The Well-Tempered Clavier: 48 Preludes and Fugues Book I (Volume 1) (Dover Classical Piano Music)

For a performing/teaching score of the WTC, I highly recommend this 2014 Dover reprint of Tovey's edition from 1924. Older Brit editors like Tovey are sometimes accused of being dated or of romantic editing. (cf Von Bulow on Beethoven, for example). Also, some claim that recent Bach scholarship has made great advances, rendering older editorial decisions obsolete. Well, I'll put up my music degrees against those claims and enjoy this edition anyway. It offers 17 readable prefatory pages of history and notes on performance practice, then 2 pages each to introduce every prelude and fugue with thoughtful analysis and comparative readings. There are some witty, informed and opinionated suggestions as well. How refreshing that editors were allowed to do that a few generations ago; it is like a master class discussing phrasing and articulation, ornaments and other performer's choices. The fingerings by Harold Samuel are tasteful and unobtrusive. Editorial marks are limited to fingerings, tempi and a very few ornaments, and these are shown in parenthesis.This edition therefore nicely combines historical notes with pedagogy. Tovey gives a clear trail of breadcrumbs back to the 3 texts plus supplemental variants which were available to him. Scholars might scrutinize any controversial readings according to later discoveries, but I'll speculate this would yield only minutiae. I finished my DMA in piano years ago and am a hard working teacher and church musician. Occasionally I want to still study for my own pleasure, and getting this Tovey edition really renewed my delight in the WTC.Please, nobody write telling me there is such a thing as one indisputable urtext in print. Thanks and enjoy!

Am I supposed to rate the WTC?!!? It's a masterpiece. What I like about this edition is Tovey's charming and informative introductions to EACH prelude and fugue -- he wrote in the 1920s. You will have to get used to quaver for eighth note, etc. following British terminology. But Dover provides list of terms at the beginning of the book. The clear print on cream paper is wonderful. I like this edition much better than the overdone Alfred Edition that everyone raves about.

muito bom

Excellent material for study. Book in new condition. Arrived timely. Very happy.

What's not to like?