image courtesy of wikipedia.org
J. S. Bach, arguably the greatest composer to have lived, produced an enormous volume of music. Among his most popular works for keyboard are the first and second volumes of The Well-Tempered Clavier. This is a set of preludes and fugues that cycles through all major and minor keys. Despite the fact that they are each titled "Preludes" and "Fugues" there is still room for so much diversity in style and music among the works. Take, for example, the Prelude No. 9 in E Major... this is a pastorale. A pastorale is often a work depicting something of a natural scene - perhaps a scenic view or other landscape. In earlier days, closer to the time of Bach it was often used to depict scenes such as shephards watching over their flocks. The pastorale style is indicated by the 12/8 time signature and the melody line moving in triplets.
You can listen to my recording of Bach's Prelude No. 9 in E Major by visiting my Lisztonian website. If you enjoy my recordings, be sure to subscribe to my iTunes podcast (free). Please also take the time to visit this page to see how you can help in the endeavor to share classical music.
Bach's Prelude in E Major:
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