Learning das wohltemperierstes klavier question

[Jonasz]

Im learning das wohltemperierstes klavier book 1 edition peters and im now at fuga I.
and i got a few questions:
What does the term a 4 voci mean ?
Why is trhe fingering so weard ?
And is it because its for four hands?

Plz help me any help is appreciated 

[SteinwayTony]

A fugue is a polyphonic (many voices) work of counterpoint.  "A 4 voci" indicates that the fugue is in 4 voices.  Inventions are 2-voice exercises; sinfonias have 3 voices.  Generally the Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) fugues have 3 or 4 voices, though there are also 2- and 5-voice fugues as well.  All of them are to be played by two hands.

Pertaining to the fingering question, I do not own the Peters edition, but it is possible that the fingering was drawn with the fugal concept in mind -- that is, to maximize fluidity and distinction of all of the voices.  Again, this is just my estimation, as I do not have this edition.  I do have Henle, Wiener Urtext, and Dover.

You seem to be foreign to the concepts of polyphony and counterpoint.  I would suggest starting out with some inventions and sinfonias before tackling the preludes and fugues.  The notes of a fugue aren't necessarily difficult to get under your fingers, but a notes-only performance would be mind-numbingly boring.  You need practice in studying the way the voices interact.

[Jonasz]

im a noob to the term a (......) voci tried tofind out what it meant but couldnt find anything :S and theweard fingering isnt helping.

For those who dont know german
daswohl temperierstes klavier = The well tempered piano from j.s bach

[Jonasz]

What kind of book ore piece would you recommend to start off with so i can get some more experience on this point. I wish to learn more about it so if you would have any good suggestions

[bernhard]

Steinway Tony just beat me to it

Er… Have you ever played any Bach before? If not you may benefit from starting with the 2 voice inventions before tackling the WTC. And fugue 1 book 1, is not the easiest, so I would suggest you start with fugue 15 book 2 (arguably the easiest – but not easy by any means).

Then investigate what a fugue is. Try this site:

https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/wtc.html
(analysis of WTC with animation)


Finally:

4 voci means that the fugue is written in four “voices” or parts, that is there are four independent melodic lines that interweave according to a certain pattern. Playing a fugue properly demands that you get acquainted with such a pattern. The site above will help you.

The fingering is just a suggestion. If it is weird you may consider changing it. But considering your questions you better stick with it for a while.

And no, it is not written for four hands.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[bernhard]

What kind of book ore piece would you recommend to start off with so i can get some more experience on this point. I wish to learn more about it so if you would have any good suggestions

An excellent book for total beginners is:

Eric Lewin Althusser – Bachanalia (Little Brown).

A more advanced book with particular emphasis on performance is Bruhn’s, which is available on line here:

https://www-personal.umich.edu/~siglind/text.htm

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Jonasz]

thanks for the help and advise guys =) thsi will really help 

[jlh]

One reason for "weird" fingering in many fugues is because they were originally composed for organ and were meant to be played on more than one level of keyboard.  Since on a piano, there is only one keyboard, frequently the hands must interact very close to each other or in some places actually cross and play over or under one another.  Certain fingerings work better than others in these cases.

There is also a case to be made of the fact that baroque performers had different standards by which fingerings were chosen.  It was not unheard of for the thumb to play notes which now we usually reserve for fingers 2 and 3.  Also, using the thumb-under technique was just as common as using the fingers-over technique:

"Five fingers can only play five notes in a row. To extend this range, there are two main techniques: the turning under of the thumb and the crossing over of the fingers. Both must be done so that the tones flow smoothly. In keys with few or no accidentals, the crossing of the 3rd finger over the 4th and of the 2nd over the thumb are best suited for unbroken legato. "  (C.P.E.Bach, 1753).