Easy preludes of the WTC

[bachfanatic]

Hi, everybody !

I'm an intermediate player. I'm very fond of the music of J.S. Bach. I would like to play some parts of the WTC. I've already played some preludes of Book 1. Fugues are too hard for me now. Here's what I played :

Prelude in C (of course)
Prelude in C minor
Prelude and Fugue in D (the only fugue I played)
Prelude in Eb minor
Prelude in G
Prelude in G minor

I'm not completely satisfied with C minor and G : I don't play them fast enough.

The fugue in D major is very sloppy.

I know there is a list on the forum which give an order of difficulty, but it is especially for the fugues, not for the preludes.

Do you know some others preludes around the same level I could play ? I have tried the fugues, but they're a nightmare to play !


Thank you in advance.

[slobone]

Well, difficulty usually depends on tempo. Book II, preludes in G, F minor, A minor aren't too bad -- if you don't try to take them too fast.

But don't give up on the fugues. They might take a little longer to learn, but they should be manageable for anybody who can play the preludes properly. Try the one in G major, Book II, it's not too bad.

[beethoven_fan]

Try No. 23 B major in Book II. The fugue is very easy.

[nanabush]

If you can play the prelude/fugue in D major from book 1, and the prelude in G, then you have a good technique to tackle a good number of fugues.

Don't rank them by slow/fast... some of the slowest preludes/fugues are on par with the most difficult.

What about the fugue in C minor from bk1.  That was the first prelude/fugue I played (followed by D major, then the G major bk1).  The fugue is in 3 voices, and the subject is extremely identifiable.

I really like the Prelude in F minor from book 2, and the Prelude in G# minor, also from book 2.  Both have some similarities in the melody.

The prelude in C# major from book 1 is really awesome, but if you don't like 7 sharps, then it might be a little hard to read.

[bachfanatic]

Thank for your answers !


Well, difficulty usually depends on tempo. Book II, preludes in G, F minor, A minor aren't too bad

I have looked at those, they seem pretty advanced for me. I have read that Book II is harder than Book I. Maybe I should get familiar with Book I first.

if you don't try to take them too fast.

I like to play them slowly. When you play slowly, you hear things that you don't hear when you play fast, especially in fugues.

But don't give up on the fugues.

They're one of the main reason of why I play the piano.

They might take a little longer to learn, but they should be manageable for anybody who can play the preludes properly

This may not be be true for every prelude and fugue, at least not for No. 1 in C major in Book I.

[bachfanatic]

If you can play the prelude/fugue in D major from book 1, and the prelude in G, then you have a good technique to tackle a good number of fugues.

Well, that's good news.


Don't rank them by slow/fast... some of the slowest preludes/fugues are on par with the most difficult.


Well, since Bach didn't write any tempo indication, I guess I'm allowed to play the piece the way which pleases me the most. I read somewhere in the forum (can't remember who said it) that if you play the prelude slowly, you should play the fugue slowly too. Or if you play the prelude fast, the fugue should be fast too. Every prelude should have the same tempo and atmosphere than the fugue. That's interesting, what do you think ?


What about the fugue in C minor from bk1.  That was the first prelude/fugue I played (followed by D major, then the G major bk1).  The fugue is in 3 voices, and the subject is extremely identifiable.

Yes, indeed C minor in Book I, is often said to be one of the easiest fugue in the work. I'm going to work on it in few weeks I think.


I really like the Prelude in F minor from book 2, and the Prelude in G# minor, also from book 2.  Both have some similarities in the melody.

G# minor ? Weird tonality ? And Bach adds lots of double sharps in the score. I guess that's a nightmare to play.


The prelude in C# major from book 1 is really awesome, but if you don't like 7 sharps, then it might be a little hard to read.

C# major : I truly love this prelude (the fugue is tremendous too). It was the first one I wanted to play when I first bought the score. When I opened the book and saw all these sharps, I hated Bach and called him names !

This prelude scares me. I'm not familiar with weird tonalities like these. I should learn some pieces with lesser sharps first.

Thank for all your answers.

[worov]

To Beethoven_fan

I have just tried B major from Book II. It is too hard for me. I would no recommend it to someone who isn't familiar with the others fugues. But I'm not an expert on the WTC and I'm only an intermediate player.

I would avise Prelude No. 9 in E major. It's pretty easy. I haven't played the fugue yet, so I can't say much about it.