Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major, BWV 866

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The Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major, BWV 866, is a keyboard composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the 21st prelude and fugue in the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier , a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. It was composed no later than 1722. [1]

Contents

Prelude

The prelude is in common time (4/4 time) and is composed of 20 bars, which are split into 2 periods of 10 bars each. The first period has a toccata-style melody which uses demisemiquaver (32nd note) broken chords and scale passages. In the first two bars, it uses a four-note sequence which drops by a third every half-bar. This period ends with a perfect cadence in dominant key of F major.

The second period uses a fantasia style and alternates between chords and scale progressions. The coda in bar 20 uses an extended arpeggio in the tonic that confirms the key of B-flat major. One copy of the prelude by a Bach pupil has the word adagio to the big chords in bar 11, which suggests that the second period should have a more improvisatory rhythm. [2] [3] Below are the opening bars of the prelude:

Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major, BWV 866

Fugue

The structure of the fugue is similar to that of sonata form: it has an exposition (bars 1–13), a development (bars 13–41) and a recapitulation (bars 41–48). In the exposition, the subject is stated in the tonic, B-flat major. The second voice enters in the dominant, F major, in bar 5, then the third voice enters in the tonic once again in bar 9.

In the development, the subject is restated, then the first episode (bars 19–22) modulates the fugue to G minor, then the subject is restated twice in G minor, then C minor. The second episode (bars 30–35) then modulates the fugue to G minor, then C minor. The subject is then restated in E-flat major.

In the recapitulation, the subject is restated once again, still in E-flat major, then a coda (bars 45–48) leads to a perfect authentic cadence in the tonic. [3] [4] [5] Below are the first two statements of the fugue:

Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major, BWV 866

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fugue</span> Contrapuntal musical form based on a subject that recurs in imitation

In classical music, a fugue is a contrapuntal, polyphonic compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation, which recurs frequently throughout the course of the composition. It is not to be confused with a fuguing tune, which is a style of song popularized by and mostly limited to early American music and West Gallery music. A fugue usually has three main sections: an exposition, a development and a final entry that contains the return of the subject in the fugue's tonic key. Fugues can also have episodes—parts of the fugue where new material is heard, based on the subject—a stretto, when the fugue's subject "overlaps" itself in different voices, or a recapitulation. A popular compositional technique in the Baroque era, the fugue was fundamental in showing mastery of harmony and tonality as it presented counterpoint.

Sonata form is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th century.

In music, the Italian term stretto has two distinct meanings:

  1. In a fugue, stretto is the imitation of the subject in close succession, so that the answer enters before the subject is completed.
  2. In non-fugal compositions, a stretto is a passage, often at the end of an aria or movement, in faster tempo. Examples include the end of Franz Liszt's transcendental etude No.10, the end of the last movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony; measure 227 of Chopin's Ballade No. 3; measures 16, 17 and 18, of his Prelude No. 4 in E minor; and measure 25 of his Etude Op. 10, No. 12, "The Revolutionary."

Ariadne musica is a collection of organ music by Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer, first published in 1702. The main part of the collection is a cycle of 20 preludes and fugues in different keys, so Ariadne musica is considered an important precursor to Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, which has a similar structure.

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<i>The Well-Tempered Clavier</i> Collection of keyboard music by J.S. Bach

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532</span>

Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532.2, is a prelude and fugue written for the organ c. 1710, and has an approximate duration of 11+12 minutes. BWV 532.1 is an earlier version of the Fugue.

Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro in E-flat major, BWV 998, is a musical composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach for Lute or Harpsichord. The piece was written around 1735. The original manuscript with the title "Prelude pour la Luth. ò Cembal. Par J.S. Bach" was sold at Christie's on July 13, 2016, for £2,518,500.

<i>Clavier-Übung III</i> Collection of organ compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach

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The Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 846, is a keyboard composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the first prelude and fugue in the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. An early version of the prelude, BWV 846A, is found in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.

The Prelude and Fugue in F minor, BWV 881, is a keyboard composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the twelfth prelude and fugue in the second book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer.

Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 847, is a keyboard composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the second prelude and fugue in the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1014–1019</span> Works by J. S. Bach

The six sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord BWV 1014–1019 by Johann Sebastian Bach are works in trio sonata form, with the two upper parts in the harpsichord and violin over a bass line supplied by the harpsichord and an optional viola da gamba. Unlike baroque sonatas for solo instrument and continuo, where the realisation of the figured bass was left to the discretion of the performer, the keyboard part in the sonatas was almost entirely specified by Bach. They were probably mostly composed during Bach's final years in Cöthen between 1720 and 1723, before he moved to Leipzig. The extant sources for the collection span the whole of Bach's period in Leipzig, during which time he continued to make changes to the score.

The Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BWV 861, is No. 16 in Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, keyboard music consisting of 24 preludes and fugues in every major and minor key.

Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 870, is a keyboard composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the first prelude and fugue in the second book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues in every major and minor key.

Prelude and Fugue in C sharp Major, BWV 848, is a keyboard composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the third prelude and fugue in the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer.

The Prelude and Fugue in D minor, BWV 875 is a keyboard composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the sixth prelude and fugue in the second book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer.

The Prelude and Fugue in B-flat minor, BWV 867, is a keyboard composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the 22nd prelude and fugue in the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. It was composed in 1722 or earlier.

The Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 874, is a keyboard composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the fifth prelude and fugue in the second book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. It was composed between 1739 and 1742.

References

  1. "The Well-Tempered Clavier I No. 21 in B-flat major – Bach". www.bachvereniging.nl. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  2. Ledbetter, David (2008). Bach's Well-tempered Clavier: The 48 Preludes and Fugues. Yale University Press. p. 221. ISBN   9780300128987.
  3. 1 2 Schulenberg, David (1992). The Keyboard Music of J.S. Bach. Macmillan Publishing Company. p. 192. ISBN   9780028732756. LCCN   91039348.
  4. Tonic Chord (2018-05-05). "Bach: Prelude and Fugue No.21 in Bb Major, BWV 866 Analysis". Tonic Chord. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  5. Ledbetter, David (2008). Bach's Well-tempered Clavier: The 48 Preludes and Fugues. Yale University Press. pp. 221–222. ISBN   9780300128987.