Bach Piano Transcriptions
Throughout music history, the desire to arrange pieces originally written for an ensemble of instruments and voices for a single instrument like organ or harpsichord or, later, piano, has been a widespread musical practice. The eighteenth century was an especially fertile period for transcription, with the art reaching a pinnacle among Johann Sebastian Bach’s circle. He transcribed the works of others (three concertos by Vivaldi and two by Ernst) as well as his own instrumental and vocal compositions for both organ and harpsichord, while also adapting his own piano works to the keyboard.
The term “transcription” has a specific meaning in the context of classical music, meaning that the arrangement is very faithful to the original, only slight modifications are made in order to make the piece more playable on piano. The most common method of transcription in classical music is to take the original composition and rewrite it for solo piano, with the addition of some notes and omissions.
Another type of Bach piano transcription is the free adaptation, which is often more playful and uses the full range of the pianist’s improvisational abilities. These are more often heard in recitals and can be quite enjoyable to listen to, although they may not be as accurate as the more faithful organ transcriptions.
Bach Piano Transcriptions – book contains a collection of piano transcriptions
There is a debate as to whether or not these free adaptations better reflect the composer’s intent. This is a bit of a misnomer, however, as the notion of composer intent is really a 19th-century construct and Bach was a very pragmatic man; he wrote his music to be played on whatever instruments were available to him.
This book contains a collection of piano transcriptions by Busoni that are based on Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. The first edition of this collection was published in 1894, but later editions have additional material such as musical analysis and performance suggestions. These are very nice arrangements, which will be very easy for intermediate and advanced pianists to learn. They are a great way to explore the richness of the organ repertoire on the piano.
Another good collection of Bach piano transcriptions is the one by Myra Hess, Leonard Borwick, Harriet Cohen, and William H. Harris. This is a lovely collection of pieces, including exuberant fantasias and fugues, as well as more gentle arrangements of instrumental and choral works such as Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. This is a very accessible collection that is highly recommended for all pianists.