Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier forms part of the series American Bach Society Guides for the introduction of Johann Sebastian Bach's most important works and collections to a wider audience. Although the topic of this book is some of the most compostionally sophisticated music ever written, it avoids musical notation, explains necessary technical terminology, and assumes only basic knowledge of music history. This book presents the context, history, and music of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier based on the latest musicological research. It appeals to those who desire an introduction to the collectionor a refresher on its salient characteristics. The main topics include: definitions, descriptions, and history of Prelude, Fugue, Temperament, and Tonal Harmony; Bach's motivation for writing the collection and his compositional process; the work's reception history; and the philosophies and issues of performance practice.

Paul Walker is a musicologist, organist, harpsichordist, singer, editor, and conductor. He has taught at Yale University, the University of Chicago, the University of Virginia, and the University of Notre Dame. He founded the Charlottesville-based early music vocal ensemble "Zephyrus" and served as director for twenty years. His current research interests include fugue, particularly seventeenth century, pre-Bach.