Piano Works, Vol. 3: Piano Book

This volume captures a crucial moment in keyboard history: the moment just before Bach. Buxtehude's suites and variations sit at the intersection of French elegance, German contrapuntal rigor, and Italian rhetoric. For pianists, these pieces offer a refreshing alternative to the standard Baroque menu, with distinctive harmonic turns and compositional wit that reward close listening and reveal something new with each performance.

These works radiate the intellectual confidence and emotional restraint of the North German baroque at its height. Within that formal elegance, Buxtehude's harmonic language surprises: unexpected chromatic motion, daring modulations, and moments of genuine expressive warmth break through the courtly surface. The variations maintain a serious, almost austere quality while exploring the infinite possibilities of a single musical idea.

Advanced pianists and serious students exploring Baroque keyboard repertoire beyond the familiar Bach and Handel canon. This collection appeals equally to scholars interested in pre-Bach keyboard music and performers seeking to deepen their understanding of the stylistic environment that shaped the Baroque keyboard tradition.

• Approach the dance movements with a sense of courtly elegance rather than mechanical regularity; the rhythmic flexibility typical of French style permeates these suites.
• In the variation sets, let the structural framework guide your interpretation while allowing each variation its own character and tempo relationship to the theme.
• Pay close attention to the figured bass implications and harmonic rhythm; Buxtehude's chromaticism and suspensions are carefully placed for maximum expressive effect.
• Balance the counterpoint so that inner voices participate in the musical argument rather than serving as filler; these textures are often more complex than they first appear.

Program these pieces in the context of a Baroque keyboard recital to illuminate the traditions Bach inherited and transformed. A suite or two works beautifully alongside Bach's own keyboard music, allowing audiences to hear the stylistic lineage directly. These works also serve as compelling material for themed lecture-recitals on North German baroque aesthetics or the history of keyboard music.

• Baroque counterpoint and voice independence across multiple lines
• Harmonic analysis of chromatic and modal inflections in the North German tradition
• Rhythmic flexibility and articulation in dance-form movements
• Structural coherence in variation procedures
• Interpretation of figured bass and implied accompaniment figuration