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Week 7
Ruggiero
Goldberg
Variations
Goldberg Variations
The first phrase of the Goldberg ruggiero is comprised of the falling tetrachord do-ti-la-sol. Rarely does Bach state these pitches outright. The three minor mode variations are a case in point. Here the do-ti-la-sol of the ruggiero appears in chromatically saturated renditions: (Click to play...) | Stop CD |
The remaining variations spare no device to clothe the ruggiero in various guises. In Variatio 17, the falling 2nds are mutated to rising 7ths: | Stop CD |
Below you will find the left-hand part of each variation's first phrase. The pitches of the ruggiero are highlighted. If you have inserted the ostinato disk that accompanies this unit you should be able to click on each variation and hear it. As you listen to each variation you might find it informative to hum the first four pitches of the ruggiero do-ti-la-sol.
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