Customer Reviews

Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (Kalmus Edition)

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I bought this for my husband who is learning to play. I've been playing for over 40 years and the first thing i noticed was the different rewritten notation. It looked like it was rewritten for more inexperienced pianists. I tried one piece, and it was fine. But then I played one of Bach's famous Minuets, and discovered an error in the notation. I can imagine there must me many more errors and I cannot recommend this version of this famous Bach piano book. I am going to have to look for another edition and hopefully will find the pieces correct.

This is a strict re-do of the 1935 Callwey job. Nothing that doesn't appear in the original 1725 has been added. Hence all tempo, dynamics, and ornamentation (including even staccatos) must be added by you.

There is no guidance for this. Although this was published by Alfred, it's not one of their carefully done re-dos, edited by Willard Palmer. (His excellent Bach -- An Introduction to His Keyboard Music (Alfred CD Edition) has a few valuable pages on how exactly to play baroque appogiaturas and mordents, but this has nothing like that.)

In other words, you'd better know what you're doing before you buy this, or it's gonna sound wrong.

This is a outstanding book with an excellent selection of pieces with delightful melodies, a variety of difficulties which will appeal to a wide range of students and musicians.It is really beautifully presented.