What does BWV 846 stand for?
The Well-Tempered Clavier
The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893, German Das wohltemperierte Klavier, byname the Forty-eight, collection of 48 preludes and fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach, published in two books (1722 and 1742).
What is the difference between the prelude and fugue?
As nouns the difference between prelude and fugue is that prelude is an introductory or preliminary performance or event; a preface while fugue is (music) a contrapuntal piece of music wherein a particular melody is played in a number of voices, each voice introduced in turn by playing the melody.
What is Bach’s prelude?
The ‘Prelude’ is the first half of the first piece in Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, which consists of two books of 24 Preludes And Fugues each (48 in total) for solo keyboard.
What was significant about Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues for Piano?
The 48 Preludes and Fugues are regarded as the most influential works which ultimately revolutionised western classical music. The Well-Tempered Clavier comprehensively reassessed the approach to not only the playing the keyboard, but to composition in general.
What does fugue mean in music?
fugue, in music, a compositional procedure characterized by the systematic imitation of a principal theme (called the subject) in simultaneously sounding melodic lines (counterpoint). The term fugue may also be used to describe a work or part of a work.
What grade is Bach fugue in C major?
The piece (Prelude in C BWV 846) is graded at level 5 in certain places, but can be played after just a few weeks of piano.
Why did Bach write Prelude and Fugue?
Bach gave the title Das Wohltemperirte Clavier to a book of preludes and fugues in all 24 keys, major and minor, dated 1722, composed “for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning, and especially for the pastime of those already skilled in this study”.
What is the relationship between a prelude and fugue?
The prelude and fugue is a musical form generally consisting of two movements in the same key for solo keyboard. In classical music, the combination of prelude and fugue is one with a long history. Many composers have written works of this kind.
Why did Bach write prelude and fugue?
Is fugue sacred or secular?
Yet by the middle of the 18th century, the fugue had passed its peak in popularity with composers; in the late 18th century, the fugue would survive chiefly in sacred music as a model of hallowed tradition.
How does Bach play the Prelude and Fugue?
Bach plays with motionlessness as well. Towards the end of the Prelude, we hear long, motionless notes in the pedal and at a certain moment the movement seems to falter to a halt in a series of chords that go off the harmonic rails. In the Fugue, too, Bach strategically breaks the ongoing movement.
How long is the Prelude in C major by Bach?
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. Prelude is thirty five measures long. Although Bach keeps the arpeggio texture throughout the piece, the Prelude is written in five voice texture with a smooth voice leading.
How long is the Prelude and Fugue in C major?
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. Prelude is thirty five measures long.
How is the tension created in Bach’s Prelude?
Tension is created by using seventh chords and their inversions. In the first third of the Prelude, Bach alternates seventh chords (or inversions) with the resolution; therefore the tension is going slightly up and down every two measures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB_b9O8TxWg