The melody throughout the piece in all of the voices has different variation as the main theme moves through them. Analysis of bachs keyboard works prelude in cmajor video. Consequently, formally assessing whether major key pieces exhibit. The two sections complement each other perfectly, the prelude having a rapid, flashy character while the fugue opens with a majestic, rising subject. Bachs the bass, slightly modified, is imitated at one bars distance by a partial entry in the tenor, a second higher. In the absense of additional fugal devices such as subject variation or countersubjects, bach develops the narrative from the most natural tension available in a fugue. The fugue in c minor from book 1 of bachs 48 is now generally described by english speakers as follows. To begin with the prelude, it consists of four voices. Our analysis included all 24 preludes and 24 fugues from bachs. The texture with all of the layers moving at once adds to the complexity of the piece. Fugue in c major by johann sebastian bach, bwv 953, from the notebook for wilhelm friedemann bach. The only acceptable tonal progressions from ii i are through v or vii if he obeys these rules, and since g is not in measure 14 it must be a vii, thus a vii o 43. Jan 25, 2007 i need some help analyzing the prelude in c maj from bach s wtc book 2.
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. As opposed to a full orchestral score, in a fugue written for keyboard instrument which is to say with all its voices condensed onto two staves which voice is which is by no means always selfevident. The symbols of the bach passacaglia by david rumsey ever since commentaries on the bach organ works began to appear, the passacaglia1 in c minor, bwv 582, has attracted considerable attention. If bach had continued to c major, as the parallel construction would suggest, he would have found himself nearing the end of the fugue in a poor situation. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 848 bach, johann. For example, the piece that ends the cycle of book 1, the great bminor fugue.
This is in contrast to modern songs which have a melody, usually sung or played by one voice, chords, and rhythm. Ausra motuzaitepinkeviciene prelude the prelude and fugue in c major from the wtc i are a very complex set of two pieces which reveals bach s mastery of harmonic and contrapuntal writing. It explores the intricacies of each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys and constitutes. Prelude and fugue, for organ in c details allmusic. A proper analysis of js bach s welltempered clavier is therefore simply a must for anybody who takes playing the 48 seriously. The voices appear in the exposition in the unusual order of subject answer answer subject. The two biggest potential problems may be 1 confusion of terms and 2 imprecise bracketing. In existing analyses of the 48 preludes and fugues.
Prelude and fugue in f major, bwv 856 from wtc i a guide. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. The following components of fugue analysis are illustratedbythefugueincminorfugueno. This page lists the fugal works of johann sebastian bach, defined here as the fugues, fughettas, and canons, as well as other works containing fugal expositions but not denoted as fugues, such as some choral sections of the mass in b minor, the st matthew passion, the st john passion, and the cantatas. The first is a simple back and white horizontal time line showing each subject entry along a vertical axis of voices. A fugue is a style of musical composition where a theme melody is introduced, and then repeated in one or more other voices. This fugue in c major, the first fugue from the first book of bach s welltempered clavier, presents several interesting aspects.
The tension is finally resolved in the last two measures by the final cadence in f major. Sometimes js bach introduces 16th notes only at a later time in a fugue, in order to raise the overall level of tension e. It is generally accepted that this music takes an important part in bachs work since it is the first composition of wtc ii. After the exposition bach presents numerous stretti without any.
Prelude and fugue in c minor by aaron pang on prezi. Bach, wtc i, fugue in e minor this post is for a friend of mine, who is trying to perfect the art of wooing women using his music theory and analysis skills. Using the analytical questions above, go through j. This is especially true for the longer pieces, only few can really understand those in detail merely based on musical instinct and talent i, for instance, cant. The fugue is a more reasonable tempo, but where gulda made big crescendos out of each piece in the pair, schiff isnt trying to inject a formal analysis onto the piece. Hes critical enough to help us hear the lines with separation, but not to the degree that it becomes too mannered. For another example of bach s programmatic numerology, see the final fugue of the welltempered clavier, no.
He uses seven in the first half and seven in the second half of the piece. Are there any websitesother resources available that will be useful for me. It is the first prelude and fugue in the first book of. Prelude c minor the c min prelude of book 1 finds a parallel in wilhelm friedemann bachs clavierbuchlein keyboard booklet and, as ledbetter points out, it is quite clearly an exercise to make all fingers of both hands busy which, today, may seem nothing special, but at jsbs time it was a rather modern concept. At a first glance it might be thought to consist of thirteen notes, but it is almost. Analysis of bachs fugue bwv 846 in c major wtc i teoria. Then all keys, each major key followed by its parallel minor key, are followed through, each time moving up a half tone.
