Bach prelude and fugue in c sharp minor book 1 analysis

Take special care with the fugue, which begins at 3. So, the two main characteristics of fugue are exhibited. Bachs csharp minor prelude and fugue i wasnt planning on getting this post up tonight but i think i need to. He had written a total of 48 pieces scattered throughout 2 books. We will use the letters a and b to identify the motives. Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 from wtc i a guide to. Although bach keeps the arpeggio texture throughout the piece, the prelude is written in five voice texture with a smooth voice leading. For instance, the nineteenthcentury commentator hugo riemann calls this pair of works in csharp minor the holy of holies, filled with dignity, inspiration and noble sentiments. In a conventional baroque fugue, the subject is first stated by itself. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionnoncommercialnoderivatives 4. Bach s fugue 38 book ii, 14 f sharp minor three voices.

I own 20 different recordings of the wtc and this is by far my favorite. With the fugue, i was completely and utterly perplexed by the disjointed nature of the writing. Bachs fugue 38 book ii, 14 f sharp minor three voices. Bachs famous welltempered clavier, recorded for the first time on organ. C major is followed by c minor, then c sharp major and minor, then d major and minor, and so on.

Motives from the subject will be used throughout the fugue. Analysis of c sharp minor fugue from bachs well tempered clavier, book i. This is the case for each of the 2 books of the welltempered clavier. Analysis of bachs fugue bwv 847 in c minor wtc i jose rodriguez alvira 2011 jose rodriguez alvira. From the clarity of sound and balanced articulations to the seriousness and emotional depth, ishizaka commits herself to the virtues of transparency, passion, and intellect. Prelude and fugue in csharp minor, bwv 849 wikipedia. The well tempered clavier was a collection of preludes and fugues in all the keys possible on a keyboard.

This particular prelude and fugue, the c sharp minor from book 2 of the welltempered clavier, has been somewhat of a nightmare for me, which is highly unusual because i love bach, i live bach, i rely on bach. It is performed on piano by sviatslav richter, one of the bestregarded pianists of the twentieth century. Bach s c sharp minor prelude and fugue i wasnt planning on getting this post up tonight but i think i need to. The prelude begins with a hint of the aria from bach s goldberg variations, but immediately proves to be a wholly independent piece, although this fantasie, with its rhythmically varied treble melody, retains much of the arias solemnity.

Incidentally, this subject is an example of double dotting or. Prelude and fugue in csharp minor, bwv 849 bach, johann. Chamber orchestra digital download composed by johann sebastian bach 16851750. This gives way to a triple motet fugue, with its even more solemn primary subject entering first in the tenor, then the soprano and bass. Second, the theme features a dramatic and expressive leap of a minor 9th the big jump upwards between the 2nd and 3rd notes. Bach fugue 16 in g minor, bwv 861 analysis johann sebastian bachs fugue 16 in g minor is an example of a conventional fugue. The prelude is steadily and earnestly flowing, producing a polyphonic aria of rare beauty, similar to what js bach has achieved in book 1 prelude f. I cant forget the first time i learned bach s c sharp major prelude and fugue from book 2 of the welltempered clavier. Book 1, fugue in d minor in bachs time the final liberation of the key of d minor from the dorian mode was completed.

Model answers for the works in book ii bwv 870893 ii 1 prelude and fugue in c major. What is interesting about this piece is that the body of the fugue is comprised of fragments of the subject and countersubject. The prelude, with its drawnout lines, should be heard as the yearning of a great heart, while the fugue stands like a mighty cathedral. Texture is manipulated as a way of shaping the musical discourse. Starting in the dominant minor, it moves to b minor bar 15 and the relative major, a bar 17, where it lays stress on this key by a perfect cadence in it bar 21. The welltempered clavier i by pierrelaurent aimard. I cant forget the first time i learned bachs csharp major prelude and fugue from book 2 of the welltempered clavier. Bach the well tempered clavier, book i, bwv 846869. Fischer s ariadne musica neoorganoedum published in 1702 and reissued 1715 is a set of 20 prelude fugue pairs in ten major and nine minor keys and the phrygian mode, plus five chorale based ricercars. Welltempered clavier book i, bwv 846869 bach cantatas website. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 848 bach, johann sebastian movementssections movtssecs. A performers guide toward the performance of the prelude. A performers guide toward the performance of the prelude and fugue in c sharp minor, book i bailey, sharon inman on.

The prelude begins with a hint of the aria from bachs goldberg variations, but immediately proves to be a wholly independent piece, although this fantasie, with its rhythmically varied treble melody, retains much of the arias solemnity. Bach, aldwell, edward well tempered clavier book 1 amazon. The prelude and fugue in csharp minor, bwv 849, is a pair of keyboard compositions by johann sebastian bach. The material within the episodes are a unique to this fugue. Shostakovich urtext piano prelude and fugue book 2. From book i of bachs the welltempered klavier, this lively reworking of the prelude and fugue in bflat minor, no. Ends with a perfect cadence in the key of the dominant minor, c sharp. The bwv 851 fugue in d minor is an excellent example of effective use of contrapuntal techniques like transformation by inversion or contrary motion, invertible counterpoint and stretti. Ive read your extremely useful article, how to learn a fugue, and i have started to practice the fugue accordingly.

