Bach: Two Part Inventions ~ Faithful Guide
Complete recording and documentary
of the Two Part Inventions by Bach for Piano.
of the Two Part Inventions by Bach for Piano.
Project includes:
Two seasons of 20 documentary style Youtube videos,
with recordings of the 15 'Two Part Inventions' by Bach on the piano,
coupled with animations and motion graphics in Pixel Art and Digital Art -
Plus 2 released albums on Spotify, Apple and other music platforms.
with recordings of the 15 'Two Part Inventions' by Bach on the piano,
coupled with animations and motion graphics in Pixel Art and Digital Art -
Plus 2 released albums on Spotify, Apple and other music platforms.
Introduction to the second season.
While I'm having a hot cup of coffee in the solitude of my favourite café in the empty streets of pandemic ridden Hammersmith, the spirit of Bach is summoned and tempted by the scent of coffee rising to the sky. It is in this moment that I accept his challenge to recover my piano practice.
As the pandemic began in 2020, I found myself locked down in my room, in a shared flat in London.
Things were not looking bright. However... I still had my piano.
During that time I was contacted by a games company I first worked for in the year 2001 as they wanted me to remaster the original soundtrack of the game we made together back then. One of the requests was to compose some new pieces for a church within the game, and that immediately led me to rediscover Bach's music.
It was then that I decided to quit my Netflix subscription, and bought sheet music of the Two Part Inventions, Three Part Symphonias and the Well Tempered Clavier. I decided I would record each and every piece from those books, for once and at last, regardless of how long it would take me.
To my surprise, it has been much quicker than expected as the recordings are now done. I'm currently releasing them as separate albums, documenting the process and exploring different art styles to fit the themes of each 'season'.
Things were not looking bright. However... I still had my piano.
During that time I was contacted by a games company I first worked for in the year 2001 as they wanted me to remaster the original soundtrack of the game we made together back then. One of the requests was to compose some new pieces for a church within the game, and that immediately led me to rediscover Bach's music.
It was then that I decided to quit my Netflix subscription, and bought sheet music of the Two Part Inventions, Three Part Symphonias and the Well Tempered Clavier. I decided I would record each and every piece from those books, for once and at last, regardless of how long it would take me.
To my surprise, it has been much quicker than expected as the recordings are now done. I'm currently releasing them as separate albums, documenting the process and exploring different art styles to fit the themes of each 'season'.
Excerpts from the "Invention XV + Aria from Goldberg Variations" video.
The last one of the series, where I meet face to face with Bach once more, and a younger me.
Both give me some presents in gratitude for having completed this first part of the challenge.
The last one of the series, where I meet face to face with Bach once more, and a younger me.
Both give me some presents in gratitude for having completed this first part of the challenge.
Complete Albums On Youtube
The cover art for the first album is a scene from my room in Hammersmith. From my window I could see the empty streets as I would play.
Two stylised and simple opposed daisies, but still together in the aether of water.
These represent a dear memory of mine.
These represent a dear memory of mine.
Outro for the videos. The 5 rings represent the four sacred beasts of tradition and the emblem of my family, a fleur de lis; the 5 elements of fire, earth, water, air and Spirit.
The Hermetic Cross is a symbol of communion with all the energies of the universe.
The Hermetic Cross is a symbol of communion with all the energies of the universe.
In Bach's Two Part Inventions, two opposing voices intertwine in a question an answer dialogue. These pieces were intended to work, in his own words, as 'a faithful guide' for the students of the piano.
Pixel art brings me back to the brightness of childhood years and dreams.
Pixel art brings me back to the brightness of childhood years and dreams.
But now is time to move on...
The Three Part Symphonias
