The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Academically Smug and Distasteful
  • The Best Yet on Tarakovsky
  • A MUST-HAVE FOR THOSE TOUCHED BY TARKOVSKY'S WORK
  • Fantastic Resource
  • Decent Source of Background Info, but Flawed Critique
The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue
Vida T. Johnson , and Graham Petrie
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  1. Sculpting in Time: Tarkovsky The Great Russian Filmaker Discusses His Art Sculpting in Time: Tarkovsky The Great Russian Filmaker Discusses His Art
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ASIN: 0253208874

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Academically Smug and Distasteful.......2005-09-14

This book purports to be the definitive work on Tarkovsky's films, yet at closer inspection this is perhaps one of the worst books on him. Why? The authors are conceited, smug academics who never miss an opportunity to take a swipe at Tarkovsky personally, who is obviously in no position to answer back. Furthermore, their interpretations of his films are somewhat narrow and overly literary (one of the hazards I suppose of spending your life on campus and not in the real world). Finally, the authors also never miss a chance to criticize other writers on Tarkovsky over what they perceive to be mistakes which are, more often than not, merely cases of Johnson and Petrie being overly critical when their own work is far from perfect, or simply wrong. Having got all that off my chest, this book does some good stuff in it, but it has to be weeded out. It's just a pity about the authors and their attitude. Caveat emptor.

5 out of 5 stars The Best Yet on Tarakovsky.......2005-09-01

This isn't a new volume, though it represents the best yet on the incomparable, Tarakovsky. It's a very thourough assessment of his slim film output of unprecedented visual poetry. Tarakovsky's proseletyzing tends to burden his visual statements in the late work. And, I think, the authors are onto the fact that Tarakovsky's emphasis on literary sources within the films, particularly Dostoyevsky, isn't an entirely happy outcome. This is early 90s scholarship and an improvement on my only other source, MarK Le Fanu in its scope, particularly its citations of a range of critical responses from Russia, through Europe and the States. They don't really take Tarakovsky to task for his flaws, professional or personal, but indicate some of his weaknesses which, for too long, have been masked by his own mythologising, as per his treatise,'Sculpting In Time', and that of the Western Arts press who buy into the notion of the martyred, outsider artist, promulgated since early Romanticism. One of the many virtues of the book is its succinct synopses of the films, abetted by great black and white stills, which send me scurrying back to the films to look for things I've missed. No highbrow deconstructivist theorising here. It's as pragmatic as its subject's own films.

5 out of 5 stars A MUST-HAVE FOR THOSE TOUCHED BY TARKOVSKY'S WORK.......2004-08-06

I agree with points made by some of the various reviewers below. First of all, this book is vital for the general viewer of Tarkovsky's films as a tool for coming to a greater understanding of the director's methods and motivation. They offer synopses of all of the films (with the exception of MIRROR, whose structure is so unusual as to make a synopsis impractical -- it's analysed almost scene-by-scene in the body of the book) as an appendix -- an essential aid, considering that all of them are subtitled in English, and, as the authors point out in several places, those subtitles are of varying accuracy from edition to edition. It's also very difficult for even the most adept subtitle artisan to convey things such as sarcasm and irony -- very often viewers who don't speak the language in which the film was shot are left in the dark where such subtleties are concerned. The knowledge the authors have accumulated of the Russian language and culture are put to good use here in helping the Western viewer of Tarkovsky's incredible films come to a more complete understanding of them -- an understanding that will always, given the unique nature of this director's work, be tempered by the viewer's own soul and spirit. These films speak to me on that deep level, as I know they do to many, many others -- this is part of what Tarkovsky had in mind, I believe, when he stated that he wanted the audience to work as hard as the director in 'creating' the finished product.

Individual films are brought into focus in chapters devoted to them -- Tarkovsky's work-path of creation is followed in detail, outlining conception, planning, struggles with the authorities, critical and public responses, and the director's reflections on the finished works.

