Prelude and Fugue in F sharp minor BWV 883 (The Well-Tempered Clavier, Part II)

Prelude and Fugue in F sharp minor ( BWV 883) form a pair of works from Part 2 of the Well-Tempered Clavier , a collection of preludes and fugues for keyboard instrument by Johann Sebastian Bach .

Emergence

It is possible that Bach composed the Prelude and Fugue especially for the Well-Tempered Clavier, as no early versions can be proven. It was written around 1740. However, it cannot be ruled out that a possible early version has been lost.

analysis

Topic (BWV 883, Prelude)

1st topic (BWV 883, fugue)

2nd topic (BWV 883, fugue)

3rd topic (BWV 883, fugue)

The theme of the prelude begins with a syncopated fourth case. A particular attraction of the subject is the triplet motif, which immediately follows the case of the fourth. Both motifs can be traced through the entire prelude and give it its specific character.

Alfred Dürr sees similarities in the prelude to the pre-classical sonata form and suggests a division of the piece into four parts and a coda (A: bars 1–11; B: 12–20; C: 21–29; A ': 30–39; coda : 40-43).

The following fugue is a three-part triple fugue . The first theme begins with a falling F sharp minor triad, touches the sixth and octave, and then drops back to the keynote. It is answered tonally as it progresses and mostly appears unchanged as Dux .

The second topic has a dotted rhythm as a special feature, but otherwise mostly remains in the background as a side topic.

The third theme is characterized by sixteenths and thus brings additional movement to the piece. The similarity to the second theme of the C sharp minor triple fugue from Part 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier is striking .

Alfred Dürr divides the fugue into three parts (A: bars 1–20; B: 20–36; C: 36–70), with part A having one, parts B and C each having 2 openings.

reception

The prelude and fugue in F sharp minor are generally considered to be among the top works of the well-tempered piano, in which the "freshness ... of the idea is combined with the clarified beauty of maturity" ( Werner Oehlmann ). Ferruccio Busoni says of the fugue : “The content, for all its wisdom, is full of youth; the thought stands next to the sensitive. "

literature

• Alfred Dürr : Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier. Bärenreiter, Kassel, 2nd edition 2000. ISBN 3-7618-1229-9
• Reclam's piano music guide. Volume 1: Early, Baroque and Classical . By Werner Oehlmann and Christiane Bernsdorff-Engelbrecht. Philipp Reclam jun., Stuttgart, 2nd edition 1993. ISBN 3-15-010112-3

Web links

• Hermann Keller: BWV 883