This prelude and fugue demonstrates Bach's mastery of chromatic harmony and complex voice-leading, characteristic of his mature style in The Well-Tempered Clavier.
This prelude and fugue from Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier demonstrates Bach's mastery of counterpoint, featuring a chromatic prelude with flowing sixteenth notes contrasted by a strictly structured four-voice fugue. The F minor key gives it a somber character typical of Bach's explorations in minor modes.
The Well-Tempered Clavier, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, is a foundational collection of preludes and fugues in all major and minor keys. Book I (1722) includes the F minor Prelude and Fugue (BWV 857), showcasing Bach's contrapuntal mastery. The prelude features intricate two-part invention, while the three-voice fugue demonstrates rigorous thematic development. This work established equal temperament tuning as standard and influenced composers for centuries.
This 4-voice fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I features a chromatic subject with complex strettos, embodying Bach's mastery of counterpoint. Its austere beauty contrasts with the delicate sarabande rhythm of the preceding prelude, together forming one of Bach's most profound explorations of minor-key tonality.
The Prelude and Fugue in F minor, BWV 857, is a pair of keyboard pieces from the first book of J.S. Bach's seminal work, The Well-Tempered Clavier. The prelude is a contemplative and harmonically rich movement, while the fugue is a complex four-voice composition showcasing Bach's supreme mastery of counterpoint. This work is a cornerstone of the Baroque keyboard repertoire and demonstrates the equal temperament tuning system Bach advocated for.