Some of the other reviewers take exception to the critiques offered by the authors -- and indeed, it's easy to see where their own opinions enter into the writing process. I believe this is going to be a natural part of any book on film, and has to be taken by the reader with a healthy grain of salt. I didn't agree with everything they wrote -- perhaps some of their speculations as to Tarkovsky's psychological and emotional components are based on more information than they were willing to include in detail in this work. Where the authors and I diverge on our views and opinions in no way tainted my enjoyment and appreciation of their efforts.

I would recommend this volume very highly -- alongside Tarkovsky's own work, SCULPTING IN TIME -- both valuable keys to unlocking the treasure that is the work of this artist.

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic Resource.......2001-07-31

Johnson's and Petrie's work is an absolute essential resource for any student of film and any fan of Tarkovsky's wonderful work. When I bought the book, I was hoping that it would help me better understand the Russian context of Tarkovsky films and to help make some of the "murkier" parts of the films a little more lucid. The work does all this and more. This book offers a great deal of background on Tarkovsky's life, the Soviet film industry in which he worked, the people he worked with, and the cinematic style that made Tarkovsky's works so memorable. This is an absolute treasure of a book. Ignore those people who complain about the poor analysis of the films; they're wrong or stupid or both. The book's main focus is to help make Tarkovsky's work easier to understand and to provide background on Tarkovsky himself.

2 out of 5 stars Decent Source of Background Info, but Flawed Critique.......2001-01-19

I also think that this book is too full of academic theory and techniques, and this may be the reason it comes off as so cynical. It works best in providing factual background that would be difficult to find otherwise. But when the book shades into critique, the tone becomes dry and pre-occupied, if not positively dispiriting - particularly when the co-authors subject Tarkovsky to their brand of Freudian analysis. The result is a disjointed collection of facts and vexing speculations, which on balance does a disservice to the poetry of the films. I personally much prefer Maya Turovskaya's book, which doesn't have the encyclopedic range of facts one finds in "Fugue" (a friend of mine described "Fugue's" method as "trainspotting") but is a far more inspired and illuminating combination of intelligent insight and love of its subject.
The Elements of Music: Concepts and Applications, Vol. 2
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Great textbook
The Elements of Music: Concepts and Applications, Vol. 2
Ralph Turek
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb

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ASIN: 0070654751

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great textbook.......2001-10-14

I am a student, and I am currently using this book. This book continues on from the first volume in a successful way. It makes learning Neopolitan chords a little easier; it explains everything clearly, and allows the student to apply it in the right way. Good informative book.
The Study of Fugue
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • It is worth 10 times the price
  • Great for students and enthusiasts.
  • Unique!
  • required reading for composers, theorists, and historians
  • required reading for composers, theorists, and historians
The Study of Fugue
Alfred Mann
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  1. Study of Counterpoint Study of Counterpoint
  2. Structural Hearing: Tonal Coherence in Music (Two Volumes Bound As One) Structural Hearing: Tonal Coherence in Music (Two Volumes Bound As One)
  3. Treatise on Harmony Treatise on Harmony
  4. Counterpoint: The Polyphonic Vocal Style of the Sixteenth Century Counterpoint: The Polyphonic Vocal Style of the Sixteenth Century
  5. The Art of the Fugue & A Musical Offering The Art of the Fugue & A Musical Offering

ASIN: 0486254399

Book Description

Opening with a comprehensive historical survey of writings on the fugue from the beginning of fugal teaching (circa 1350) to the present, this text also explores 4 18th-century studies which are its classical presentations: Steps to Parnassus, J. J. Fux (1725), A Treatise on Fugue, W. F. Marpurg (1753–54), more. Includes introductions, commentary, and 255 musical examples.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars It is worth 10 times the price.......2006-07-31

Get this book, it is so great, beyond words, Alfred Mann is like the Saint of Musical theory!
What it contains is a complete study of the subject fugue - through the works of 4 theorists,
Fux, modal-style,
Marpurg, student of bach,
Albrechtsberger, teacher of Beethoven
Padre Martini, most famous theorist at the time of Mozart, and at one point the teacher of Mozart(the book contains a Mozart fugue, and the "corrections" done by Martini)

Before hand it may proove essential to know the basic theory - start with "Gradus ad Parnasum"(same author)
and get a good book of Functional Harmony as well.
After that, this book will be all you need to start fugal writing.

