instrumentation prelude in e minor
Johann Sebastian Bach ( 28 July 1750 ) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period . He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint , harmonic and motivic organisation , and the adaptation of rhythms , forms , and textures from abroad , particularly from Italy and France . Bach ' s compositions include the " Brandenburg Concertos ", the " Goldberg Variations ", the Mass in B minor , two Passions , and over three hundred cantatas of which around two hundred survive . His music is revered for its technical command , artistic beauty , and intellectual depth . A pianist is an individual musician who plays the ___MASK75___ . Most forms of Western music can make use of the ___MASK75___ . Consequently , pianists have a wide variety of repertoire and styles to choose from , including traditionally classical music , Jazz , blues and all sorts of popular music , including rock music . Most pianists can , to a certain extent , play other keyboard - related instruments such as the synthesizer , ___MASK7___ , celesta and the ___MASK11___ and keyboard . Perhaps the greatest pianist of all time was Franz Liszt , whose ___MASK75___ mastery was described by Anton Rubinstein : " In comparison with Liszt , all other pianists are children ". A composer ( Latin " compn "; literally " one who puts together ") is a person who creates or writes music , which can be vocal music ( for a singer or ___MASK71___ ), instrumental music ( e . g ., for solo piano , string quartet , ___MASK29___ or orchestra ) or music which combines both instruments and voices ( e . g ., opera or art song , which is a singer accompanied by a pianist ). The core meaning of the term refers to individuals who have contributed to the tradition of Western classical music through creation of works expressed in written musical notation ( e . g ., sheet music scores ). In music , an arrangement is a musical reconceptualization of a previously composed work . It may differ from the original work by means of reharmonization , melodic paraphrasing , orchestration , or development of the formal structure . Arranging differs from orchestration in that the latter process is limited to the assignment of notes to instruments for performance by an ___MASK77___ , concert band , or other musical ensemble . Arranging " involves adding compositional techniques , such as new thematic material for introductions , transitions , or modulations , and endings ... Arranging is the art of giving an existing melody musical variety ". The ___MASK75___ is an acoustic , stringed musical instrument , in which the strings are struck by hammers . It is played using a keyboard , which is a row of keys ( small levers ) that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings . Invented in about 1700 ( the exact year is uncertain ), the ___MASK75___ is widely employed in classical , jazz , traditional and popular music for solo and ensemble performances , accompaniment , and for composing , songwriting and rehearsals . Although the ___MASK75___ is very heavy and thus not portable and is expensive ( in comparison with other widely used accompaniment instruments , such as the acoustic guitar ), its musical versatility ( i . e ., its wide pitch range , ability to play chords with up to 10 notes , louder or softer notes and two or more independent musical lines at the same time ), the large number of musicians and amateurs trained in playing it , and its wide availability in performance venues , schools and rehearsal spaces have made it one of the Western world ' s most familiar musical instruments . An ___MASK77___ is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music , which features string instruments such as ___MASK83___ , viola , cello and double bass , as well as brass , woodwinds , and percussion instruments , grouped in sections . Other instruments such as the piano and celesta may sometimes appear in a fifth keyboard section or may stand alone , as may the concert harp and , for performances of some modern compositions , electronic instruments . A musical ensemble , also known as a music group or musical group , is a group of people who perform instrumental and / or vocal music , with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name . Some music ensembles consist solely of instruments , such as the jazz quartet or the ___MASK77___ . Some music ensembles consist solely of singers , such as choirs and doo wop groups . In both popular music and classical music , there are ensembles in which both instrumentalists and singers perform , such as the rock band or the Baroque chamber group for ___MASK33___ ( ___MASK7___ and ___MASK76___ ) and one or more singers . In classical music , trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families ( such as piano , strings , and wind instruments ) or group together instruments from the same instrument family , such as string ensembles ( e . g ., ___MASK8___ ) or wind ensembles ( e . g ., ___MASK29___ ). Some ensembles blend the sounds of a variety of instrument families , such as the ___MASK77___ , which uses a string section , brass instruments , woodwinds and percussion instruments , or the concert band , which uses brass , woodwinds and percussion . A concert band , also called wind ensemble , symphonic band , wind symphony , wind ___MASK77___ , wind band , symphonic winds , symphony band , or symphonic wind ensemble , is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind , brass , and percussion families of instruments , along with the double ___MASK22___ . An ___MASK51___ is a guitar that produces sound acoustically  by transmitting the vibration of the strings to the air  as opposed to relying on electronic amplification ( see electric guitar ). The sound waves from the strings of an ___MASK51___ resonate through the guitar ' s body , creating sound . This typically involves the use of a sound board and a sound box to strengthen the vibrations of the strings . A cantata ( literally " sung ", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb " cantare ", " to sing ") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment , typically in several movements , often involving a ___MASK71___ . Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach ( Bach ' s original spelling : " Clavier - Büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach ") is a collection of keyboard music compiled by the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach for his eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann . It is frequently referred to simply as " Klavierbüchlein ". The Prelude in E minor , BWV 855a is a piece for keyboard ( ___MASK7___ ) composed by Johann Sebastian Bach . It features as No . 18 ( `` Praeludium 5 '' ) in the 1720 Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach . BWV 855a may also refer to both this Prelude and a Fughetta in E minor , an early version of BWV 855 , No . 10 in the 1722 Well - Tempered Clavier , Book 1 . Alexander Siloti made a ___MASK75___ arrangement in B minor of the Prelude BWV 855a . Alexander Ilyich Siloti ( also Ziloti , , " Aleksandr Ilji Ziloti ", ; 9 October 1863  8 December 1945 ) was a Russian pianist , conductor and composer . His daughter , Kyriena Siloti , was also a noted pianist and teacher in New York and Boston until her death in 1989 , aged 94 . The Goldberg Variations , BWV 988 , is a work written for ___MASK7___ by Johann Sebastian Bach , consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations . First published in 1741 , the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form . The " Variations " are named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg , who may have been the first performer .