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. 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. Subject and countersubject detection for analysis of the well. Bach, wtc i, fugue in e minor matthew saunders blog. Read this essay sample on bach toccata and fugue in d minor analysis. Bachs fugue ii in c minor the welltempered clavier, book i. Ralph kirkpatrick has noted that bach did not pay much attention to the character of each collection as a wholethat is to say, bach did not conceive each book as a whole possessed of underlying unity, but rather as a compendium of odds and ends, a box of chocolates. Bach achieves this by using fragments of the subject, inversions, tonicization, and augmentation. The 14 notes long subject is said to be related to bach s name. Sep 12, 2012 the two books of preludes and fugues in alternately major and minor keys twentyfour in each were not written in sequence or as a single concerted effort. Although bach keeps the arpeggio texture throughout the piece, the prelude is written in five voice texture with a smooth voice leading. Are there any websitesother resources available that will be useful for me. Prelude and fugue in f minor, bwv 881 bach, johann sebastian.
A proper analysis of js bach s welltempered clavier is therefore simply a must for anybody who takes playing the 48 seriously. Is it just me, or does bachs wtc book 1 seem sassier. Choose from 122 different sets of fugue bach minor flashcards on quizlet. But as you will see in our analysis, there are only 22 complete subjects. Performance recording can be found on youtube under jnfmusic. Consider his 1962 interpretation of bachs prelude in c minor from book one of the welltempered. Get an idea of how to write your essay about prelude and fugue in d minor bwv 851 analysis. Bach the well tempered claiver book 2 feinberg youtube. 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 well tempered clavier was a collection of preludes and fugues in all the keys possible on a keyboard. Right no, i am having trouble with figuring out what the harmonic analysis should be for the 3rd measure of this piece.
Prelude and fugue in c minor by aaron pang on prezi. Analysis of bachs fugue bwv 847 in c minor wtc i jose rodriguez alvira 2011 jose rodriguez alvira. In the case of the well tempered clavier book i, bach wrote the date 1722 on the title page of the fair copy. The haunting fivevoice fugue in bflat minor has several characteristics which are notable. 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. Bach wrote hundreds of pieces for organ, choir, as well as many other instruments. Well tempered clavier book one angela hewitt early music. Bachs welltempered clavier are a particularly consistent. Prelude and fugue in c minor, from welltempered clavier book i johann sebastian bach. Analysis of bachs g minor fugue bwv 861 complete fugue. The rapid, strongly rhythmic, headbobbing prelude has much in common with bach s earlier twopart inventions. Analysis of bach s fugue bwv 871 in c minor wtc book 2 analysis of bach s fugue no 1 in c minor wtc book 1, bwv 847 analysis of bach s g minor fugue from book ii of the wtc bwv 885 analysis of the c major invention bwv 772 by bach.
It is the fourth prelude and fugue in the first book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by. Particularly interesting for a more general audience are two different visualizations of each fugue. Johann sebastian bach was a noted german composer, keyboardist, and violinist. 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. He had written a total of 48 pieces scattered throughout 2 books. 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 piece features a heavily appoggiaturaladen harmony. Bach began the composition during his time in weimar, and an unfinished fugue, probably by bach, was added in his later life.
In the first bars 10 to 12 the figure from bar 4 is treated 26 analysis of j. 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. The two biggest potential problems may be 1 confusion of terms and 2 imprecise bracketing. Prelude and fugue in f minor from welltempered clavier book. Prelude and fugue in f minor, bwv 881 bach, johann sebastian movementssections movtssecs. Prelude and fugue in b minor, bwv 893, is a keyboard composition by johann sebastian bach. The welltempered clavier, book 2 glenn gould on allmusic 1993 allmusic. He completed book i in 1722 and book ii a generation later in 1742. In each book, the first prelude and fugue set is in c. 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. Using the analytical questions above, go through j. 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. 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 prelude and fugue in csharp minor, bwv 849, is a pair of keyboard compositions by johann sebastian bach.
Bwv 872 alternate version 872a icatalogue number icat. This simple graphic documents the entire fugue, book 2, no. Bach s immortal 48 preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys was written for clavier, and in bach s time that could mean any keyboard instrument. The fantasia and fugue in c minor, bwv 562 is a relatively short piece written for the organ by johann sebastian bach. Prelude and fugue in c major, bwv 846 from wtc i a guide to. Bach had successfully composed his fugue 16 in g minor.
The cadenza at the end should sound improvised without losing its way. Analysis of bachs fugue bwv 871 in c minor wtc, book ii. The welltemperedclavier, book ii wtc 2 french title. Prelude and fugue in f minor, from welltempered clavier book i johann sebastian bach. 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. The exposition first episode measures 12 to 19 measures 19 to 24 final measures complete fugue. Bachs welltempered clavier indepth analysis and interpretation siglind bruhn. In the second episode bars 25, 26 the same figure is employed by inverse move ment. May 15, 2008 there is a 2 keyboard section which even stumps me as to how to interpret. Fugue no 2 in cminor, bwv 847 the welltempered clavier. Model answers for the works in book i bwv 846869 i1 prelude and fugue in c major.