Good luck!

5 out of 5 stars Great for students and enthusiasts........2003-01-16

This work, which essentially includes a large portion of work by Fux, is great for the person studying counterpoint (fugues more specifically) or the person with a deep interest in the subject. I am a student with a deep interest in the subject and I enjoy this study quite well. If your ears perk up when someone says fugue or counterpoint then check this book out!!

5 out of 5 stars Unique!.......2002-01-11

It's not very simple to find books about musical forms and composition. This is an excelent title. The text is very rich and complete and it's possible for the reader to do your own fugues. Of course is not for begginers, it's necessary that you have a good knowledge in music, including counterpoint. Counterpoint is aborded, of course, but if you'd never seen the subject, the read may be a little boring.

The good news are: If you like music, if you have studied for a long time and would like to begin with your own compositions, this is a mandatory book.

5 out of 5 stars required reading for composers, theorists, and historians.......1999-09-20

The translator distributes his English version of Fux's "Gradus ad Parnassum" between this and "The Study of Counterpoint". I recommend that every composer and theorist pick up copies of Mann's "The Study of Counterpoint" and "The Study of Fugue" and work through the Fux, and that every music historian be familiar with these two works.

Also recommended: "Pentatonic Scales for the Jazz Rock Keyboardist" by Jeff Burns.

5 out of 5 stars required reading for composers, theorists, and historians.......1999-08-05

The translator distributes his English version of Fux's ''Gradus ad Parnassum'' between this and ''The Study of Counterpoint''. I recommend that every composer and theorist pick up copies of Mann's ''The Study of Counterpoint'' and ''The Study of Fugue'' and work through the Fux, and that every music historian be familiar with these two works.

Also recommended: PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.
The Well-Tempered Clavier: Books I and II, Complete
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A MUST for any piano player.
  • Very good quality
  • The price can't be beat
  • music is great
  • A must for any piano library, but I prefer the Urtext
The Well-Tempered Clavier: Books I and II, Complete
Johann Sebastian Bach
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  1. Ludwig Van Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 1 (Nos. 1-15) Ludwig Van Beethoven Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 1 (Nos. 1-15)
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  4. Bach 2 & 3 Part Inventions Bach 2 & 3 Part Inventions
  5. Complete Sonatas and Fantasies for Solo Piano Complete Sonatas and Fantasies for Solo Piano

ASIN: 0486245322

Book Description

All 48 preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys. Authoritative Bach-Gesellschaft edition. Explanation of ornaments in English, tempo indications, music corrections.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A MUST for any piano player........2007-06-18

Don't let this book go... it is simply amazing and the price it's just symbolic. They might as well charge triple for it and it would be still a bargain.

5 out of 5 stars Very good quality.......2007-01-03

The Well-Tempered Clavier: Books I and II, Complete are a very good and nice copy of Bach's music. I have the German Editions of these books as well, and there are only a two differences between the two books: Price and the ink sometimes did not print dark enough in the cheaper book, but it is still clearly readable. The best part about this book is the low price and the fact that it basically a copy of the German edition. It is a much better idea to buy this book rather than the German editions because you can really use the book, write in it, and not feel guilty that your ruining a book if music that cost you over $50. Highly recommended, very good quality for the price.

5 out of 5 stars The price can't be beat.......2006-06-27

Dover's strategy of reprinting venerable old editions of classical masterworks has been a godsend for musicians everywhere. Many of their reprints are of critical editions that were the best available at the time. Kroll's edition of Bach works for the Bach Gesellschaft, the source of this particular Dover volume, dates from the mid-nineteenth century, but his Well-Tempered Clavier holds up well scholarship-wise. Although the editors of the modern Henle publication had the benefit of being able to access Bach's autograph of Book II, the differences for the most part are not crucial, and the readings in the Dover volume are entirely defensible even today. Having both books of this cornerstone of the keyboard literature together in one easy-to-read volume makes this a bargain hard to pass up for performers, scholars and serious listeners alike.

The one disadvantage for those interested in the many variant readings of these pieces is that only the editor's choice is given. For a comprehensive survey of the former, the Hans Bischoff edition is worth digging up--it has been reprinted both by Kalmus and G. Schirmer.

