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[[File:Johann Sebastian Bach 1746.jpg|thumb|Bach about 1746]]
[[File:Johann Sebastian Bach 1746.jpg|thumb|Bach about 1746]]
The '''Goldberg Variations, BWV 988''' is a work for keyboard by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]. It was written about 1741. The work consists of an [[aria]] and thirty [[variations (music)|variations]]. The aria was not original with Bach, but was probably based on a now lost French dance tune. The work is believed to have been commissioned by a pupil of Bach's named J. G. Goldberg. Goldberg was a celebrated [[virtuoso]], and used the work to lull his [[insomnia]]c employer Count Keyserkingk to sleep.<ref>Woodstra, p. 47</ref>
The '''Goldberg Variations''' (BWV 988) is a work for keyboard by [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]. It was written about 1741. The work consists of an [[aria]] and thirty [[variations (music)|variations]]. The aria was not original with Bach, but was probably based on a now lost French dance tune. The work is believed to have been commissioned by a pupil of Bach's named J. G. Goldberg. Goldberg was a celebrated [[virtuoso]], and used the work to lull his [[insomnia]]c employer Count Keyserkingk to sleep.<ref>Woodstra, p. 47</ref>
The basic [[harmony|harmonies]] and structure of the aria remain consistent from variation to variation. The work ends with a quodlibet, a humorous combination of two popular tunes. John Keillor writes, "The work is sublime and compassionate, graceful, warm, and relentlessly intricate, a demonstration of unmatched craft in music history and genuine, poetic imagination." In modern times, the work is played on both the [[harpsichord]] and the [[piano]].
The basic [[harmony|harmonies]] and structure of the aria remain consistent from variation to variation. The work ends with a quodlibet, a humorous combination of two popular tunes. John Keillor writes, "The work is sublime and compassionate, graceful, warm, and relentlessly intricate, a demonstration of unmatched craft in music history and genuine, poetic imagination." In modern times, the work is played on both the [[harpsichord]] and the [[piano]].