The Well-Tempered Clavier is one of the most celebrated keyboard work. The first volume was completed in 1722 by Johann Sebastian Bach. But one, the Prelude and Fugue in C minor, is very famous. More famous than some of the others. Bach wanted to test equal temperament (a tuning system that makes it possible to play all major/minor keys) in his 2 volumes of The Well-Tempered Clavier. The genre is a solo keyboard work and a keyboard harpsichord performs the piece.
The Prelude goes on, and on, and on, never seeming to stop. It sounds free (it is improvised), yet after about 1 minute, one hand pauses long enough to echo the other hand in strict imitation. It is very fast without a very clear melody melody - running sixteenth-notes in both hands. Each measure outlines a single chord. The music modulates from c minor to E-flat major, then back to c minor. Presto turns into Adagio, which is a free, cadenza-like passage. The extremely unified mood gives Prelude its momentum. The final chord is in C major (tierce de Picardie).
The Fugue is much slower and creative. It has a strong rhythmic drive throughout. It uses 3 voices (SAB) which is based on short, incisive themes. There is a disjunct 2 measure theme in the Subject and the Answer - it is first stated alone, then with quick moving polyphonic lines. The Subject is presented by Alto in c minor, a tonal answer, a tonal answer is heard in the soprano in g mionr, and the Subject is heard in the bass again. There are 2 countersubjects. The piece ends when it reaches the C major chord (tierce de Picardie).
Teacher's Comments
- Which era is this piece written in?
- What does Tierce de Picardie mean?
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