Incidentally, I feel compelled to respond to some textual comments on the work itself from other reviewers: 1) The minor ending of the G-sharp minor Fugue from Book I is the reading generally accepted as correct; 2) The extra measure found in some editions of the C major Prelude from Book I is spurious, the product of an overzealous editor of the one of the early printed editions of the WTC, Schwenke. Unfortunately Gounod included it in his Ave Maria based on this prelude, which has ensured its continued existence.

5 out of 5 stars music is great.......2003-06-18

I got this book when I just learned to play the prelude 1 c major, and thought I would look into others later, even though the majority of those preludes and fugues are far beyond my ability to play. Since then I have tried to play prelude 2 (I) and prelude 24 (II) that is extremly beautiful though not easy to play, and I have listened all preludes and some fugues from CD or midi files with this book opened in front of me. I realized how great Bach's music is. Only complaint is that the cover of the book isn't glued strong enough, which is now seperated from the content pages already after only a short period use. Also, the prelude 1 (book I) is probably the correct version, but I have seen from some other books the other version with an extra measure between bar 22 and 23. I now play it with the extra measure since it seems making sense to me.

4 out of 5 stars A must for any piano library, but I prefer the Urtext.......2003-04-10

This is a fantastic set for the price; if you DON'T have the Well-Tempered Clavier, you are missing a wealth of piano music that has just about every Baroque technique buried in some exceptionally lovely music.

I prefer the German-published Urtext Henle Editions, but they are pricey. If you are a casual player of Bach, or if you are assembling an essential library of piano literature, this edition is just fine, however.
The Art of Fugue: Bach Fugues for Keyboard, 1715-1750
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good Book, Deceptive Title, Terrible Performances
  • Another gem from Joseph K
The Art of Fugue: Bach Fugues for Keyboard, 1715-1750
Joseph Kerman
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Bach, Johann SebastianBach, Johann Sebastian | Composers | Classical | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0520243587

Book Description

Fugue for J. S. Bach was a natural language; he wrote fugues in organ toccatas and voluntaries, in masses and motets, in orchestral and chamber music, and even in his sonatas for violin solo. The more intimate fugues he wrote for keyboard are among the greatest, most influential, and best-loved works in all of Western music. They have long been the foundation of the keyboard repertory, played by beginning students and world-famous virtuosi alike. In a series of elegantly written essays, eminent musicologist Joseph Kerman discusses his favorite Bach keyboard fugues--some of them among the best-known fugues and others much less familiar. Kerman skillfully, at times playfully, reveals the inner workings of these pieces, linking the form of the fugues with their many different characters and expressive qualities, and illuminating what makes them particularly beautiful, powerful, and moving.
These witty, insightful pieces, addressed to musical amateurs as well as to specialists and students, are beautifully augmented by a CD with new performances made specially for this volume. In addition to the complete scores for all the music discussed in the book, the CD features Karen Rosenak, piano, playing two preludes and fugues from TheWell-Tempered Clavier--C Major, book 1; and B Major, book 2--and recordings by Davitt Moroney of the Fughetta in C Major, BWV 952, on clavichord; the Fugue on "Jesus Christus unser Heiland," BWV 689, on organ; and the Fantasy and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 904, on harpsichord.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Good Book, Deceptive Title, Terrible Performances.......2007-07-12

I find Joseph Kerman's writing almost universally elucidating. This book is no exception, although -- when Kerman ventures into areas of performance practice for which he is not prepared -- some small errors are made. Nothing, for example, about the Gigue to the G-minor English Suite suggests a two-manual harpsichord (something about the exoticism of the harpsichord's second manual always arouses pianists, making them want to insist on its necessarity; Elwood Derr makes the same error in discussing the Inventions). But Kerman's lapses are tiny.

But his lapse in taste in choosing second-rate performers for the accompanying CD is more irritating. Karen Rosenak is an unknown quantity who will likely remain unknown. Davitt Moroney is a voice from the past whose mechanical and lifeless manner of playing some still feel is appropriate to fugal counterpoint. I don't in the least, finding his playing, instead, absolutely anaesthetising.

