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Johann Sebastian Bach: WTC 1

Each of the two volumes of the Well-tempered Clavier contains one prelude and one fugue in every major and minor key. Often called “the 48”, or the “Old Testament” of piano music (the new being Beethoven’s sonatas) it is perhaps the most important keyboard work of all time, and something that every pianist and every composer must tackle in one way or another – Chopin’s obvious allusion to the C major prelude BWV 846 in his Study Op. 10 no 1 is but one illustration of this.
The preludes are very varied in style and often deal with a specific technical feature, while the fugues are remarkable for their wide range of contrapuntal techniques and modes of expression.
The title suggests that Bach intended a well-tempered tuning system which gives a single instrument the ability to play in all 24 keys.
The opposing system in Bach´s day was meantone temperament in which keys with many accidentals sound out of tune.

Sheet Music Downloads:

Title	Key	Published	Type	Level
Prelude & Fugue BWV 846 no 1	C Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 847 no 2	C Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	7
Prelude & Fugue BWV 848 no 3	C-sharp Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	7
Prelude & Fugue BWV 849 no 4	C-sharp Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 850 no 5	D Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 851 no 6	D Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	7
Prelude & Fugue BWV 852 no 7	E-flat Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 853 no 8	E-flat Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 854 no 9	E Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 855 no 10	E Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 856 no 11	F Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 857 no 12	F Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 858 no 13	F-sharp Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 859 no 14	F-sharp Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 860 no 15	G Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 861 no 16	G Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 862 no 17	A-flat Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 863 no 18	G-sharp Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 864 no 19	A Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 865 no 20	A Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 866 no 21	B-flat Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 867 no 22	B-flat Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 868 no 23	B Major	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8
Prelude & Fugue BWV 869 no 24	B Minor	1722	Polyphonic, Piece	8

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