Ralph Kirkpatrick harpsichord (Neupert 1957 Model “Bach”)
Recorded 26-30 August 1958 in the Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem
Released 1959 by Archive Productions ARC 73138 as part of the series IX:
Research period “The Works of Johann Sebastian Bach”, series G: Keyboard Works
Vierter Theil der Clavier-Uebung: Aria mit 30 Veränderingen.
Edition: original version publishers: Chappell & Co. Ltd. G. Schirmer (London/New York 1938)
Place of original publication: Nürnberg, Germany (1742)
Producer Wolfgang Lohse
Technical supervisor Harald Baudis

Side A
00:00 Aria
02:05 Variatio 1 a 1 Clav.
03:13 Variatio 2 a 1 Clav.
04:28 .Variatio 3 Canone all’ Unisuono. a 1 Clav.
06:26 Variatio 4 a 1 Clav.
07:04 Variatio 5 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.
07:54 Variatio 6 Canone alIa Seconda. a 1 Clav.
08:42 Variatio 7 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav
10:00 Variatio 8 a 2 Clav.
11:11 Variatio 9 Canone alIa Terza. a 1 Clav.
12:22 Variatio 10 Fughetta a 1 Clav.
13:19 Variatio 11 a 2 Clav.
14:13 Variatio 12 Canone alIa Quarta
15:35 Variatio 13 a 2 Clav.
18:10 Variatio 14 a 2 Clav.
19:25 Variatio 15 Canone alIa Quinta. a 1 Clav.

Side B
21:44 Variatio 16 a 1 Clav. Ouverture
23:24 Variatio 17 a 2 Clav.
24:19 Variatio 18 Canone alIa Sesta. a 1 Clav.
25:16 Variatio 19 a 1 Clav.
25:56 Variatio 20 a 2 Clav.
27:00 Variatio 21 Canone alIa Settima
28:04 Variatio 22 a 1 Clav.
29:01 Variatio 23 a 2 Clav.
30:02 Variatio 24 Canone all·Ottava. a 1 Clav.
31:52 Variatio 25 a 2 Clav.
35:56 Variatio 26 a 2 Clav.
37:07 Variatio 27 Canone alIa Nona. a 2 Clav.
38:01 Variatio 28 a 2 Clav.
39:10 Variatio 29 a 1 ovvero 2 Clav.
40:18 Variatio 30 a 1 Clav. Quodlibet
41:18 Aria da Capo

ARCHIVE PRODUCTION
Hitherto, the inexhaustible
musical treasures of the past have only been
made available on records to a limited extent.
There are various reasons for this, but the two
main reasons are that, firstly, early music still
appears in concerts much less frequently than
classical and modern music, and secondly, the
older the music, the more difficult become the
problems of its interpretation. For this reason,
the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft esta
blished, a few years ago, a History of Music
Division, with the aim of making available,
both to ·the specialist and the ordinary music
lover, the wide range of “early music” from the
beginnings of the Western tradition, circa
700 A. D., to the “pre-classical” period a thou
sand years later.
In contrast to previous undertakings of similar
character, it was not the intention of the
Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft to produce
a limited series of examples illustrating the
history of music. Without confining the
ARCHIVE PRODUCTION to an educational
system or a restricted programme, the purpose
is to preserve on records complete works from
this infinite field, works whose beauty and
vitality can still exert an immediate appeal on
the music-lover of the present day. In order
that these recordings may be carried out at
the highest possible levels of musicological
research, artistic and technical achievement, the
History of Music Division offers all the works
in their complete authentic form based
on the original versions
performed faithfully to the original style
using historical instruments
in “living” interpretations by highly
qualified specialist performers
in recordings of the highest standard
using the latest technical developments.
In order to provide a clear survey of the
repertoire, ‘the ARCHIVE PRODUCTION has
been divided into twelve “research periods,”
which correspond to the successive phases of
musica! history. These periods have again been
divided into sections comprising groups of
works, types, individual composers, etc.
IXth Research Period
The Works of Johann Sebastian Bach
In the first half of the Eighteenth Century two
great masters (Bach and Handel). sum up the
whole development of European music. Bach,
building on the German organ tradition, repre
sents the summit of Evangelical church music
with his organ works, Cantatas and Passions. In
his chamber music and concertos he developed
the style of the Italians with great skill, and
reanimated the German orchestral suite, in a
few splendid examples. In his music for key
board instruments Bach absorbed strong French
influence and ranged over a wide field, from
pedagogic works and intimate domestic pieces,
to the supreme wisdom of the Musical Offering
and the Art of Fugue.

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