One last quibble: the title is misleading. One expects a book on Die Kunst der Fuge and gets, instead, a compendium of analyses and music-critical pieces on all sorts of Bach fugues, from Gigue-fugues to Die Kunst der Fuge itself and everything in between. The writing suggests an erudite, specialist audience (it is musicology of the best kind: insightful and clearly written. But it is surely not intended for a lay audience) of the kind that might have preferred that he shine his considerable light on the whole of Art of Fugue, or the whole of Well-Tempered Clavier.

Still, I find this a worthwhile purchase. But, by all means, place the accompanying CD straghtaway in the dust bin.

5 out of 5 stars Another gem from Joseph K.......2005-09-10

I loved this book. The technical analysis seemed very dense, but I suspect I will return to this book again and again for the rest of my life, learning more and more about Bach.

I love how the book includes a beautiful cd of many of the pieces analyzed, and how the cd-rom includes the scores for all of the pieces analyzed. What a wonderful learning tool. Bless you, Joseph Kerman, for all of your wonderful books.
Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier: The 48 Preludes and Fugues
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • a lot of facts, but a few gaps
Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier: The 48 Preludes and Fugues
David Ledbetter
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300097077

Book Description

Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (or the 48 Preludes and Fugues) stands at the core of baroque keyboard music and has been a model and inspiration for performers and composers ever since it was written. This invaluable guide to the 96 pieces explains Bach's various purposes in compiling the music, describes the rich traditions on which he drew, and provides commentaries for each prelude and fugue.

In his text, David Ledbetter addresses the main focal points mentioned by Bach in his original 1722 title page. Drawing on Bach literature over the past three hundred years, he explores German traditions of composition types and Bach's novel expansion of them; explains Bach's instruments and innovations in keyboard technique in the general context of early eighteenth-century developments; reviews instructive and theoretical literature relating to keyboard temperaments from 1680 to 1750; and discusses Bach's pedagogical intent when composing the Well-Tempered Clavier. Ledbetter's commentaries on individual preludes and fugues equip readers with the concepts necessary to make their own assessments and include information about the sources when details of ornament, notation, and fingerings have a bearing on performance.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars a lot of facts, but a few gaps.......2007-05-13

The first half of the book is related only marginally to the purported topic of the book. Here the author discusses Baroque keyboard instruments, Baroque tuning systems, Baroque musical forms, and Bach's pedagogical technique, with only occasional allusion to the Well-Tempered Clavier.

The second half of the book is more in line with what I expected. This is where the author analyzes each movement one by one. However, he does not hit every section of every fugue. I was disappointed with the discussion of the f minor and A major fugues in Book I and the G major and g minor fugues in Book II.

Moreover, the author uses several terms which he does not define. I don't understand the terms rhetoric, verset, galant, stile antico, empfindsam, monochord, Gedackt, and Pythagorean third, so I guess I'm not good enough to join the author's club.
Theories of Fugue from the Age of Josquin to the Age of Bach (Eastman Studies in Music)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Theories of Fugue from the Age of Josquin to the Age of Bach (Eastman Studies in Music)
    Paul Mark Walker
    Manufacturer: University of Rochester Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    1. The Study of Fugue The Study of Fugue
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    3. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier: The 48 Preludes and Fugues Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier: The 48 Preludes and Fugues
    4. Counterpoint: The Polyphonic Vocal Style of the Sixteenth Century Counterpoint: The Polyphonic Vocal Style of the Sixteenth Century
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    ASIN: 1580461506

