Prael & Fugue F# major from WTC 1

[counterpoint]

Here the Prael & Fugue in F# major

[Rafant]

Finally! A P&F favourite of mine here. Thank you. It's a shame the high level of noise. I play the piece slower, but surely is because I can't trill with such a skill. Anyway, very well played, only that I hear several little pauses in the fugue, as if you had learned the piece in segments and still remains tiny breaks between them. Work in keeping the fluidity along the entire piece and it will be great.

[counterpoint]

only that I hear several little pauses in the fugue, as if you had learned the piece in segments and still remains tiny breaks between them.

Yeah, I have a metronome, and I know how it sounds, if one plays Bach Fugues with metronome. I don't like it at all. I would suggest to listen to the recording again. You will notice, that the "little pauses" are not random,  they cut the theme in two parts. That's because the theme consists of a question and an answer. There's a big question-mark (pause!) after the trill. Fluidity is not everything in music 
But most people are not interested in these things. They want the beat to start at the beginning of the piece and ending at the end. It's not my understanding of what's the substance of a musical piece. 

But thanks for your nice words about the piece and your encouragement! 

[zheer]

    Well played, sounds like a live performance on a electric piano.
Since i lack the ability to play Bach P&F i wont comment, though one thing that some pianists forget is that the sound of the shoes pressing on the pedal can be distracting, though thats something that can be sorted with-in a minut.

[counterpoint]

though one thing that some pianists forget is that the sound of the shoes pressing on the pedal can be distracting, though thats something that can be sorted with-in a minut.

Oh, the snapping sound was not from the pedal - but from the keys of the digital piano. They make this annoying sound, when they snap back after the finger leaves the key. I don't plan to play on this instrument once again in a concert.

[Rafant]

Therefore, you did such little pauses on purpose: It's a matter of question and answer. Very interesting. I had no idea about that. Is it a personal approach or it pertains to barroque style? You know that barroque scores lacks of such indications. Neither I heard any recording highlighting such aspects, though I'll remain alert from now on.  Thanks for enhancing my horizons.

[beethovenlover]

I think it's more a matter of understanding the nature of a fugue. Every fugue has subjects and answers, expositions and episodes.

http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/g_fugue.html

This may help a little bit. There are better more comprehensive sources out there that explain all about this and others styles though.

[counterpoint]

Therefore, you did such little pauses on purpose: It's a matter of question and answer. Very interesting. I had no idea about that.

Okay, that is the case in this special fugue - not every theme of a fugue is divided in these question and answer parts. Besides that, there are several cadencas in every fugue, which close a part of the piece. You propably meant these cadencas, where I made some slowdown before the new part begins.

Please be warned, that - if you do these tempo variations in baroque music - many people will call you mad and they will tell you, you have to play in strict, metronomical tempo. So you have the choice - you've be warned! 

[counterpoint]

I think it's more a matter of understanding the nature of a fugue. Every fugue has subjects and answers, expositions and episodes.

In this case, I talked about the question and answer which is in the subject itself. I found out, that many subjects in Bach's fugues are composed in this way: sometimes there is a notated pause between question and answer, sometimes you have to find the point where the question ends by yourself. In the Fugue C# major (WTC1) the "question" ends with note 11 followed by 3 falling septime jumps as an "answer". In the Fugue Eb major there is an 8th pause after the question. In the Fugue E minor, the end of the question is the first note in bar 2, the answer starts from the 2nd 16th of bar 2. You can't see it by just looking at the written music. In Fugue G minor there is an 8th pause after the question - everyone sees it. Same in Fugue A minor.

Of course there are several entrances of the subject which you may call question and answer as well.