The Essay: The Well-Tempered Clavier

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The Essay: The Well-Tempered Clavier: Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Pieter Wispelwey

Frank Cottrell-Boyce

The Well-Tempered Clavier

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Screenwriter and novelist Frank Cottrell-Boyce marvels at the enduring freshness of Bach.

Screenwriter and novelist Frank Cottrell-Boyce marvels at the enduring freshness of Bach's work.

The Essay reflects upon the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier by JS Bach, his landmark collection of Preludes and Fugues in every available key. 

Screenwriter and novelist Frank Cottrell-Boyce marvels at the enduring freshness of Bach's work.

Technical producer... Mike Etherden
Production co-ordinator... Sara Benaim

Written and presented by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Produced by Abigail le Fleming

A BBC Audio production for Radio 3

About the essayist...
Frank Cottrell Boyce is a children's novelist who won the Carnegie Medal for his first book - Millions - in 2004 and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for The Unforgotten Coat in 2013. Millions was made into a film by Danny Boyle, for whom Frank went on to work as the writer on the London Olympics Opening Ceremony, 2012. His other books include Framed (filmed by the BBC), Cosmic and The Astounding Broccoli Boy. He also wrote the three official sequels to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His films include 24 Hour Party People, God on Trial and Hilary and Jackie. His short work, The Great Rocket Robbery, was published for World Book Day in 2019. His latest novel, Runaway Robot, was published by Macmillan in May 2019.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

The Essay celebrates JS Bach's landmark collection of Preludes and Fugues in all 24 keys.

The Essay celebrates 300 years since the publication of the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier by JS Bach - a landmark collection of Preludes and Fugues in every available key.

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