Prelude c minor Bach

[faa2010]

Hi,

I am practicing both the Prelude and Fugue in c minor of Bach. These are my first pieces of the Well-Tempered Clavier.

One of my goals for years was to reach the level of this Prelude, with its Fugue as a bonus. But during the process, I knew other pieces which I want to learn like others from the WTC and an Italian Concerto (thanks to Nodame 😁).

But right now, I will focus in finishing what I am getting right now so I can advance with quality. Advice and feedback are welcome.

[roncesvalles]

For refining this, it might be a good idea to listen to several recordings of it, to see the nuances they give this piece.  What I felt was missing was dynamics and phrasing.  Every note seems to be at the same volume, with nothing emphasized, and no sense of shape.  This is a prelude that has the potential to be very dramatic or even fatalistic, but without any phrasing and nuance it sounds like a Czerny exercise or a midi file.  First of all I would consider what you feel like the piece expresses.  Then look closely at the harmonies--where are moments where tension seems to mount? where are moments when the harmonies seem to suggest more ease? You could also do the same thing with the outer note in each hand, treating them more melodically, which can also help you shape the whole.

You've done the hard work of getting it under your fingers, but now the work should be to make it refined and expressive.

[faa2010]

Thanks, if that's the case, then I should low the speed to consider all what you suggest because I feel I can't get the dynamis and phrasing if I play it faster. The recording I have listened and I wanted as a base is the one of Glenn Gould.

In Music History I learnt that each Prelude and Fugue of the WTC evoques a musical image, and this one evoques a barroque dance. Although when I listen and play Bach, I almost always think that it has to be rigid and strict when his pieces are played, always following the rules and be very serious about him and his music, and the scores I am looking for are in urtext.

[roncesvalles]

I think you can be serious with Bach and also play with sensitivity.  Listen to the Gould recording, how the outer notes of the figure in each measure stand out and the inner notes are quieter. This reflects a choice of what is important in the music, what should be emphasized and what should have a supporting role.   Notice how the outer notes are treated like a melody, with dynamic rises and falls depending on the musical context, including a big crescendo.  In the recording I just listened to, Gould is pretty moderate in expression for the piece, but the playing abounds in nuances that give the work a lot more depth than treating everything as the same volume, which makes it far more interesting and reflects not merely the notes that must be played but an understanding of the music and a vision for how to bring out the music as alive.