Piano Forum



International Piano Day 2024
Piano Day is an annual worldwide event that takes place on the 88th day of the year, which in 2024 is March 28. Established in 2015, it is now well known across the globe. Every year it provokes special concerts, onstage and online, as well as radio shows, podcasts, and playlists. Read more >>

Topic: Bach - Prelude and Fugue in b minor, BWV869 (WTC I)  (Read 4681 times)

Offline andhow04

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 683
UPDATE: 2/25/13 i replaced this with a new version, as i gave this most difficult fugue time to settle in, iw as able to clarify my thinking on the piece, and also relax the technique a little bit.  the previous version was somehow riddled with small little mistakes, like split notes, that i think was the result of the piece not really being settled.  the difficulty of the voicing, and of how the music unfolds, i think only dawned on me slowly, and i recorded it originally after only having spent a week learning it.



after a few weeks hiatus i am resuming the well tempered clavier project.. had some importnat concerts and other things to attend to and even though i was able to practice bach was not able to record anything!
here is the magisterial final prelude and fugue from the first book.  the prelude is in three parts with the beloved walking bass line underscoring a very unornamented but rich dialogue between two sustained upper voices. one of his most beautiful and accessible works..

the fugue is of course famous for using all twelve chromatic tones in the subject. that, coupled with the somewhat unmelodic contortions bach has to do to make a suitable answer, makes the harmony the most "modern" or at least un-baroque sounding; it also makes the winding pathway through the piece harder to grasp, i think. landowska aids the listener by making grand pauses at strategic spots, which i love but couldn't copy.  this is one of those fugues that is difficult in conception and design, and challenges the pianists sense of touch; this is only my first try at it and i am sure i will return to it in the future.  hope you enjoy


here's b minor from the second book:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=44956.0

(33)

Offline j_menz

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10148
Re: Bach - Prelude and Fugue in b minor, BWV869 (WTC I)
Reply #1 on: May 07, 2012, 01:56:20 AM
Nicely done, especially for a first go.  That is one of my all time favourite fugues, and you are correct about its musical complexity.  I haven't heard the Landowska version, but I don't like the sound of the "grand pauses". 

I think, like so many of Bach's pieces, it is a lifetime of study and reward. I'm sure you will return to it many times.
"What the world needs is more geniuses with humility. There are so few of us left" -- Oscar Levant

Offline andhow04

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 683
Re: Bach - Prelude and Fugue in b minor, BWV869 (WTC I)
Reply #2 on: May 07, 2012, 11:48:17 PM
Nicely done, especially for a first go.  That is one of my all time favourite fugues, and you are correct about its musical complexity.  I haven't heard the Landowska version, but I don't like the sound of the "grand pauses". 

I think, like so many of Bach's pieces, it is a lifetime of study and reward. I'm sure you will return to it many times.

hehe! maybe i phrased it badly. i think she plays it in a grand style, taking large breaths at certain structulra points. its her answer, i think, to the challenge of making this fugue work for the listener... gould on the other hand just plays it twice as fast as everyone esle. richters is so slow i sort of find it unbearable! i dont particularly enjoy his bach in general.
thanks for listening

Offline iratior

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 274
Re: Bach - Prelude and Fugue in b minor, BWV869 (WTC I)
Reply #3 on: May 08, 2012, 05:09:29 PM
I especially liked the exquisite shading you achieved for the voices.  I realize how hard that is to do.  There are some tough customers out there when it comes to Bach fugues, though!  Back in the 1990's there was a point when I had memorized all the fugues in WTC 1 except the one in B minor.  I met a friend at an art opening one evening though, and told her about it.  "Oh!  That fugue is the only one I like,"  she said.

Offline andhow04

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 683
Re: Bach - Prelude and Fugue in b minor, BWV869 (WTC I)
Reply #4 on: May 21, 2012, 01:15:53 PM
I especially liked the exquisite shading you achieved for the voices.  I realize how hard that is to do.  There are some tough customers out there when it comes to Bach fugues, though!  Back in the 1990's there was a point when I had memorized all the fugues in WTC 1 except the one in B minor.  I met a friend at an art opening one evening though, and told her about it.  "Oh!  That fugue is the only one I like,"  she said.

funny. yes this one is a different experience to memorize, though not the hardest in my opinion.  so far the hardest fugue for me personally to memorize has been A major from book I. it seems so unmelodic to me it is hard to keep it all organized in my mind. i go between hating it and somewhat liking it...

the difficulty with b minor i think is the amount of analytical thought it takes to sort out what is what, there are a lot of hidden connections between the theme and the non-theme material and it really helps to study it, away form the piano.
thanks for listening
For more information about this topic, click search below!
 

Logo light pianostreet.com - the website for classical pianists, piano teachers, students and piano music enthusiasts.

Subscribe for unlimited access

Sign up

Follow us

Piano Street Digicert