Bach's Fugue in G Minor, WTC Book I
Anna Diers
MUS 242
Dr. Lynn Little
08 November 2013
Bach’s Fugue in G Minor, WTC Book I
1. Bach was a piano teacher, and often approached his music as a teaching tool. To display how easily moving from one key to the next could be, he utilized the Well Tempered Clavier and the book can often be thought of from this standpoint. According to Sigland Bruhn, “ It aims to help you, its reader, achieve a creative understanding and interpretation of Bach's preludes and fugues by encouraging you to think for yourself.”
2. The exposition begins with the tenor voice who states the entire subject before any other voices come in. This is the “proper” way to begin a fugue, with just one voice introducing exactly what the audience is listening for and the musicians to know what parts of the piece to bring out. There is a tonal answer from the soprano line, who then goes into a fragmentation of the subject in measure 4. This is where the first episode occurs between the upper and lower voice. The subject is places then in the bassline, which is then answered by a very low alto line, which looks like the tenor line, in measures 6-7. The countersubject, highlighted in pink, has its moments in measures 3,5,6, and 7. It is the inversion of the subject and so goes right along with it in harmonies that are beautiful to listen to. The subject was split into two different parts and then switched and inverted. The exposition ends at the end of measure 7, when all voices are sent into counterpoint by Bach.
3. Subject in g min (tenor) - Tonal answer in d minor (soprano) - Subject in g minor (bass) - Tonal answer in d minor (tenor)- Cadence in measure 11 and final note of cadence on first beat on measure 12 - Subject in Bb Major (alto) - Tonal answer in F Major (bass) - Subject in F Major (soprano) - Subject in Bb Major (bass) - Subject in F Major (soprano) - Subject in c minor (bass) - Subject in c minor (soprano) - Subject in g minor (alto) - Cadence on first beat of
MUS 242
Dr. Lynn Little
08 November 2013
Bach’s Fugue in G Minor, WTC Book I
1. Bach was a piano teacher, and often approached his music as a teaching tool. To display how easily moving from one key to the next could be, he utilized the Well Tempered Clavier and the book can often be thought of from this standpoint. According to Sigland Bruhn, “ It aims to help you, its reader, achieve a creative understanding and interpretation of Bach's preludes and fugues by encouraging you to think for yourself.”
2. The exposition begins with the tenor voice who states the entire subject before any other voices come in. This is the “proper” way to begin a fugue, with just one voice introducing exactly what the audience is listening for and the musicians to know what parts of the piece to bring out. There is a tonal answer from the soprano line, who then goes into a fragmentation of the subject in measure 4. This is where the first episode occurs between the upper and lower voice. The subject is places then in the bassline, which is then answered by a very low alto line, which looks like the tenor line, in measures 6-7. The countersubject, highlighted in pink, has its moments in measures 3,5,6, and 7. It is the inversion of the subject and so goes right along with it in harmonies that are beautiful to listen to. The subject was split into two different parts and then switched and inverted. The exposition ends at the end of measure 7, when all voices are sent into counterpoint by Bach.
3. Subject in g min (tenor) - Tonal answer in d minor (soprano) - Subject in g minor (bass) - Tonal answer in d minor (tenor)- Cadence in measure 11 and final note of cadence on first beat on measure 12 - Subject in Bb Major (alto) - Tonal answer in F Major (bass) - Subject in F Major (soprano) - Subject in Bb Major (bass) - Subject in F Major (soprano) - Subject in c minor (bass) - Subject in c minor (soprano) - Subject in g minor (alto) - Cadence on first beat of