S 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. This theme gives the fugue a touch of gentleness, and bach decides to. The c minor fugue, in three voices, is textbook material for learning what a fugue really is. Prelude and fugue in c minor, bwv 847 bach, johann sebastian movementssections movtssecs. Florida state university libraries electronic theses, treatises and dissertations the graduate school 2004 toward a methodology for the analysis of fugue. Prelude and fugue in aflat major, bwv 886 bach, johann. But in keeping with the late works of artists such as shakespeare, beethoven and goya, it contains elements of pathos, humour. This is one of bach s most searching, questioning preludes, and imaginative use of the key gives this preludeand fugue pair a harmonic and textural richness. Rubati hinted at earlier reemerge in fuller, more purposeful bloom. Jan 25, 2007 i need some help analyzing the prelude in c maj from bach s wtc book 2.
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. The eight subjects in the first book of bach s welltempered clavier where at least. There is a descending sequence which should be very expressively performed the 16th note sections. Bach s c minor fugue bwv 871 from the second book of the wtc offers an excellent example of three contrapuntal techniques. 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.
They occupied bach across most of his creative life, from his late twenties to about sixty. His works such as the brandenburg concertos are known for their technical depth and artistic beauty. Prelude and fugue in csharp minor, bwv 849 wikipedia. Analysis of c sharp minor fugue from bachs welltempered clavier, book i duration. The theme of this fugue functions not only as a complete musical organism but also as the. Incidentally, this subject is an example of double dotting or. 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. This passage is bars 67, at the end of the codetta before the first entry of the third voice, the bass, in the exposition. It is interesting to hear how kimikos interpretation of the piece evolved from 20 to 2014, over.
The welltempered clavier, book 2 glenn gould on allmusic 1993. On the 24 fugues of the first book of bachs welltempered clavier, the algorithm. Bachs sequentially in the bass, followed by a fragment of the subject the third episode bars 3 1 to 33 is a free inversion of this. The well tempered clavier book 2 scrolling youtube. Sequences used by bach can be described as important connective tissues which brings contrast, musically significant material, and structural support. Analysis of bach fugue bwv 846 in c major wtc book 1. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionnoncommercialnoderivatives 4. 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. You can hear the later, studio recording of the same piece in this video. Bach s famous welltempered clavier, recorded for the first time on organ.
Prelude and fugue in c minor, bwv 847 bach, johann sebastian. Feb 24, 2014 to make the harmonic changes a little easier to follow since the music moves along fairly quickly, i simplified the labeling of chords in inversion rom. The first is a simple back and white horizontal time line showing each subject entry along a vertical axis of voices. Hewitts uncommonly brisk and elegantly poised g sharp minor book 2 fugue has acquired conversational light and shade. Prelude and fugue in c minor, bwv 847, is a keyboard composition written by johann sebastian bach. 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. In a conventional baroque fugue, the subject is first stated by itself. Johann sebastian bach s the art of fugue is a work of high art. I want to create a variation on this song, but bach s harmonies are hard to figure out sometimes. Ijb 491 key aflat major movementssections movtssecs.
It is the 24th and final prelude and fugue in the second book of the welltempered clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. Preludes and fugues the welltempered clavier, by j. The prelude and fugue in c sharp minor, bwv 849, is a pair of keyboard compositions by johann sebastian bach. In essence, whether it be the episodes modulating to a new key, or tonicizing back to g minor, the entire fugue comes solely from the subject. There is consequently less variety in this fugue than in many others of the collection. After all four voices have entered with the theme, bach starts making things more. Daveconservatoire uses a live performance by kimiko ishizaka from 20 to exemplify various fugal constructions in this video. Aug 31, 2010 i wasnt planning on getting this post up tonight but i think i need to. 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. The welltempered clavier, or preludes and fugues through all tones and semitones, relating to the major third, that is, ut re mi, as well as those related to the minor third, that is, re mi fa.
Analysis of bach s fugue bwv 846 in c major wtc book 1. 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. Performance recording can be found on youtube under. Barolsky and martens, rendering the prosaic persuasive. Prelude and fugue in csharp major, bwv 872 bach, johann.
Prelude and fugue in c minor bach had written this piece as part of the well tempered clavier. Second, the theme features a dramatic and expressive leap of a minor 9th the big jump upwards between the 2nd and 3rd notes. A detailed guide that analyzes the structural, harmonic and thematic frame of the prelude and the 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. As a quintessential baroque fugue, bach s d major fugue from book 1 of the welltempered clavier will make for suitable illustration of how to analyze a fugue. Book ii of her recording of bach s welltempered clavier was made between 1951 and 1954 at her home in lakeville. Bach loved numbers, symbolism, and symmetry, so this is very likely his way of. An examination of selected bach organ works scott roberts follow this and additional works at the fsu digital library. If there are two or more subjects, or if the countersubject has a strong individual character, differences in the emotional content to use an unacademic term of the subjects. In bachs time clavier keyboard was a generic name indicating a variety of.
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