Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen

Essay on the True Manner of Playing the Clavier

Translated by Tobias Plebuch (Part I) and Derek Remeš (Part II)

Edited by Mark W. Knoll

Introduction

Table of Contents Part I and Part II

Search German and English

Glossary 18th-century terms

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Versuch über die wahre Art das Clavier zu spielen is one of the most important treatises on keyboard performance from the eighteenth century. Published in two parts (1753 and 1762), it covers fingering, ornamentation, performance practice, and thorough-bass accompaniment. This new translation presents the complete text in parallel German and English, with all musical examples and figures.