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. Johann sebastian bach prelude and fugue in d major, bwv 850. A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame of. I cant forget the first time i learned bachs csharp major prelude and fugue from book 2 of the welltempered clavier. Analysis of c sharp minor fugue from bach s welltempered. Welltempered clavier the, book 2 landowska 19511954 wanda landowska, who continued to perform and record up to her death in 1959, was renowned as the greatest harpsichordist of the first half of the twentieth century.
Book 2 prelude in g sharp minor perky rhythm, interesting harmonies. Bach welltempered clavier keyscapes ccrma stanford. And so on it goes, all the way up the keyboard in that fashion. The 2nd prelude, in c minor, is a dramatic, almost mechanical creation where the piece has tempo indications from bach, a rarity, in that bar 28 is marked. The welltempered clavier book ii angela hewitt piano. 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. The exposition first episode measures 12 to 19 measures 19 to 24 final measures complete fugue. Prelude and fugue in f minor from welltempered clavier book. Some of the features buxtehude uses are evident in bachs early organ fugues such as the five section prelude and fugue in a minor. The tempi cluster around a mean, with little contrast. It takes a sharp mind to unravel this mental puzzle. Analysis of bachs fugue bwv 871 in c minor wtc, book ii. 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.
Analysis of bachs fugue bwv 871 in c minor wtc, book ii jose rodriguez alvira j. The preludes for the most part exhibit simple binary or ternary forms. Johann sebastian bach prelude and fugue in d major, bwv. Raymond smullyan the well tempered clavier, book i, bwv 846869 prelude and fugue no. Bach prelude and fugue in g minor, wtc book 1 bwv 861.
Prelude and fugue, for organ in g details allmusic. Bach 16851750 was a german baroque composer who is revered for the originality and skill of his contrapuntal and harmonic techniques. Motives from the subject will be used throughout the fugue we will use the letters a and b to identify the motives. Analysis of d major fugue from bach s welltempered clavier, book ii. In between these two systems there can be many modifications, and it is thought that. The welltemperedclavier, book i part 1 wtc 1 french title. The prelude and fugue in gsharp minor, bwv 887, is the eighteenth prelude and fugue in the second volume of the welltempered clavier by johann.
Prelude et fugue en sol diese mineur bwv 863 authorities gnd. This is true even in bachs welltempered clavier, book 2, which is not usually given wide dynamic range. Bach wrote hundreds of pieces for organ, choir, as well as many other instruments. Prelude and fugue in gsharp minor, bwv 887 wikipedia. In bwv 535a, the g minor key is notated in the old manner, a single flat in the key signature, while in the finished bwv 535 of a decade or so later, bach adopts the more modern two flat key signature for g minor.
The fugue is written in three parts and has 72 measures. The subject unusually in bar 35 starts on f sharp, the leading note to g minor, this is very far away form the original key. Bachs fugue in g minor, wtc book i essay 841 words. I cant forget the first time i learned bach s c sharp major prelude and fugue from book 2 of the welltempered clavier. In this case, bach paired this prelude with the fugue they both exhibit dance features, but without da capo. Prelude and fugue in f major, bwv 856 from wtc i a guide to. Prelude and fugue in f major, bwv 856 from wtc i a guide. The welltempered clavier, bwv 846893, is a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys, composed for solo keyboard by johann sebastian bach. Bachs famous welltempered clavier, recorded for the first time on organ. Welltempered clavier book i, bwv 846869 bach cantatas website.
Raymond smullyan the well tempered clavier, book i, bwv 846869 prelude and fugue. Bachs welltempered clavier indepth analysis and interpretation. In bach s time clavier was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding an organ either the modern german spelling for the collection is. With the prelude, i was immediately drawn in and captivated by the incredible beauty and simplicity of the writing. The subject of this fugue consists of eighth and sixteenth notes, which with an exception of the leap of the minor sixth move stepwise up and down. With the fugue, i was completely and utterly perplexed by the disjointed nature of the writing. In each of the two parts of the wohltemperirte clavier, he brought together the musical couple prelude and fugue 24 times. Prelude and fugue in g sharp minor wtk, book ii, no. 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. And in each of these books we have a total of 24 preludes and fugues. Shostakovich urtext piano prelude and fugue book 2 sheet. 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. Bachs c minor fugue bwv 871 from the second book of the wtc offers an excellent example of three contrapuntal techniques.
Prelude and fugue in f minor, from welltempered clavier book i johann sebastian bach. Prelude and fugue in gsharp minor, bwv 863 bach, johann. Welltempered clavier prelude and fugue 18 in gsharp minor. Model answers for the works in book ii bwv 870893 ii1 prelude and fugue in c major. Bach the well tempered clavier, book i, bwv 846869. Episode ii, modulating from g sharp minor to c sharp minor and close.
In each of the two parts of the wohltemperirte clavier, he brought together the. The prelude and fugue in csharp minor, bwv 849, is a pair of keyboard compositions by johann sebastian bach. There are countless analyses and interpretations of bachs wohltemperirte. C major, c minor, c sharp major, c sharp minor, d major, d minor, etc. The haunting fivevoice fugue in bflat minor has several characteristics which are notable. Prelude and fugue in f minor from welltempered clavier. It is virtually a double fugue, its second subject or countersubject having a separate exposition from bar 61 to 83, only slightly irregular at bars 71 to 75. Prelude and fugue in c minor, bwv 847, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. Book 1 opens with a prelude and fugue in the following sequence. One of the longest and most elaborate of the fortyeight, although containing no stretto. In bachs time clavier keyboard was a generic name indicating a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically a harpsichord or clavichord but not excluding. Prelude and fugue in csharp minor, bwv 849 wikipedia.
Fugue in csharp minor 25 comes back to repeat it, intensified, a whole step higher, in dsharp minor. In the case of the well tempered clavier book i, bach wrote the date 1722 on the. Well tempered clavier book one angela hewitt early music. Analysis of bachs g minor fugue bwv 861 jose rodriguez alvira and jose d. It is the second prelude and fugue in the first book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. Fugue no 22 in bflat minor, bwv 867 five voices the. The prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. In bachs time the final liberation of the key of d minor from the dorian mode was completed. An early version of the prelude, bwv 846a, is found in the klavierbuchlein fur wilhelm friedemann bach. Second, the theme features a dramatic and expressive leap of a minor 9th the big jump upwards between the 2nd and 3rd notes. This gives way to a triple motet fugue, with its even more solemn primary subject entering first in the.
Bach s c sharp minor prelude and fugue i wasnt planning on getting this post up tonight but i think i need to. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. Analysis of bach fugue in d minor free essay example. 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.
Prelude and fugue in gsharp minor, bwv 863 bach, johann sebastian. In each book, the first prelude and fugue set is in c major, followed by the next in c minor and so they ascend chromatically in major minor pairs. Book ii of her recording of bachs welltempered clavier was made between 1951 and 1954 at her home in lakeville. A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame of the prelude and the fugue. 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.
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