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 sharp major, bwv 848 bach, johann sebastian movementssections movtssecs. There are many ways you can support the school of music at nau, including monetary giving that helps us keep our music programs strong. Bach, aldwell, edward well tempered clavier book 1 amazon. 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.
In the case of the well tempered clavier book i, bach wrote the date 1722. Listen to bachs prelude and fugue in csharp minor from the welltempered clavier, book i. Also, inversions are found in key spots within the piece, and also create a. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 848 bach, johann. Prelude no 1 in c major by johann sebastian bach chords. 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.
Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 from wtc i a guide to. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, wtc i, bwv 848 j. At a first glance it might be thought to consist of thirteen notes, but it is almost. The prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. Curiously, the end of the first subphrase overlaps with the beginning of the second in measure 8, and this asymmetry likely accounts for the schwencke measure. In existing analyses of the 48 preludes and fugues. In each of the two parts of the wohltemperirte clavier, he brought together the musical couple prelude and fugue 24 times. 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. Also all the pitches of the fugue subject although not in the same order can be found in the first two measures of. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. Prelude and fugue in c sharp major, bwv 848, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. The fugues of book 1 left column have been migrated to flash, 2nd of three instance of the bach motive in wtc book i. 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.
Analysis of c sharp minor fugue from bach s welltempered clavier, book i duration. The other connection between prelude and fugue is the meter. Bach, aldwell, edward well tempered clavier book 1. 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. The five notes also contain one of the tensest intervals a diminished 4th. 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.
Welltempered clavier, book 1 by kimiko ishizaka, released 19 march 2015 1. 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. Second, the theme features a dramatic and expressive leap of a minor 9th the big jump upwards between the 2nd and 3rd notes. The first part of the wohltemperirte clavier dates from 1722, although it.
Starting in f sharp minor, it briefly touches the dominant before ending in the tonic. 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 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. This is the case for each of the 2 books of the welltempered clavier. Guide to bachs welltempered claviera wellmeaning effort, though badly misconceived, in my vieware the author eric lewin altschulers picks for the top ten fugues, the top ten subjects, the superstar four, and so on. I cant forget the first time i learned bachs csharp major prelude and fugue from book 2 of the welltempered clavier. Although it is certainly a busy piece, the touch must remain buoyant, and the harmonic outline interesting. Prelude and fugue in f major, bwv 856 from wtc i a guide to. Bach, aldwell, edward well tempered clavier book 1 music. Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 bach, johann sebastian. Js bach, the welltempered clavier online analysis, comments and audio. An early version of the prelude, bwv 846a, is found in the klavierbuchlein fur wilhelm friedemann bach.
The fugue in csharp major from the first book of j. But lately i have been feeling unsatisfied by goulds often rushed tempos. I own 20 different recordings of the wtc and this is by far my favorite. We will use the letters a and b to identify the motives. It is performed on piano by sviatslav richter, one of the bestregarded pianists of the twentieth century.
Prelude and fugue in f major, bwv 856 from wtc i a guide. It takes a sharp mind to unravel this mental puzzle. The haunting fivevoice fugue in bflat minor has several characteristics which are notable. Aug 31, 2010 i wasnt planning on getting this post up tonight but i think i need to. The 14 notes long subject is said to be related to bachs name. Bach, fugue in csharp major, wtc i, bwv 848 youtube. Motives from the subject will be used throughout the fugue we will use the letters a and b to identify the motives. A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame of. It is the third prelude and fugue in the first book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. Jun 09, 2016 the fugue in csharp major from the first book of j. For example, his prelude and fugue in csharp major. Take special care with the fugue, which begins at 3. Bars 914 can be seen as some kind of development section, after which the prelude returns to its beginning in bar 15 this time in a major, and closes with a brief coda. Book i for reading this prelude and fugue in the enharmonically equivalent key of dflat major.
The first part has 8 bars and opens with the characteristic motive of this prelude. A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame of the prelude and the fugue. Well tempered clavier book one angela hewitt early music. C major, c minor, c sharp major, c sharp minor, d major, d minor, etc.
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. Book 1 opens with a prelude and fugue in the following sequence. Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 from wtc i a guide. Forget gould, aldwell is the true successor to tureck.
Except somewhere before the final cadence, where you. Although bach keeps the arpeggio texture throughout the piece, the prelude. 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. Bachs welltempered clavier, performed by kimiko ishizaka, with an animated graphical score. But as you will see in our analysis, there are only 22 complete subjects.
Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 bach, johann. Americas first early music mavens, introduced me to the organ toccatas. The material within the episodes are a unique to this fugue. With the prelude, i was immediately drawn in and captivated by the incredible beauty and simplicity of the writing. Incidentally, this subject is an example of double dotting or. A fugue of unusual construction, in the few entries of the subject, and the very large proportion of episode. With the fugue, i was completely and utterly perplexed by the disjointed nature of the writing. The prelude is the first half of the first piece in bachs the welltempered clavier, which consists of two books of 24 preludes and. It is also said that the subject appears exactly 24 times in this fugue representing the 24 fugues in the first book of the welltempered clavier.
The essay on the fugue in csharp minor from the wtc, book 1, appeared in. Bachs welltempered clavier has been analyzed from almost every angle imaginable, yet it has not often. Bachs famous welltempered clavier, recorded for the first time on organ. The preludes of the welltempered clavier, volume i, of johann. Instrumentation clavier keyboard primary sources bach digital source list. 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 to give me peace of mind. There are 2 books of the welltempered clavier, with 24 pieces, each consisting of a prelude and fugue. Chords, melody, and music theory analysis of prelude no 1 in c major by johann sebastian bach. Works first published in the 19th century pages with commercial recordings. 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. This is the greatest welltempered clavier book 1 on the piano, period.
This prelude is an intentionally simple series of chord arpeggios, walking through some modulations in the vicinity of and returning back to c maj. The welltemperedclavier, book i part 1 wtc 1 french title. Bach recycled some of the preludes and fugues from earlier sources. The first book is more focused in its greater stylistic unity than its successor. Prelude and fugue in c sharp major, bwv848, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. It is the third prelude and fuguein the first book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. Motives from the subject will be used throughout the fugue. Print and download in pdf or midi prelude and fugue no. Bach wrote hundreds of pieces for organ, choir, as well as many other instruments. The key to play the p well is to not indulge too much in the pastoral character of the piece, but to keep a somewhat steady tempo and let the. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 848 wikipedia. Twentyfour preludes and fugues composed by johann sebastian bach. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 848 bach, johann sebastian movementssections movtssecs. An important feature of the fugue is its two pedal points bars 61 to 65, and 76 to 82.
Ends with a perfect cadence in the key of the dominant minor, c sharp. In fact, i no longer listen to any other piano version. In a conventional baroque fugue, the subject is first stated by itself. I wasnt planning on getting this post up tonight but i think i need to. Bachs welltempered clavier, performed by kimiko ishizaka, with an animated graphical. It is the 3rd prelude and fugue in the first book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. There are countless analyses and interpretations of bachs wohltemperirte clavier. There are many things you can say about the c major prelude from book 1 of the welltempered clavier, i presume, but heres my favourite nugget. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 848 bach, johann sebastian.
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