Customer Reviews

371 Harmonized Chorales and 69 Chorale Melodies with Figured Bass

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a nice edition to have. Playing two Bach chorales every morning is kind of like doing some jumping jacks and eating a spoonful of codliver oil...which is to say, good for you. After playing the first 120 you can expect some chorale fatigue to set in, but all the while you'll be absorbing good voice-leading and voice-doubling technique as though by osmosis. What's more, Bach will still surprise you- there are chords so jarring and dissonant that their sudden, logical resolution is like watching a rabbit being pulled out of a hat.

On the downside, the notes are small (this edition really packs 'em in) and it can be easy to get lost on the page. No texts are provided, either, aside from the opening words, so you have to accept on faith that some of the more contorted harmonizations are justified by the text. It's still nice to have, though, and looks nice and musicological sitting on the piano.

Bach's 371 chorales are some of the purest distillations of common-practice era tonal harmony one can find - they remain an invaluable asset to anyone studying harmony and voice-leading principles. That is not to say that these pieces are boring harmonic exercises... Bach's genius worked its way into everything he wrote, and a quick read through any of these chorales brings one a breath of fresh [tonal] air in the midst of modern music's din. Perfect for study and enjoyment. The edition is perfect as well, with clear printing (while maybe too small for those with poor eyesight), excellent binding and almost 60 pages of notes and preface.

This is nearly indispensable for the serious music student. Used in most first-year theory courses, the Bach Chorales illustrate what the master did and why our Western music theory is based on the chorales he wrote.

First bought 18 years ago, I found that I'd somehow lost my copy along the way. I bought another copy since I'm taking further music theory courses and though it isn't required in this particular course, it helps immensely to have a copy on hand.

The book is very well laid out but the music is smaller than would be preferred. If the scores were printed larger it would be more enjoyable.

Bach's Chorales are the stuff of legend. The sheer wealth of invention is staggering. The Reimenschneider version has been around for decades and it is difficult to see how it could be improved. The layout is excellent with useful and insightful notes from a true Bach scholar.

If you want to learn advanced harmony, there is no better place to learn it than from the Master himself.

When I was a student at Interlochen, the last music theory assignment was to copy a German chorale melody without seeing Bach's harmonization, harmonize it, and compare one's own harmonization with Bach's harmonization.

Humiliating!

This book is a school of music its self.Learning to play, sing, transpose and analyse the Bach chorals can become an everyday practice that helps the improoving of musical skills, creativity, musical imagination and even your composing technic.

For a basic course in music theory, this is the compilation which will teach you everything you need to know about tonality, cadences, voice leading, nonharmonic tones, and harmony.

The copy of this highly useful collection of J.S. Bach's chorales that I purchased in 1964 finally collapsed from fatigue. I am delighted to find such an affordable replacement. The chorales are simply beautiful music. As well, they provide a plethora of material to analyze and with which to hone one's harmonic skills.

N.B., The editor Riemenschneider also acted as the editor-in-chief of the "Methodist Hymnal" of the, then, Methodist Church (now, the United Methodist Church). To my knowledge, it is the only edition of the Methodist hymnal to begin with Dyke's "Holy, Holy, Holy" instead of Charles Wesley's "O For A Thousand Tongues".

For any piano player, music theorist, composer, or music enthusiast, this is the book for you. Excellent for daily piano study or for a better understanding of common practice tonal harmony. Great notes in the back for reference. The basis of tonality lies within these pages.