Here is the first exposition of fugue 2 in c minor in book i of the j. The eight subjects in the first book of bach s welltempered clavier where at least two sources disagree on the end of the subject. The harpsichord is copied from a one manual instrument built by hans moerman in antwerp 1584. Bachs welltempered clavier are a particularly consistent corpus in their exploration of the 24 major and minor tonalities in 48 pairs of preludes. Prelude and fugue in a major, bwv 864 bach, johann sebastian. This study uses bach s fugue in c minor from book i of the welltempered clavier to develop the methodology. Expression, analysis, and nationalism in the art of fugue. Book i for reading this prelude and fugue in the enharmonically equivalent key of dflat. 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. The fugue is for three voices, which may be labelled soprano, alto and bass, and the independence and integrity of each are strictly maintained until the last two bars, when chords are introduced to lend fullness and finality. Unaccompanied sonatas and partitas of johann sebastian bach by gregory fulkerson. It was the first fugue to be jazzed and the first to be switched on. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 848 bach, johann sebastian. A fugue of unusual construction, in the few entries of the subject, and the very large proportion of episode.
A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame. In each book, the first prelude and fugue set is in. Temporal gestalt analysis and principles of form and contrast in bach s welltempered clavier, book 1 by. An early version of the prelude, bwv 846a, is found in the klavierbuchlein fur wilhelm friedemann bach. Fugue i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier first. Sometimes the first three notes are given in a contrary motion as in bar 31 bass part. Prelude and fugue in c minor, from welltempered clavier book i johann sebastian bach. Finally, there is an outstanding set of analysis with illustrations and examples by. Many consider the two books of the welltempered clavier bach s finest keyboard collection. Bach s c major prelude from the welltempered clavier book i johann sebastian bach s prelude in c major from the first book of the welltempered clavier appears rather simple on the surface of its rhythmic, structural and harmonic forms, but further layers reveal a complex form grounded in harmonic manipulation and. Fugue analysis of the bachs fugue bwv 847 by paul walker. The well tempered clavier was a collection of preludes and fugues in all the keys possible on a keyboard. The first fugue in the welltempered clavier is a beautiful introduction to the world of bachs fugues.
Prelude and fugue in bflat major from welltempered clavier. The awareness of this overriding elevenpitchclass sensitivity becomes more evident in examining compositions such as the prelude and fugue in c major from the first volume of the welltempered clavier by j. Bach, wtc i, fugue in e minor matthew saunders blog. Johann sebastian bach fugue 1, c major welltempered clavier, book i, bwv 846. Take this example from the csharp minor fugue of book 1 of bachs welltempered clavier. From an album featuring a flemish harpsichord on pandora records.
In each book the first prelude and fugue is in c major, followed by a prelude and fugue in its parallel minor key. How do you master the masterpieces of johann sebastian bach. List of fugal works by johann sebastian bach wikipedia. Actually not really thoughts, just some statistics. Click on the link below each diagram to access an interactive version of these analysis, with scores. After the exposition bach presents numerous stretti without any interruption. Bach, the welltempered clavier, book i, fugue no 1 in c. Analysis of bachs g minor fugue bwv 861 complete fugue. Its subject is remarkable for containing every one of the twelve pitches of the chromatic scale, thus forming a fitting conclusion to a collection of pieces whose avowed intent is to demonstrate the validity of each of the twelve pitches of the chromatic scale. Prelude and fugue in bflat major from welltempered. In the first exposition of a fugue, all of the voices state the.
Fugue no 1 in c major, bwv 846 the welltempered clavier. The preludes of the welltempered clavier, volume i, of johann. Its subject is remarkable for containing every one of the twelve pitches of the chromatic scale, thus forming a fitting conclusion to a collection of pieces whose avowed intent is to demonstrate the validity of each of the twelve pitches of the. Sep 12, 2012 a fugue is a somewhat more complex matter. The prelude and fugue in c major exists in an earlier version possibly written when bach was in weimar, 17081717, but the present version is a revision bach made while in leipzig. 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 first volume of the welltempered clavier by j. Analysis of c sharp minor fugue from bachs welltempered clavier, book i duration. Particularly interesting for a more general audience are two different visualizations of each fugue. As the title of the book suggests, renwick assumes a prior knowledge of the principles of schenkerian analysis and the various symbols and notational procedures associated with this system. A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame of the prelude and the fugue. Prelude and fugue in c sharp minor from welltempered. The symbols of the bach passacaglia by david rumsey.
