Prelude And Fugue Analysis

Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 861 (Book 1) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Bach completed the first volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722 at the age of 37. The aim of the book was to write a prelude and fugue in all keys which are arranged in an ascending chromatic scale in pairs of major and minor scales, for example, C major, C minor, C-sharp major, C-sharp minor, et cetera, for those who wished to learn.

Though written in a minor, the piece is by no means stately or solemn in tone. The prelude opens with a dream-like trill in the right hand which comes back later when the subject is absent. At such moments scales play in contrary motion in different ranges and voices. Similarly, the recurring theme of the fugue disguises itself and reappears in all four voices and in different ranges. Starting in the alto and beginning on a dominant, the answer is tonal, with a regular countersubject accompanying the subject. We encounter two stretti in this fugue, one in bar 1 to 2, where two voices, the bass and the alto plays. The final stretto consists of the treble, tenor and the bass echoing the subject at regular intervals. Though both the Prelude and the Fugue are typical of Bach’s style, its accessories overlap with the main motif, giving rise to a lighter, melodic tune.

Sonata in A

Each section is further subdivided. The first section introduces the motif, which includes fast, slightly detached and energetic chords. The motif comes back slightly modified within a couple of bars’ time. The second section modulates to the key of B major which is divided into two more subsections, which is extremely different from the loud, energetic and almost violent start. However, here too the key changes momentarily in D-sharp minor. The final section that closes the piece echoes the first section which then ends in its tonic