J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956)
by Glenn Gould

J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) by Glenn Gould
Year: 1956
Overall rank: 1,832nd   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 122 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 10 albums of 1956 (9th)
Award Top 50 albums of the 1950s (45th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,832nd)

Listen on Spotify SPOTIFY
Product Details
Availability

eBay
eBay
Johann Sebastian Bach, Glenn Gould – The Goldberg Variations LP 12" Vinyl Record
Condition: New


eBay
eBay
BACK "GOLDBERG VARIATIONS" (GLENN GOULD) BRAND NEW! SEALED LP! (MINT)
Condition: New


eBay
eBay
Glenn Gould Bach: Goldberg Variations (CD)
Condition: Brand New


  My favourite store:  

Glenn Gould bestography

J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) is ranked as the best album by Glenn Gould.

Glenn Gould album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (1,832nd)
J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956)
Lower ranked (4,308th) »
J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1982)

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Mar
13
Fri
Alabama Live In Concert
Bon Secours Wellness Arena , Greenville, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
25
Wed
BOYS LIKE GIRLS - The Soundtrack Of Your Life Tour
Landmark Credit Union Live, Milwaukee, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
01
Sun
Amber Mark Presents: The Pretty Idea Tour
The Fillmore Silver Spring, Silver Spring, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

Listen to J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) on YouTube

Loading content from YouTube...

J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 82 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

Sort Sort by

J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,832nd | 1950s rank: 45th | 1956 rank: 9th
Filter Filter
Sort Sort by
YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026Exist-en-cielTop 40 Music Albums of 19561/405
2026 groggTop 49 Music Albums of the 1950s7/4918
2026Exist-en-cielTop 100 Music Albums of the 1950s3/10020
2026 JoaoMoreiraTop 15 Music Albums of the 1950s13/154
2026 HaydenTop 100 Music Albums of the 1950s3/10020
2026 bertranduTop 100 Music Albums of the 1950s41/10012
2026 HaydenTop 100 Greatest Music Albums16/10084
2026downandoutTop 100 Music Albums of the 1950s39/10012
2026 TakaTop 100 Greatest Music Albums91/10010
2026 ffudnebbuhTop 100 Greatest Music Albums5/10096
2025MrOlanTop 60 Music Albums of the 1950s29/6011
2025 HaydenTop 50 Music Albums of 19562/505
2025arnellarsenTop 99 Music Albums of the 1950s16/9917
2025 IgtonumamaTop 100 Music Albums of 195631/1004
2025arnellarsenTop 48 Music Albums of 19563/485
2025 djnizziTop 100 Music Albums of the 1950s74/1005
2025dukeboxkoolTop 100 Music Albums of the 1950s74/1005
2025MaxStorm98Top 23 Music Albums of 19565/234
2025WayneMCUncut The 500 Greatest Albums Of The 1950s (1-100)82/100 -
2025pjerskeTop 29 Music Albums of the 1950s24/294
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 111
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 921
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) collection

J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) ratings

Average Rating: 
81/100 (from 122 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 122 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
 
02/20/2026 11:54 Leginlists  Ratings distribution  2,49284/100
 
100/100
 
02/05/2026 15:35 VeVt  Ratings distribution  12070/100
 
0/100
 
12/12/2025 05:27 awesomness425  Ratings distribution  1,94677/100
 
85/100
 
12/10/2025 05:45 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  7,70170/100
 
5/100
 
12/02/2025 22:37 Mr_Shake_Hands_M  Ratings distribution  14759/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.9/100, a mean average of 79.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 18.5.

Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating

J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) favourites

Showing all 20 members who have added this album as a favourite

J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) comments

Showing all 5 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
70/100
From 02/15/2023 23:16 | #294062
Prefer the latest version.
Guess he was just a virtuoso kid and lacked that depth and maturity to play it like he did in '81.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 11/07/2020 22:20 | #260346
Grande pianista. Apesar da dificuldade técnica há sentimento!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
55/100
From 08/15/2019 19:08 | #241212
Really good stuff. I found it hard to get into classical music because the pieces were too long. No such issue here.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 01/29/2016 05:01 | #158038
I agree with the GoodSir. Reminds me a bit of some of Mozart's music... I felt it ran through algorithms of a scale instead of something emotionally moving. Still quite impressive and beautiful.

I think if I saw someone perform this live, it would move me differently... I've noticed this with "classical" music recordings.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 05/20/2015 04:57 | #141985
I'm a pianist, and this is my favorite piano music of all time. Really tough to play stuff. Holding all of the counterpoint in your head is difficult stuff.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment

Your feedback for J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956)

Anonymous
Let us know what you think of this album by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
Log in or register to assign a rating or leave a comment for this album.
Best Albums of 1956
1. Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley
2. Songs For Swingin' Lovers! by Frank Sinatra
3. Pithecanthropus Erectus by Charles Mingus
4. Ellington At Newport by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra
5. Ella & Louis by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
6. Lady Sings The Blues by Billie Holiday
7. Elvis by Elvis Presley
8. Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book by Ella Fitzgerald
9. J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1956) by Glenn Gould
10. The Wildest! by Louis Prima
11. This Is Fats Domino! by Fats Domino
12. Johnny Burnette And The Rock N' Roll Trio by Johnny Burnette & The Rock 'n Roll Trio
13. Music Of India (Three Classical Ragas) by Ravi Shankar
14. Jazz At Massey Hall by The Quintet
15. Bluejean Bop by Gene Vincent
16. Calypso by Harry Belafonte
17. Moondog by Moondog
18. Rock And Rollin' With Fats Domino by Fats Domino
19. Gospel Train by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
20. Tragic Songs Of Life by The Louvin Brothers
Back to Top