155 Days With Bach and Me

Not that this should matter, but it’s something I noticed about today’s performances: They’re by a woman.

Unless I’m mistaken, this is the first time I’ve heard a woman play harpsichord on a Classical-music CD. Her name is Christiane Wuyts, a Belgium-born harpsichord known particularly for her performances of Bach’s music, as well as for her use of period instruments. The two harpsichords she’s playing on this CD were made by Henri Hemsch (1754) and Jacques Goermans (1774).

Today’s CD, despite it being harpsichord solo music, is quite nice. BWV 922 — Praeludium in A minor — began as a barrage of notes that caught my attention. BWV 954 — Fuga in B flat major — was a pleasant composition. The “fugue” aspect was quite apparent, especially in the beginning. The various voices were clear as a bell, following each other as if up a spiral staircase. It was a great piece of music, well played.

The compositions on today’s CD are:
BWV 965 —
BWV 948 —
BWV 823 —
BWV 922 —
BWV 833 —
BWV 954 —
BWV 917 —
BWV 963 —
BWV 947 —
BWV 958 —
The majority of these compositions are of unknown origin. Some (such as BWV 954) are listed as being created before 1705. Another (BWV 922) before 1714. Another (BWV 948) before 1727. Another (BWV 823) is called a “fragment” of a piece of music. So it’s impossible to tell how old Bach was when these were composed. He could have been as young as 20, or even younger.