Composed during Bach's Leipzig period, BWV 906 consists of a complete Fantasia and an incomplete Fugue. The Fantasia showcases Bach's mature style with dramatic arpeggios and harmonic daring, while the Fugue's abrupt ending has sparked scholarly debate for centuries. Its technical demands, including rapid cross-hand passages, make it a pinnacle of Baroque keyboard literature, often performed on piano despite being written for harpsichord.
This Baroque keyboard work showcases Bach's experimental side with empfindsamer Stil sensitivity in the Fantasia and radical chromaticism in the unfinished Fugue. The manuscript abruptly ends mid-phrase, creating one of music's enduring mysteries.
Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906, is a renowned work for harpsichord. The fantasia is a dramatic and improvisatory prelude, while the fugue remains unfinished in the manuscript, breaking off after 27 measures. This has led to much scholarly discussion and various attempts at completion by other musicians.
