The “Most Beautiful” Progression: The Circle of Fifths Throughout History Part I

This video examines the various ways that composers have used the circle of fifths in keyboard music, both harmonically and melodically, across the history of Western art music. This is part 1, which covers the Baroque and Classical eras—part 2 will cover Romanticism and modern music. The methods that these composers utilized in order to make the same progression stay fresh often reveals the signature elements of their individual styles. Think of this video as “variations on a single theme” and the breadth of variety in texture and harmony becomes quite remarkable. Purcell Suite 0:00 Okruško Pachelbel Chaconne 1:05 Chaimovich Couperin Les Papillons 1:36 Cziffra Bach English Suite No.2 1:58 Levin Bach Toccata BWV 911 2:17 Argerich Couperin L’Atalante 2:36 Tharaud Handel Suite in Gm 3:18 Richter Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.5 3:36 Gould Couperin Le Tic-Toc-Choc 4:09 Sokolov Bach WTC Book I