Fugue in C (Well-Tempered Clavier I), BWV 846
Bach's Fugue in C major, BWV 846, follows the famous Prelude in C in the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I (1722). Octotune grades it 5 of 8: 27 measures in which four voices take up one short subject, often overlapping, in two hands.
At a glance
| Composer | Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 5 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: no sharps or flats |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 66 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 27 measures, about 1:38 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | A3 to C6 |
| Left hand | E2 to G4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Fugue in C (Well-Tempered Clavier I), BWV 846 | 5 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
In the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I (1722), each prelude is paired with a fugue. This is the fugue that follows the famous Prelude in C: 27 measures, in C major and 4/4, for four voices.
How it works. A fugue is built from one short tune, the subject. Here it starts on middle C and climbs by step, C D E F, then turns with a quick dotted figure. One voice plays it alone; then a second voice enters with it while the first carries on, then a third, then a fourth. In this fugue the subject hardly ever rests: later entries often overlap, one voice starting before another has finished.
The tricky parts
- Four voices, two hands. A hand often plays two voices at once: one holding while the other moves. Hold every note for its full length.
- Hearing the subject. Each time it enters, bring it out a little.
- Rhythm. Dotted rhythms, sixteenths and a few thirty-seconds. Count carefully.
- Accidentals. F sharp, G sharp and others appear as the fugue passes through other keys.
Practice plan
- Find every entry of the subject and mark it in pencil.
- Each hand alone in Wait for me, very slowly, holding every note.
- Both hands at 40–50% speed with Loop this measure, two measures at a time; then join them.
Before you start: Octotune's path through Unit 10, and ideally the Prelude in C and Invention No. 1 first.
Questions
Is Bach's Fugue in C major hard?
Octotune grades it 5 of 8, early intermediate, for its notes; it feels harder, because four voices share two hands, and each must be held and heard. It needs patience more than speed.
What is a fugue?
A piece built from one short tune, the subject, that enters in one voice after another, each voice then continuing with its own line. This fugue has four voices.
Credits and license
- Music: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
- Typeset by Andreas Scherer for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece