Best Tonebase Podcasts (2023)

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
I Play Bach's Table of Ornaments 20:10

28m ago20:10

20:10

Firstly, here is the image of what’s in question: If you’ve ever wondered what all the ‘squiggles’ are about over certain notes in sheet music, this episode will you give you a good idea. Here is the ‘Applicatio,’ the little piece which would have shown Bach’s son (and other future students) how to apply these ornaments- notice the fingering and th…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Bach and the Golden Ratio. 54:35

21d ago54:35

54:35

How did Bach understand the concept of Phi? 1.618…? Here are a few examples where Bach highlights the “Golden Section” in a piece through either a fugal technique, a shift in musical language, or something else. Send us your most remarkable golden section moments! For the first episode where I mentioned the golden section and Bach, click here. Piec…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Bach's Most Joyful Piece? (Chorale Preludes x2) 52:53

1M ago52:53

52:53

In this episode I delve into two very diverse chorale preludes: one from the so-called, “Great 18” and one from the individually transmitted. Here is a link to Bach’s own autograph of the Leipzig chorales. Beautiful handwriting! Marie-Claire Alain’s recording of BWV 655 (completely different to Koopman’s) The “Organ Sonatas” I recorded with LH/RH h…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Introducing: The Chorale! Chorale Preludes, Four-Part Chorales, &c. 55:47

2M ago55:47

55:47

-- I AM STARTING A SUBSTACK SOON SO JOIN THE FUN: WTFBACH.SUBSTACK.COM -- Thanks for listening! In this episode we discuss the history of the Chorale- how it became called 'Chorale' and how it factors into Bach's music. Pieces featured: BWV 691 and BWV 93 (Chorale) at the same time BWV 651 BWV 682 Performers were: Michel Chapuis, Kay Johannsen -- H…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
The Crab Canon Isn’t a Möbius Strip. (BWV 1087 Canons Part THREE) 27:22

4M ago27:22

27:22

Though this episode starts with quite the extended introduction, this is in fact EPISODE THREE In a four-part study into the 14 additional canons on the back of the Goldbergs, BWV1087. Here in this video, we dismiss a popular Bach video, and examine which videos are in fact Möbius strips. Here is the disproven crab canon video. Here are two studies…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Special Guest: Joshua Rifkin. One Voice Per Part 44:46

5M ago44:46

44:46

Finally! The influential Joshua Rifkin guests on the WTF Bach Podcast. Rifkin made Bach fame with his groundbreaking (and controversial!) theory that Bach’s vocal works (and other 17th & 18th century) composers’ works were sung with only one singer per part. He recorded the b minor mass, several cantatas, and other Bach works in this format. We spo…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Casals, Rostropovich... più allegro (Cello Suites!) 41:22

5M ago41:22

41:22

Q: What if those really slow interpretations of the cello suites from the 30s and 50s could be sped up? A: Exactly. https://www.jsbachcellosuites.com - check out this website! It's a great source on the history of the recordings of these pieces. Thanks for all your feedback, donations, ideas, everything. Please follow @wtfbach on instagram for (alm…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
50th Episode! A LIVE Lecture Sponsored by Tonebase 1:00:31

6M ago1:00:31

1:00:31

Thanks for supporting us through 50 episodes! What makes Bach, BACH?! As a special celebration, the 50th episode of The WTF Bach Podcast is a live lecture presented by Tonebase. The topic is the ever looming one: why is Bach's importance so great? Studying the ideas behind a few of his instrumental collections, we see that Bach's ideas are always e…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
The (Other) Goldberg Canons BWV 1087 (Part 2) 20:29

7M ago20:29

20:29

EPISODE TWO: On the back of his own personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', Bach notated an additional fourteen canons. These were discovered only as late as 1974(!) and are among the most interesting compositional exercises we know from the composer. From eight bass notes (the first 8 notes of the 'Goldberg' Aria- the structure in a sense,) Ba…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
What is Chromaticism? (Albinoni Fugues) 27:04

8M ago27:04

27:04

I was recently asked to explain chromaticism, so I thought I'd give it a try here. Bach's fugue based on a theme by Tomaso Albinoni in B minor, BWVs 951, and 951a: the subject itself contains a chromatic descent (B, A#, A, G#, G, F#) and though Albinoni himself wrote it, it was Bach who brought the ideas behind such chromaticism to the next level. …

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
The (Other) Goldberg Canons BWV 1087 (Part 1) 20:10

9M ago20:10

20:10

On the back of his own personal copy of the 'Goldberg Variations', Bach notated an additional fourteen canons. These were discovered only as late as 1974(!) and are among the most interesting compositional exercises we know from the composer. From eight bass notes (the first 8 notes of the 'Goldberg' Aria- the structure in a sense,) Bach creates, y…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
An Encyclopedia and a Fugue 31:58

10M ago31:58

31:58

This episode was inspired by my recent discovery and purchase of an Encyclopedia Britannica. It's a fascinating collection of knowledge and I highly recommend finding some volumes and reading them. This is the Bach article appearing in the EB from as early as 1926 even until the 1960s, written by D.F. Tovey. We also listen to fugue BWV 959, very ea…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
What’s a Pythagorean Comma? (Introduction to Temperament) 39:27

12M ago39:27

39:27

More than simply, “in tune” or “out of tune” a temperament is a solution to the ancient problem of creating a circle out of a spiral. By the time Bach had his shake at this problem, the musical world had advanced far enough, setting the stage for his great mind to create a well-tempered solution that allowed him to compose in all 24 keys. Not all k…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
The Prelude in C, BWV846: New versions, Inverted harmonies and more! 43:16

1y ago43:16

43:16

How much more famous can music be than that one Prelude in C? The Prelude BWV 846, the first prelude in the Well-Tempered Clavier, is heard everywhere, but why? How? What purpose could such a piece have served in Bach's day? We discuss two early, shorter versions of the prelude, and one erroneous version with an inauthentic bar (the 'Schwenke measu…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
What is Bach’s Longest Piece? (And his Shortest?) 24:58

1y ago24:58

24:58

It started with an Instagram Post, but like all questions about Bach, to answer the question of Bach's 'longest' piece required posing further questions: Longest how? Minutes? In terms of Measures? In terms of the longest single piece on a concert? ...wait, what is a 'piece' anyhow? Does one of the passions count as a single piece? What about just …

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Cantata 147 (Listener’s Choice Part Two) 59:44

1y ago59:44

59:44

A brief analysis of Cantata 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV147. Such a large piece of music, it gets it own episode. Will I continue to devote episodes to the cantatas? Read the bottom of the description. The work is famous for, if nothing else, the two chorales that we know as 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.' As it was suggested by a liste…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Listener’s Choice, Part One of Two: You asked, I talked. 46:36

1y ago46:36

46:36

SPOILER ALERT! I split this episode into TWO! The NEXT episode will cover cantata BWV147 exclusively. -- To begin your week! Three pieces you requested were: Toccata in g minor BWV915 Allabreve in D major BWV589 Cantata BWV147 (NEXT EPISODE!) -- Please enjoy my brief analysis of these pieces which, in their own right, could take up many episodes ea…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
What Was the Only Non-British Music at the Queen’s Funeral? 27:46

1y ago27:46

27:46

It was brought to my attention that, yesterday, at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, there was only one non-Biritsh piece of music included. It was of course penned by our beloved J.S. Bach, whose inclusion in the royal festivities made an impression on me. The piece was this gorgeous fantasy for organ BWV 562, discussed in this episode. Enj…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
What Did Bach Have for Dinner May 3, 1716? (And Other Documents...) 21:17

1+ y ago21:17

21:17

This week I chose to read experts from the 'New Bach Reader', a compilation book of documents from Bach's life or shortly thereafter. These documents are sometimes letters, receipts, or newspaper notices, but might be a dinner bill for an inn where Bach stayed, or his candid thoughts on singers. I highly recommend this book. Find it here. NEXT EPIS…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Four Chances to Hear Bach Differently (MIDI and Musical ’Unbias’ Examples) 18:06

1+ y ago18:06

18:06

Last Episode WTF Bach explained how computers, using MIDI, could help us understand Bach in a unique way. Here then, is a brief episode of four Bach MIDI files, played with very basic computer operations (quantized 16th notes, panning between speakers, mechanical slowing down and speeding up). It's likely you've never heard Bach in this way before.…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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How can computers illuminate Bach? (MIDI and Musical ‘unbias’) 24:18

1+ y ago24:18

24:18

How can computers help us understand Bach? What is MIDI? In this episode we learn how MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files, that is, a sort of sheet-music for computers, can help us explore Bach’s music in modern and novel ways. If you don’t read music or play an instrument, MIDI files might be your way into Bach’s mind. Even if you ar…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The Brandenburg Fifth: A New Way of Hearing It (Part 2) 30:14

1+ y ago30:14

30:14

Two episodes ago we covered the first movement of the fifth Brandenburg concerto up to the famous harpsichord cadenza. In this episode we look at the two existing versions of the famous cadenza: an early version a mere 18 measures, and the the famous one, more than three times as long. Alfred Cortot Glenn Gould’s video mentioned is here: https://yo…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Did Bach Compose the Sixth Brandenburg to Get Fired? (History of the Brandenburg Concerti) 31:45

1+ y ago31:45

31:45

In this episode, we will look at: The genesis of the Brandenburg concerti, What Bach’s job was like when these compositions came about, Who his employer was then, How much music Bach was composing at that time, Why a Baroque composer writes anything at all, The difference between a modern composer and one in the Baroque. Then finally, we will dispr…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The Brandenburg Fifth: A New Way of Hearing It (Part 1) 36:53

1+ y ago36:53

36:53

This episode and the next two will cover the first movement of the fifth ‘Brandenburg’ concerto, BWV1050, a concerto for solo flute, violin and harpsichord. The recording featured in this episode is Il Giardino Armonico (probably my favorite recording of all six Brandenburg Concerti). This is the YouTube link. Thank you for your emails, your donati…

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the tonic

1
6. Playing for No One | Bach, the pandemic, and three centuries of private musical craftsmanship 28:14

1+ y ago28:14

28:14

By Lowry Yankwich

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Season TWO! Announcing The Bach Store in GERMANY (and BWV1001 & BWV539...) 41:55

1+ y ago41:55

41:55

GUESS WHO'S BACK? BACK AGAIN? THE BACH STORE is in GERMANY March25-April8. Stream it here: Twitch.tv/wtf_Bach Let's kick off this season discussing the fugue for violin in G minor BWV1001, and its arrangement for Organ BWV539. There is also one for lute (perhaps lute harpsichord) BWV1000. Donate to this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/wtfbach http…

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the tonic

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5. The "Sole" of the Piano | The Story of Pedaling, from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Age 31:19

2y ago31:19

31:19

Pianists spend a lot of time thinking about their feet. In this episode, we will too. Join us as we explore the history of pedaling, from their earliest, and often bizarre, incarnations, to their modern form. With over 15 tonebase artists, we'll discover why so many pianists consider pedaling the "soul," or "sole" (hehe) of the piano. Featuring Gar…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
That‘s a Wrap on The Art of Fugue. (Season one finale 2/2!) 37:43

2y ago37:43

37:43

So! We've done it: Looked in depth at every fugue, every canon, solved the mysteries, busted the myths, sent the Bach heretics back to whence they came. And now? Let's just enjoy... Topics covered: The golden sections in other Bach pieces and how this could help us find the golden section here, even in this fugal fragment. 'God the Father' 'God the…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The 14th Fugue in The Art of Fugue. (Season one finale 1/2!) 38:51

2y ago38:51

38:51

This is the final fugue of The Art of Fugue, the famous 'unfinished' fugue, number 14. We discuss how one could have understood this fugue to have been unfinished in earlier periods in musical history (it was finished) and what exactly is missing. THE LAST PAGE ! CLICK HERE to see the 'corrupt' staves on which it would have been impossible to compl…

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the tonic

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4. The Odd Couple | Debussy and Ravel on the Threshold of the 20th Century 45:26

2y ago45:26

45:26

Debussy and Ravel are often conjoined in the minds of piano students as the two French "impressionist" composers. But much is lost in such generalizations. This episode unpacks the distinct contributions of each composer, comparing and contrasting their novel uses of register, texture, harmony, narrative, and form. How did the two turn-of-the-centu…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
Special Guest: Christoph Wolff. What else can we learn about Bach? 41:36

2y ago41:36

41:36

Guest Interview: Christoph Wolff, Former Head of the Bach Archive in Leipzig. I had the privilege of speaking to Christoph Wolff, certainly the most distinguished Bach scholar of the 20th century, even until today. From Jimi Hendrix to Rudolph Serkin, from the music Bach's composed which is lost, to the famous "Seal of 1722", this interview has it …

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Bonus: Dictated in Blindness on his Deathbed? The Original Printed Conclusion to The Art of Fugue? 27:19

2y ago27:19

27:19

This is the eighth bonus episode. Was Bach dictating this? Blind? On his deathbed? Printed as the original conclusion to The Art of Fugue, "Wenn wir im höchsten Nöten sein" was not meant to be part of the work, but was meant to be compensation for the missing fugue. Even with this piece, there are myths surrounding it. Let's debunk. -- Follow me on…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The Fourth Canon in The Art of Fugue: Upside Down, Slowed Down... How Much More Down? 31:33

2y ago31:33

31:33

Rather than moving on to the final fugue, we have a brief visit to the final canon of the four canons in "The Art of Fugue." Canon per Augmentationem in Contrario Motu (Canon in augmentation and contrary motion [inversion]). This form of this canon is very similar in construction to the previous ones, though rather than increasing the interval of i…

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the tonic

1
3. Stealing Time | The Meanings of Rubato in Piano Playing 37:35

2y ago37:35

37:35

Tempo Rubato, Italian for “stolen time,” is an expressive device in every pianist’s toolkit. Yet how and when to use it is controversial. We explore the ways musicians have employed rubato over the centuries, and what taking time in music can teach us about freedom. Ft. Anne-Marie McDermott, Simone Dinnerstein, Andrew Tyson, Emanuel Ax and more, wi…

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the tonic

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2. A Lifelong Companion | Leon Fleisher and Brahms's First Concerto 31:15

2+ y ago31:15

31:15

What does it mean to live a life with a piece of music? Leon Fleisher made his Carnegie Hall debut performing the Brahms D Minor Piano Concerto, and played the piece many times throughout his life. But, in a story that is now well-worn, Fleisher developed focal dystonia at the peak of his career, limiting his use of his right hand for the next 30 y…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Bonus: The 13th Contrapunctus - in another way (for TWO harpsichords!) 23:39

2+ y ago23:39

23:39

This is the seventh bonus episode. Among the errors in the assembly of the first printing of The Art of Fugue was the inclusion of an arrangement of fugue number 13 for two harpsichords. We look at the music, how it differs from the original 13th counterpoint (for one harpsichord) and how such an error could have been committed. It appears under th…

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the tonic

1
1. Beginnings | Chopin's First Ballade 30:14

2+ y ago30:14

30:14

Frédéric Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G Minor was revolutionary for its time, and remains a jewel of the piano repertoire today. Touching on everything from Bellini to Cole Porter, poetry to politics, this episode reveals the potency of the piece's opening measures through the eyes (and hands) of acclaimed concert pianists Garrick Ohlsson, Emanuel Ax,…

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the tonic

1
Teaser 1:34

2+ y ago1:34

1:34

The tonic: a podcast about music and the people who make it. Coming July 15!By Lowry Yankwich

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The 13th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: also fugue this mirror a is? 36:41

2+ y ago36:41

36:41

Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion? In the previous fugue, fugue twelve, we saw Bach took four voices, a turned everything upside down: 1234 became 4321 and what went up came crashing down. Now, fugue 13 is again a 'mirror' fugue... or is it? This thirteenth fugue is in three voic…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Special Guest: Chris Thile. Man in the Mirror (Fugue) 57:55

2+ y ago57:55

57:55

This is an interview with mandolinist/composer/singer Chris Thile. Our conversation on May 14, 2021 spanned many diverse topics from how he felt about growing up in a religious community, to his favorite barrel aged spirits. -- Musicians/Bands mentioned (Alphabetically): Bach, Beethoven, Bela Fleck, Bill Monroe, Edgar Meyer, Glenn Gould, Mike Marsh…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The 12th Fugue in The Art of Fugue|euguF fo trA ehT ni euguF ht21 ehT? 41:36

