Goldberg Variations

Schirmer Library of Classics Volume 1980 Piano Solo

By Johann Sebastian Bach

I bought this edition based on previous reviews and I am exceedingly satisfied.

The material is all there; great variations, but there is no fingering, so you have to figure out yourself.

Besides the music, this edition includes interesting background information, including hints about tempi for each variation and discussions of the keyboard figures used in Baroque music. The Goldberg Variations are at first glance not very difficult to play, yet they are extraordinarily subtle and reveal great beauty and challenges in...

timing with increased familiarity. They require a combination of strict adherence to tempo with a great need and opportunity for knowledgeable musical expression. Binding is "perfect binding", which is difficult to use with the piano, yet for some reason has always been standard for all Schirmer editions. You may find it convenient to cut the pages apart and rebind them using spiral or loose-leaf binding.

Beautiful music with good layout - pretty technical as you progress through the variations, and you can certainly see that it would be easier to play on two keyboards...but well worth the effort.

Glenn Gould used this edition and it is probably the best available, even better than the urtext edition and cheaper too. The person who wrote the review of the "songs" in this edition is completely wrong. This work of art is far from a song cycle; and it's level...

of difficulty is beyond intermediate- early advanced. This is a very challenging work to master. Highly recommended!