivo Gould, me encanta :)

[@Altair122122332345]

My piano teacher: Don't tense your shoulders. Don't exaggerate your hands. Sit up straight. Glenn Gould:

[@ahnungsvoll]

...eine wunderbare Interpretation; ganze Eigenart, Genie und absolute Leidenschaft, also Bach in seiner Vollkommenheit...Komplexe Musik für die Seele...

[@jtoddmusic7090]

A remarkable fugue, a remarkable performance AND tempo

[@MTRbork]

it feels like he's still with us :)

[@m.calloway2624]

Every note, every sonority played with the greatest care to the greatest effect. The perfect match to Bach who also, in writing his music, poured over every note, seeing it as an offering to God. You may not agree with how Glenn Gould renders this or that passage, but you can't help at the end having had a magnificent, intense experience leaving you feeling closer to Bach than anyone else is able to do.

[@Infinity1994MC]

GLen Gould is the true master of fugue and he is ruler of Music at all!

[@rul4522]

Making love to his piano! So much intensity.

[@SuperTwilightZoned]

Wow! this is the first video I've seen of Glen Gould playing the piano. He is quite mad, and extremely brilliant.

[@toyoshimakeito]

It's beautiful.

[@MrGunterguerrero]

A genius playing another Genius.

[@aniruddhadebnath261]

This performance makes me feel so sad and lonely for some reason

[@tester5709]

Listen to it when you’re sad and lonely, and it’ll have the opposite effect

[@brianthenub5606]

Of all Bach's music, all of Glenn Gould's interpretations, this one simply makes me speechless, even sad. It is as if a whole life is told in one short piece of music. I was listening to this at a Cape Cod beach sunrise, alone. The feeling transcended words or even emotions. BTW, does anyone know if there is a CD/audio version of this? I bought a Sony released Well Tempered Clavier by Gould, but in that he plays much faster. I'd much prefer this tempo.

[@navigator1383]

It seems to be one one of his favorites

[@music_pillow3246]

HeyIt'sBrian it's on his cd with Goldberg Variations from 1955 as one of few additional tracks

[@music_pillow3246]

HeyIt'sBrian i think it's not exactly this recording but it's quite similar to this one

[@miguelm5764]

There is a version so similar to this included in an early recording of the partitas nos 5 & 6. But this is, without doubt, his best.

[@johntravena119]

When I was in college I would walk a lot and think. When I felt lost I would always play this fugue on my headphones and it would bring me back to Terra Firma, like walking through a labyrinth.

[@Ben0Bertels]

I've been trying to say several times what I admire so much about the combination of Glenn Gould and Bach, but everytime I get stuck because there are no words to describe this very odd feeling I get when listening to this combination of very high intellect and the most upright emotions that Glenn Gould puts into his music. Such a loss that he died so early. But better for him, I think.

[@funkymonks8333]

How can he handle two voices so perfectly. A few notes. With one hand Ikr i play such things myself and i can handle everything but this is just something else

[@anonymousQ45]

simplicity in its most natural and beautiful form

[@ronperilli2454]

The way Glenn responds while playing makes me think he feels the fuge is heroic.

[@zero8795]

sometimes when i'm working really hard on music and need a break, i listen to glenn, then decide is should just give up... and take a little break. lol

[@silverbrahmapaolino9528]

Immenso!

[@jtsnowman66]

It's so nice to hear him play something that isn't blindingly fast

[@ferlottes]

Playing that speed-slow is much more difficult ! Glen gould : trippatif ! Merci à ce génie.

[@ahjooma]

I find this very comforting.

[@ThoseWhoDare]

This interpretation is unique. Its hard to listen to the same piece of music again by other performers without missing the intensity and expression by GG