Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is a contradictory musical figure. Uniformly considered one of the greatest composers of Western European art music, broad audience reception of his works has generally lagged behind the admiration for his ...

The Well-Tempered Clavier (WTC) is considered one of the most important keyboard compositions in the context of Western European art music. Bach wrote preludes and fugues in all twenty-four keys, starting with C Major and ...

Usually, when we talk about historical performance practices, we are referring to the performance practices that were standard at the time of a work’s composition. So for Baroque music (e.g. Bach), we consult performance treatises ...

(Bach to Basics, if you are inclined toward musical humor) A prelude is what it sounds like: an introductory composition. There are no set forms for preludes, and we see a wide range of forms, ...

These two pieces always strike me as appropriate opening works. The Prelude The prelude is unusual. It’s unquestionably written for ...

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I generally find that each prelude and fugue pair falls into one of three categories: Clearly ...

Musical ideas from the F# minor prelude carry over into the F# minor fugue, most notably, the pervasive use of ...

I find that pairs of preludes and fugues fall on a spectrum from clearly musically paired to basically unrelated. This ...

On the spectrum of how closely related these two pieces are, I place them at one of the far ends: ...

To me, the B Minor prelude and fugue go together as a cohesive pair. Unlike the F# Minor prelude and ...

These two pieces couldn’t be a greater contrast. The prelude is slow, lyrical, and somber; the fugue is relentless, featuring ...

I don’t often relearn pieces. The piano repertoire is so expansive that it’s hard to justify revisiting old works when ...

“Joyful” is the adjective that comes to mind with this set. Both the prelude and the fugue are light, playful, ...

On the surface, these two pieces are contrasting. The prelude is calm and pastoral; the fugue is much more energetic ...

This set marks the beginning of the end. We’ve almost completed the chromatic climb up from C Major and are ...

Each book of the Well-Tempered Clavier features one fugue that is just monstrous. In Book One, it’s the final fugue ...

This set is short and sweet. The prelude is reminiscent of the famous C Major prelude from WTC I. The ...

Oof, this is a weird key to play in! There are lots of accidentals, and it feels awkward under the ...

I first played this prelude and fugue when I was in high school. What an enjoyable set to revisit! Coming ...

What a delightful set of contrasting pieces. The prelude features calm counterpoint that weaves seamlessly across the three voices, while ...

I never found this set that compelling when listening to the WTC and usually skipped it when it came up ...

Trivia fact: this set contains one of Bach’s only tempo indications. The prelude is marked “largo,” or slowly. It’s a ...

This is a relatively contrasting set. The prelude has a lilting, pastoral feel, while the fugue is robust, assertive, and ...

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed learning these two. I always considered this set pretty “middle of the ...

Here’s a rarely played key – G# minor. Thinking about it, I can’t recall any other piece I’ve played in ...

These two look deceptively sparse. The prelude is constant two-part counterpoint; the fugue looks like a long, but not overly ...