Johann Sebastian Bach created some of the most significant music in history, including A Keyboard Practice Consisting of an Aria with Thirty Variations for the Harpsichord—commonly known as the Goldberg Variations. Goldberg is Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, a young musician in the court of Count Keyserlingk, a Russian ambassador living in Dresden. It isn’t known for certain why Bach’s difficult composition was named for the young man, but Anna Harwell Celenza gives us one possible story based on extensive research.
On a cold autumn morning in 1737, Count Keyserlingk sat in a wooden pew at St. Mary's church in Gdansk, Poland. The Count's friend and music adviser, Johann Sebatian Bach, had brought him there, promising a special treat. "What in the world do you expect to show me here?" asked the Count, shivering. "All I see is a drafty church with a few old parishioners." Bach pointed to the organ loft above. "There he is. I knew he would come. This is what we have been waiting for." The Count looked up as a ten-year-old boy sat down in front of the organ.
Anna Harwell Celenza is a musicologist and the author of several books for adults and children regarding music history and the history of art. Her children’s books include THE FAREWELL SYMPHONY, PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, GERSHWIN'S RHAPSODY IN BLUE, and VIVALDI'S FOUR SEASONS. Anna lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Johann Sebastian Bach created some of the most significant music in history, including A Keyboard Practice Consisting of an Aria with Thirty Variations for the Harpsichord—commonly known as the Goldberg Variations. Goldberg is Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, a young musician in the court of Count Keyserlingk, a Russian ambassador living in Dresden. It isn’t known for certain why Bach’s difficult composition was named for the young man, but Anna Harwell Celenza gives us one possible story based on extensive research.
Excerpt
On a cold autumn morning in 1737, Count Keyserlingk sat in a wooden pew at St. Mary's church in Gdansk, Poland. The Count's friend and music adviser, Johann Sebatian Bach, had brought him there, promising a special treat. "What in the world do you expect to show me here?" asked the Count, shivering. "All I see is a drafty church with a few old parishioners." Bach pointed to the organ loft above. "There he is. I knew he would come. This is what we have been waiting for." The Count looked up as a ten-year-old boy sat down in front of the organ.
Anna Harwell Celenza is a musicologist and the author of several books for adults and children regarding music history and the history of art. Her children’s books include THE FAREWELL SYMPHONY, PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, GERSHWIN'S RHAPSODY IN BLUE, and VIVALDI'S FOUR SEASONS. Anna lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