2+ y ago41:36

41:36

Question: If a piece of music is perfect both on its head and also its feet, which one is the inversion? A few important things I neglected to mention in the 11th counterpoint, but where to go after that 11th fugue anyhow? Into the mirror… Look into *CLICK* the mirror! Bach, not satisfied with creating a triple fugue whose subjects were the same th…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The Third Canon in The Art of Fugue: Counterpoint at the fifth? Or just a bunch of parallel fifths? 26:17

2+ y ago26:17

26:17

Rather than moving on to the twelfth fugue, we have a brief visit to the third of four canons from "The Art of Fugue" by J.S. Bach: Canon alla Duodecima in Contrapunto alla Quina (Canon at the twelfth in counterpoint at the fifth). This canon is very similar in construction to the previous canon, though at the larger interval of the 12th. -- Evan i…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Bonus: I Uploaded a Bach Album as an NFT 4:00

3y ago4:00

4:00

I don't know if you are already hip to it, or if you're just catching on, but it seems like releasing music as 'NFTs' could be in our futures. I wanted to have the first NFT version of The Art of Fugue. Check the auction out here: https://mintable.app/music/item/JS-Bach-The-Art-of-Fugue--Electronic--The-First-Ever-Bachs-Music-as-NFT--Presented-by-W…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The 11th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: A Triple Fugue &... A Possible Anti-Golden-Section? 43:05

3y ago43:05

43:05

The closing of our chapter on compound fugues, contrapunctus eleven, a powerful, complicated, and long fugue. Two expositions of the first theme? One in inversion? And wait, this is a triple fugue where all themes come in inversion and… also not in inversion? Holy B***! Topics covered: The original order of the fugues found in P 200 (the autograph …

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The Tenth Fugue at the Tenth: Also... What is a Key? 38:24

3y ago38:24

38:24

Two fugues in original print are essentially the same: these are both this 10th contrapunctus. This fugue is a double fugue with counterpoint at the tenth (alla decima) Topics covered: What does it mean when music is in a 'key' what keys did Bach often write in, and does it mean anything special that The Art of Fugue is in the key of d minor? Follo…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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The 9th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Two Subjects Combined at Two Intervals... Too much? 22:24

3y ago22:24

22:24

Back to four voices! Bach begins yet again another fugue with a unique theme. The fugue will become a double fugue with our well known ‘Art of Fugue’ theme. The counterpoint then begins to appear in two ways: either on the same note or at different notes which are related to the perfect 5th, or 12th, as the title of this fugue (Alla Duodecima) sugg…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Special Guest: Jack Stratton (Vulfpeck). Down in a big way... with Bach? 1:15:33

3y ago1:15:33

1:15:33

This is an interview with Jack Stratton of Vulfpeck. I loved our conversation during the summer of 2020. See some of the topics covered below and stay tuned for the next episode which will feature his arrangement of the ninth contrapunctus from The Art of Fugue. It was great to speak to a non-classical musician so eager about classical music and so…

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The WTF Bach Podcast

1
The 8th Fugue in The Art of Fugue: Three Themes, Three voices. 51:27

3y ago51:27

51:27

Back to it! Opening a new chapter in The Art of Fugue, this new chapter is one based on compound fugues, that is, our beloved ‘Art of Fugue Subject’ will now began to be combined with other new and unique themes. Instead of going from a ‘simple’ to a double fugue, Bach drops a voice (all previous fugues were in 4 voices) and composes immediately a …

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Bonus: How to Detect B.S. (Bad Scholarship) 48:48

3+ y ago48:48

48:48

This is the fifth bonus episode. Well folks, I had a hard time getting this out there. As I sat down to debunk "Evening in the Palace of Reason" by James Gaines, I found myself overcome with the sense of being a bully: This book, published by none other than Harper Collins (and probably more read than any book by a notable Bach scholar), initially …

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The WTF Bach Podcast

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Bonus: A Bach Article from 1985 25:11

3+ y ago25:11

25:11

This is the fourth bonus episode. Two episodes ago, I began with a quote from Aldous Huxley. That quote came from an article written in 1985. The article focused on Bach's relationship to words and various writer's relationships with Bach. The whole article is fascinating and, well, I read it to you. A piece of what I consider 'good scholarship', i…

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