This prelude is an intentionally simple series of chord arpeggios, walking through some modulations in the vicinity of and returning back to c maj. This fugue in c major, the first fugue from the first book of bachs welltempered clavier, presents several interesting aspects. This subject is then stated in a second voice while the first continues with a countersubject. I need some help analyzing the prelude in c maj from bach s wtc book 2. Prelude and fugue in aflat major from welltempered. I primarily intend to explore bach s formal strategies as they exist in the welltempered clavier. The subject of this fugue co which is in the alto, extends to the first note in the third crotchet of bar 2. 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. Bach s welltempered clavier, performed by kimiko ishizaka, with an animated graphical score. We have already done some of the analysis in class, but go through it in more detail, answering all of the questions from the text. This study uses bachs fugue in c minor from book i of the welltempered clavier to develop the methodology. Fugue analysis music theory for the 21stcentury classroom.
It explores the intricacies of each of the 12 major and 12 minor keys and constitutes the largestscale and mostinfluential undertaking for. 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. If you follow the link below, you can find a comparison of the speed of execution, measured in beats per minute, for 17 key recordings of js bach s well tempered clavier. 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 majorminor pairs. In each book, the first prelude and fugue set is in c. He had written a total of 48 pieces scattered throughout 2 books. The fugue shows bach mastery of the contrapuntal writing. Prelude i in c major, bwv 846 well tempered clavier. The first fugue in the welltempered clavier is a beautiful introduction to the world of bach s fugues. Within the first 3 measures, you find bach brilliantly transcripts the first part of the answer and positions it at the end of the countersubject in an inversion. As it moves by step from tonic to dominant, and does not modulate, it takes a real answer, given to the treble. Bachs c major prelude from the welltempered clavier book i johann sebastian bachs prelude in c major from the first book of the welltempered clavier appears rather simple on the surface of its rhythmic, structural and harmonic forms, but further layers reveal a complex form grounded in harmonic manipulation and.
The fortyeight preludes and fugues that make up the two books of the welltempered clavier were compiled at two different timesthe first book in 1722 while bach was in kothen and in 1742 in leipzig. The fugue has practically no episodes, and, as scholars have pointed out, the subject enters 24 times as a reference to the number of pf in book 1, which seems not to be a coincident, given jsbs fondness of number symbolic. Assuming you mean melodic chords, in measure it is on the second scale degree and in measure 15 it is in the first. Sep 20, 2011 the bach little fugue in g minor is an amazing piece that adds to the understanding of the musical elements that are throughout the piece. Well analyse prelude in c major in welltempered clavier, bk. Bachs prelude and fugue in c major eleven pitch class. Johann sebastian bachs well tempered clavier posts facebook. In music, a fugue fju fewg is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject a musical theme that is introduced at the beginning in imitation repetition at different pitches and which recurs frequently in the course of the composition. Although bach keeps the arpeggio texture throughout the piece, the prelude is written in five voice texture with a smooth voice leading. Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 from wtc i a guide to.
Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 from wtc i a guide. An important feature of the fugue is its two pedal points bars 61 to 65, and 76 to 82. The first fugue in the welltempered clavier is a beautiful introduction to the. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. Well tempered clavier book i, prelude c major we start our analysis with the, so to say, entry door into the 48, the well tempered clavier book i, prelude c maj. The amajor fugue, fast and exciting, is one of the best performances here. This simple graphic documents the entire fugue, book 2. A fugue is structured as a set of voices, where each voice is a mostly monophonic sequence of notes. Four organ fugues of bach bwv 578, bwv 533, bwv 545, and. We visit the concert hall for many reasons, but chief among them the hope that our lives may be made richer and perhaps even justified by aural communion with transcendent human imaginations. Fugue opening from fantasy and fugue in c major, k.
For more information, and discussion on this method and its results, please see the fugues main page and the bibliographical references. To continue the parallelism from c major, would require a move to d minor following pattern of the second and third expositions in g major and a minor, respectively. Nov 21, 2006 prelude and fugue in b flat major, from book i, welltempered clavier johann sebastian bach. Although bach keeps the arpeggio texture throughout the piece, the prelude is written in five voice texture with. Prelude and fugue in c minor bach had written this piece as part of the well tempered clavier. The fugues subject is announced in the opening bars in one of the fugues three or four voices on rare occasions, two or even five voices are found. The fugue c maj is a beautifully flowing piece of music, which is seemingly the perfect choice to be the introductory fugue to book 1. At first this was part of the general bach discussions forkel 1802, spitta 1873 but in the 20th century it became an increasingly.
The relationship between the prelude and the fugue amiah. Johann sebastian bach 16851750 written in 1722, publicated in 1801. Prelude and fugue in d major, bwv 850 bach, johann sebastian. When a tonal answer is used, it is customary for the exposition to alternate subjects s with answers a, however, in some fugues this order is occasionally varied. Prelude and fugue in f major, bwv 856 from wtc i a guide to. Temporal gestalt analysis and principles of form and.
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