Bachs immortal 48 preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys was written for clavier, and in bachs time that could mean any keyboard instrument. Bach knew the collection and borrowed some of the themes from fischer for the welltempered clavier. This is the greatest welltempered clavier book 1 on the piano, period. Fugue c minor fugue book 1 c minor is an elegant and well balanced piece, which draws its fascination of its pure structure and the beauty of the interaction between the subject and the countersubjects. A distinct textural change divides the composition.

With the prelude, i was immediately drawn in and captivated by the incredible beauty and simplicity of the writing. The entries are quite regular bass, alto, treble, bars 64, 70 and 76 respectively, but the countersubject is more or less incomplete or varied, and is wanting in bars 70 to 74. The prelude is steadily and earnestly flowing, producing a polyphonic aria of rare beauty, similar to what js bach has achieved in book 1 prelude f minor. The prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach.

The prelude and fugue in c major from the wtc i are a very complex set of two pieces which reveals bachs mastery of harmonic and contrapuntal writing. Thematic analysis score treble viol 1 tenor viol bass viol engraving files. Chords, melody, and music theory analysis of prelude no 1 in c major by johann sebastian bach. First, it is one of the rare fugues with five voices there are two in book 1 of the welltempered clavier, and none in book 2. The bwv 851 fugue in d minor is an excellent example of effective use of contrapuntal techniques like transformation by inversion or contrary motion, invertible counterpoint and stretti exposition. Forget gould, aldwell is the true successor to tureck. Bach, aldwell, edward well tempered clavier book 1. Starting with the bass, the initial exposition proceeds inexorably through successively higher and higher voices, and once the texture is filled out, new entries surge up in. As a quintessential baroque fugue, bachs d major fugue from book 1 of the welltempered clavier will make for suitable illustration of how to analyze a fugue. Shostakovich urtext piano prelude and fugue book 2 sheet. Prelude and fugue in c minor by aaron pang on prezi. Starting in f sharp minor, it briefly touches the dominant before ending in the tonic. Im starting to learn bachs fugue in d major from book 1 of the welltempered clavier. Model answers for the works in book i bwv 846869 i1 prelude and fugue in c major i2 prelude and fugue in c minor.

Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. Listen to bachs prelude and fugue in csharp minor from the welltempered clavier, book i. In fact, i no longer listen to any other piano version. A performers guide toward the performance of the prelude and fugue in csharp minor, book i bailey, sharon inman on. Book i for reading this prelude and fugue in the enharmonically equivalent key of dflat major. Compare the harmonies of the ending with those at the end of chopins c sharp minor study op. Motives from the subject will be used throughout the fugue we will use the letters a and b to identify the motives. Bach used this new tonality in some of his most significant works, including the organ toccata and the chromatic fantasy and fugue. Starting in the dominant minor, it moves to b minor bar 15 and the relative major, a. The welltempered clavier, book 1 angela hewitt on allmusic 1998. Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 from wtc i a guide.

A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame of the prelude and the fugue. European archive the well tempered clavier, book i, bwv 846869 prelude in fugue no. Prelude no 1 in c major by johann sebastian bach chords. The welltemperedclavier, book i part 1 wtc 1 french title.

Also, inversions are found in key spots within the. Book 2 prelude in g sharp minor perky rhythm, interesting harmonies. On a technical note, hyperlinks turn up frequently in the analysis. There are countless analyses and interpretations of bachs wohltemperirte clavier. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 848 bach, johann. It is the fourth prelude and fugue in the first book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. Bach wrote hundreds of pieces for organ, choir, as well as many other instruments. This fugue stands out among bachs more celebrated affettuoso fugues in fsharp minor and related keys, such as the imposing fugue in b minor later in the welltempered clavier and both kyries from the mass in b minor, for its immediacy as well as its brevity. Soloduo performs prelude and fugue in c sharp minor by castelnuovotedesco duration. The prelude and fugue in c sharp minor, bwv 849, is a pair of keyboard compositions by johann sebastian bach.

Prelude and fugue in c minor bach had written this piece as part of the well tempered clavier. This gives way to a triple motet fugue, with its even more solemn primary subject entering first in the. Navona records presents the welltempered clavier, book 1 performed by awardwinning pianist kimiko ishizaka, whose interpretations are singular to this repertoire. My question is related to the structure of the fugue of this particular fugue as well as of fugues in general, which is not clear to me. There is a short coda from bar 80, founded on the second episode. Establishes the tonic, c sharp minor and works to its dominant major g sharp bar 5 before returning to. There are 2 books of the welltempered clavier, with 24 pieces, each consisting of a prelude and fugue. It is the first prelude and fugue in the first book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. This particular prelude and fugue, the csharp minor from book 2 of the welltempered clavier, has been somewhat of a nightmare for me, which is highly unusual because i love bach, i live bach, i rely on bach. Each prelude serves as curtainraiser, contrast or palatecleanser before its fugue. Bars 5 section 1 of the fugue in csharp minor treats the principal subject alone, and section 2 combines it with two faster subjects or countersubjects. The five notes also contain one of the tensest intervals a diminished 4th. The haunting fivevoice fugue in bflat minor has several characteristics which are notable.