About this work
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, are not a sequence of effects placed upon the melody of the Aria. Their continuity rests above all on its bass and harmonic course. Bach alternates dances, canons, character pieces, and studies in velocity; the final return of the Aria measures everything the listener has travelled through.
Before practising the 30 variations, play the bass of the Aria and locate its points of support. Then group pieces by family instead of learning them in order: canons for hearing entries, dances for articulation, and hand-crossing pieces for accuracy. This method reveals their relationships without erasing the individual temperament of each number.
Choose tempos that can coexist across the complete cycle. A brilliant variation should not force the next one to begin from nothing. On piano, distinguish voices through touch rather than excessive differences in volume; on harpsichord, rely on articulation and the timing of releases. The final Aria can then remain simple, almost without commentary.
What the document containsthe Aria, the 30 variations, and the return of the Aria in BWV 988;a 46-page PDF for keyboard;no accompanying MIDI file.The score brings the complete cycle together in an edition intended for study.