300 years of The Well-Tempered Clavier

November 18, 2022

300 years ago this year, in 1722, Bach finished the first of two books of The Well-Tempered Clavier.

Wikipedia says this sprawling composition — “two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard” — “is generally regarded as one of the most important works in the history of classical music.”

Here’s the first of the two “books,” starting with the beautifully serene Prelude in C: