WTK ?

I've noticed that most of you refer to a collection of works by J.S.B. as the WTK. Perhaps I have a cheap (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics (Bischoff)) edition; my collection of works by JSB is called the Well Tempered (C)lavier. See C? Si. So What gives? Continental differences? I've noticed some other things too. I've been working on a Prelude and Fugue in E maj, what my allegedly cheap, perhaps inferior edition refers to as No. IX. Having gotten through the prelude and most of the way through the
http://www.classicalarchives.com/bach.html . Of course, right off I notice that what Hans Bischoff calls IX (that's 9 to any of you who may be in the Florida Supreme Court) some other accounting firm (BWV) refers to as

Clavier is French, Klavier is German. WTK= Wohl Temeperierte Klavier in German. BWV is the Bach thematic catalogue compiled by Wolfgang Schmieder, Bach's Werke Verzeichnis, sometimes also called Schmieder numbers.(www.bachcentral.com/bwv.html) A mordant begins on the main note and GOES DOWN a half step then back up, not main note then up then down. Trills begin on the auxilliary note, not the main note. Ditch the Schirmer and get the Henle Edition. It is cleaner and the editorial comments are easy to spot but not obtrusive,plus, the fingerings are excellent.

A mordant begins on the main note and ((( I thought this was an anti-mordent))))

not main note then up then down. Trills

It was pointed out to me a few weeks ago that the regulars here abbreviate The Well Tempered Clavier as 'WTK' following the airline hijackers attack on the World Trade Center (which has been commonly abbreviated in the media as 'WTC'. I also thought it was an English vs. German thing. - - /****************************************************** **************** * Gary M. Letchinger * San Diego, California * Reply to the newsgroup only ******************************************************* ***************/

Henles are Good editions, but pretty expensive. The Bischoff editions were very well researched when new (over 100 years ago!), and he had access to some sources which were subsequently lost in world wars, etc. In good versions of Bischoff, the editorial suggestions are made in lighter or smaller print so as not to be too distracting. Some of the other editions (henle among them) simply make decisions about what was the best note, ornament, or whatever, without explaining how they came to that decision. However, the editors of Henle are/were extremely conscientious guys, and pretty careful editors, and they do list all their sources in the introductions, so you are pretty safe to use that edition as an urtext.

Gary, You/they have got to be kidding...I hope. TS

Clavier = French term for keyboard. Clavier = German term used during the Baroque period (and now, as you have noted, also in English) as a generic designation for .any. keyboard instrument. Later, i.e. the era of K.Ph.E. Bach, it denoted mainly the clavichord. During the 19th-C the term identified the piano exclusively (in modern German, 'klavier***'.

Be enlightened; just follow the variables, below -

Quite often overkill is present: WTK I or WTK II, identifying the Volume - WTK being a two-volume work; Number j in Key of K (major) / k (minor); BWV xyz. You will most likely see this overkill presented as Prelude and Fugue No j in k#, BWV xyz, WTK I. You may see a shorter form, such as WTK I/j. No matter, 'tis the BWV xyz which is of the greater import.

You need to consider access to an appropriate reference book - or three!

(Interesting description that -> 'too baroque' -> Great stuff!)

Quite possibly spurious ... both! The performers' sources .&. your score in hand are equally capable of being accurate ... or not.

You are describing, w/some accuracy, an 'inverted mordent'. Introduced into the literature by K.Ph.E. Bach some time after 1750, the manner of indication on the score and interpretation through performance practice has changed somewhat over the years. Do find a reference tome ... W/some degree of certainty, I suggest you'll also encounter the 'pralltriller' and 'schneller'.

One reference which will not harm is K.Ph.E.'s rather famous 'Essay'. You would need more recent sources, of course, to follow the changes in writing and performance practice during subsequent centuries and up to the present day.

*** FYI: LvB quite emphatically indicated that the five late sonatas, not just one in particular, were written for the (hammer)klavier.

HTH.

Best wishes, Scott!

Pralltrillers and inverted mordants are common in early 19th century music, not baroque music. Schnellers are more baroque and harpsichord oriented.

No, I'm serious. Personally, I don't see any problems with 'WTC,' but it's not a battle I'm interested in undertaking. Now, the battle against top-posting is a cause worth fighting for.

- - /****************************************************** **************** * Gary M. Letchinger * San Diego, California * Reply to the newsgroup only ******************************************************* ***************/

That's how Outlook Express 6 and Netscape 7 work these days (this message posted with Netscape 3)

'Clavier' is the old version of the german word 'Klavier' (meaning piano). In a lot of german words, the 'c' changed to 'k' over time. So when it was published, it was the WTC, nowadays it's the WTK.

Bye, Christof