A set of thirty variations for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, published in 1741 and built on the bass line and harmonic structure of an opening aria. Prized for the technical and formal ingenuity of its variations, it remains one of the most performed and recorded keyboard works in the classical repertoire.
Facts
Year Created Connections
Associated With
The Goldberg Variations make extensive contrapuntal use of canon and fugue.
Created By
Source The New Grove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansStanley Sadie, editor (successive editions)
In Form
Source The New Grove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansStanley Sadie, editor (successive editions)
In Movement
Source The New Grove Dictionary of Music and MusiciansStanley Sadie, editor (successive editions)
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Goldberg Variations
Genre referenceQuote, Genre reference
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of thirty variations.
2. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
Stanley Sadie, editor (successive editions), Oxford University Press
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