RCM Basic History – The Well Tempered Clavier Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (Baroque)

The Well-Tempered Clavier

Prelude And Fugue In C Minor

        Johann Sebastian Bach wrote this prelude and fugue and this was a part of his first volume of The Well-Tempered Clavier, which was completed in 1722, when he was in Cothen. The prelude is in a perpetual motion type of music with never-ending sixteenth notes for both hands. At bar 25, there is an arpeggio-like, monophonic texture passage briefly till bar 28. Then, one hand stops to echo the other hand in strict imitation with a fast presto, the left hand only one measure behind the right hand. This leads to a free, cadenza-like passage. At the end of this prelude, there is a pedal point till the end with a tierce de Picardie. This fugue by Bach has three voices: the soprano, the tenor and the bass. The subject in this fugue is 2 measures. The exposition is started by the subject in C minor followed by an answer in G minor and countersubject 1. At bar 5, there is a bridge followed by another subject in C minor and countersubjects 1 and 2. The first episode starts form bar 9 till bar 11 where there is a subject in E-flat major and both countersubjects. Bar 11 is also where the exposition ends and the middle section begins. The second episode is followed by both countersubjects and the subject in G minor at bar 15. The third episode ends the middle section and the closing section begins at bar 20. The subject in C minor and countersubjects 1 and 2 start the closing section followed by the last episode. At bar 26, both countersubjects and the subject in C minor are followed by the last subject in C minor. Pedal point appears along with the subject. This fugue ends in a tierce de Picardie just like the prelude.