Bach's Goldberg Variations

Between his move to Leipzig in 1723 and his death in 1750, German baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach composed more than 250 church cantatas and wrote a number of important works for the keyboard. The aria and 30 variations known as the Goldberg Variations constituted a return to an earlier fascination with the clavier and contrapuntal composition. This excerpt from the aria introduces the harmonic structure and bass line on which the variations are based. The Goldberg Variations stand as an extraordinary example of Bach's extraordinary example of Bach's lyrical wit and technical prowess.