    Book Description

    This is a fine and valuable book, encyclopaedic in its coverage of the subject, and the only treatment (in any language) of the entire field. It is an extraordinary achievement. MUSIC & LETTERS Lucidly and engagingly written...this book is an outstanding contribution to scholarship and a definitive work, indispensable for the historical study of fugue. THE AMERICAN ORGANIST Few bodies of Western music are as widely respected, studied, and emulated as the fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach. Despite the esteem which Bach's contributions brought to the genre, however, the origin and early history of the fugue remain poorly understood. Theories of Fugue from the Age of Josquin to the Age of Bach addresses both the history and methodology of the pre-Bach fugue (from roughly 1500 to 1700), and, of greatest significance to the literature, it seeks to present a way out of the methodological dilemma of uncertainty which has plagued previous scholarly attempts by considering what musicians of the time had to say about the fugue: what it was, what it was not, how important it was, and where and how a composer should (or shouldn't) use it. Eastman Studies in Music, Volume 13. PAUL MARK WALKER is director of the Early Music Ensemble at the University of Virginia and an expert on the history of the fugue.
    Complete Preludes and Fugues for Organ
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • You give a little, you take a little...
    • More detail on the contents
    • Just a note on BWV 552 "St Anne"
    • Bach Preludes and Fuges
    • here's what you get...
    Complete Preludes and Fugues for Organ
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Manufacturer: Dover Publications
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    1. Toccatas, Fantasias, Passacaglia and Other Works for Organ Toccatas, Fantasias, Passacaglia and Other Works for Organ
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    ASIN: 048624816X

    Book Description

    This volume reproduces all 25 of Bach's complete sets of preludes and fugues (i.e. compositions written as pairs), from the authoritative Bach-Gesellschaft edition. Organists and music lovers can enjoy Bach's beautiful compositions in one convenient edition — ideal for reading, study and performance. Table of contents.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars You give a little, you take a little..........2005-02-09

    This book contains some of the most wonderful music ever composed, which are perfect in themselves, yet this book has several flaws in its presentation of them: You will find that the print is somewhat small in this book, which is good or bad, depending upon your eyesight. And the last major issue I found (besides the fact that the book doesn't contain "all" of the Preludes and Fugues) was that there were several page turns which were placed in rather undesirable places. But as the title of this review suggests, for such an inexpensive price, the book serves its basic duty.

    5 out of 5 stars More detail on the contents.......2005-02-05

    As other reviewers have mentioned, the term "complete" does not mean that every prelude and fugue by Bach is contained. Here is a complete list of its contents:

    Prelude and Fugue, C Major (BWV 531; BG XV, 81)
    Prelude and Fugue, D Major (BWV 532; BG XV, 88)
    Prelude and Fugue, E Minor (BWV 533; BG XV, 100)
    Prelude and Fugue, F Minor (BWV 534; BG XV, 104)
    Prelude and Fugue, G Minor (BWV 535; BG XV, 112)
    Prelude and Fugue, A Major (BWV 536; BG XV, 120)
    Prelude and Fugue, D Minor (BWV 539; BG XV, 148)
    Prelude and Fugue, G Major (BWV 541; BG XV, 169)
    Prelude and Fugue, A Minor (BWV 543; BG XV, 189)
    Prelude and Fugue, B Minor (BWV 544; BG XV, 199)
    Prelude and Fugue, C Major (BWV 545; BG XV, 212)
    Prelude and Fugue, C Minor (BWV 546; BG XV, 218)
    Prelude and Fugue, C Major (BWV 547; BG XV, 228)
    Prelude and Fugue, E Minor (BWV 548; BG XV, 236)
    Prelude and Fugue, C Minor (BWV 549; BG XXXVIII, 3)
    Prelude and Fugue, G Major (BWV 550; BG XXXVIII, 9)
    Prelude and Fugue, A Minor (BWV 551; BG XXXVIII, 17)
    Eight Short Preludes and Fugues (possibly spurious)
    1. C Major (BWV 553; BG XXXVIII, 23)
    2. D Minor (BWV 554; BG XXXVIII, 27)
    3. E Minor (BWV 555; BG XXXVIII, 30)
    4. F Major (BWV 556; BG XXXVIII, 33)
    5. G Major (BWV 557; BG XXXVIII, 36)
    6. G Minor (BWV 558; BG XXXVIII, 39)
    7. A Minor (BWV 559; BG XXXVIII, 42)
    8. B-flat Major (BWV 560; BG XXXVIII, 45)

    5 out of 5 stars Just a note on BWV 552 "St Anne".......2003-04-27

    People below complained that BWV 552 "St Anne" does not appear in this book. BWV 552 is part of Clavier Uebung III, which includes more than a dozen other pieces (mostly chorale preludes). According to Clifford Bartlett, in actual practice, the prelude was played separately from the fugue; the rest of Clavier Uebung III was sandwiched between the prelude and fugue. Furthermore, often only pieces of the Clavier Uebung were played, rather than the whole thing. Hence, one might argue that BWV 552 stands in contrast to other pieces clearly marked "Prelude and Fugue."

    5 out of 5 stars Bach Preludes and Fuges.......2003-02-17

    As a young organ student, I enjoyed the basic challenge and ease of reading the clean print in this fine manuscript.

    3 out of 5 stars here's what you get..........2001-09-07

    The Complete Preludes and Fugues for Organ includes the following prelude & fugues:
    BWV 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 539, 541, 543, 544, 545, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, and the following "possible spurious" ones: 553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 558, 559, 560.

    (I double-checked my BWV numbers for typos).

    BWV 552 "St. Anne" in published by Dover in Organ Music (ISBN 0-486-22359-0), and 566, the Toccata and Fugue in E Major is published by Dover in Toccatas, Fantasias, Passacaglia and Other Works for Organ (0-486-25403-8).

    The book is a paperback with sewn signatures, so it won't lie flat, but it won't fall apart if you smoosh it flat;-)

    The included works are from the Bach-Gesellschaft of 1865, ed. by W. Rust, and the Bach-Gesellschaft of 1888, edited by E. Naumann.
    Miscellaneous Keyboard Works: Toccatas, Fugues and Other Pieces
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • handy edition of minor masterpieces
    Miscellaneous Keyboard Works: Toccatas, Fugues and Other Pieces
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Manufacturer: Dover Publications
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0486266818

    Book Description

    Wide selection of fine pieces, many difficult to find elsewhere. Included are harpsichord toccatas, Capriccio on the Departure of His Most Beloved Brother, Aria Variata 'alla Maniera Italiana' and the 6 Little Preludes, as well as many lesser-known compositions — over 40 in all. Authoritative Breitkopf & Härtel edition.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars handy edition of minor masterpieces.......2001-03-11

    This volume includes all seven of the toccatas, miscellaneous preludes and fugues and suites, pieces from the Notenbüchlein for W. F. Bach, the Aria Variata, etc. While the "major" keyboard pieces are available in other Dover volumes, this is great to look around in for lesser known works-- and some pieces scholars now attribute to other composers. Sturdy and easy to read, with the usual minimum of editorial comment, my copy has weathered several years of playing and scribbling.
    Italian Concerto, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue and Other Works for Keyboard
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • not good
    • Great book, great music
    Italian Concerto, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue and Other Works for Keyboard
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Manufacturer: Dover Publications
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0486253872

    Book Description

    A generous selection of Bach's best-known, most-performed and most-recorded works for the keyboard, reproduced from the authoritative Bach-Gesellschaft edition. The 16 works, principally preludes, fugues and fantasias, are reproduced in a format ideal for study and practice, with large noteheads, wide margins and clear, bold printing.

    Customer Reviews:

    2 out of 5 stars not good.......2007-08-16

    i needed a new version of concerto italiano. so i ordered this b/c i thought of the added bonus of the fantasies in there and select fugues. i previously had the version with the white cover and black font, which had the concerto spread out over i think 18 or so pages. this made it much easier to read, and there were fingering suggestions. this edition here barely has NO fingering suggestions, and barely any dynamic suggestions. and they squished the whole concerto into - i kid you not - 5 miserably cramped pages. please don't buy this... of course we should all go for the blue edition, which is the best for Bach. sorry, i don't know any of the names of the editions, i just know what they look like, but if you're a pianist you probably know what i'm talking about :)

    5 out of 5 stars Great book, great music.......2000-06-02

    The Italian concerto is the most accurate copy I've ever seen before of what Bach wrote, no more and no less. There's just Bach, no editor's footnotes and the only commentary from the editor is that some might not be by Bach (Those are a heck of a lot easier to play!) such as the gm Fantasia. The print's a bit on the small side, but not too much, but it's clear and easy to read. Enjoy!

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