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Well Tempered Clavier Book I: Prelude Eb major
The prelude in Eb major is special in the sense that it is itself a fugue, with a more complex architecture than many of the (“actual”) fugues of the WTC. The pair in Eb major thus consists of two fugues, namely a highly sophisticated double fugue, which is followed by a jubilant and rather straight forward fugue as the second piece of the pair.
The key challenge to play the prelude is that it has a three part architecture, the actual "prelude" section (bars 1-10), a fugato (bars 11 - 24) and a double fugue. The subjects of the double fugue are derived from brief motives that occur in the prelude and fugato sections, and that are introduced by JS Bach within the double fugue not only in their final form, but also in the form of fragments, which enter throughout the piece in a continuous pattern, making it rather difficult to identify and articulate what is more or less important to the overall flow and structure.
The first nine bars of the prelude are an introduction to the fugal parts, forming a “prelude”-part in its actual meaning, and exhibiting motive A, a soft line of 16th notes which is repeated in both left and right hand through various scale steps of Eb major. Motive A will later be transformed into subject A, one of the two subjects of the upcoming double fugue.
In bars 8 and 9, this motivic flow is altered to 32th notes, which finalize the introductory part and lead after a short cadence into a 15 bar fugato (bars 10-24), which starts up in 4ths, and only gradually returns to use 8ths and a few 16th notes. From a metric perspective, the introductory section thus opens with a flow of 16th notes, which are accelerated into 32th notes, and then materially slowed down to 4th notes. In order to avoid misunderstandings, a hand written note, most likely from one of JS Bach’s pupils, clarifies in the 1722 autograph that bars 10 et seqq should be played without a change into alla breve tempo (which means that the significant slow down from 32th to 4th notes should come to bear). This contrast is a bit like transforming a first steady and then quickly flowing stream into a quiet pond, an effect which is obviously well intended by JS Bach (“gemeinter Tempoverlust”, see Zacher, Bach gegen seine Interpreten verteidigt, 1993, p.32).
The fugato in bars 10-24 introduces motive B (which is later, in the course of the double fugue, transformed into subject B), as a quasi subject (right away by ways of a stretto). The fugato is itself not a fully fledged fugue, but rather a reference to renaissance and early baroque counterpoint (choir?) works, with lots of cadences and the “subject” (motive) being very short. The characteristic element of motive B is its measured elevation in an ascending quart (which later, in subject B, will become a chain of quarts), starting on the first or the third beat, which creates the syncopated effect that JS Bach had probably in mind: Given that the second tone of the subject is the targeted tone in the articulation, the fugato develops quite a bit of emphasis on the 2nd and the 4th beat of the first bars.
The fugato leaves this rhythmic effect behind with the last entry of motive B, which occurs on the 4th beat of bar 18 in the bass (where we also find, for the first time, the quartal chain referenced above). The a-syncopic entry lets the prelude return to a rhythmically more straight-forward transition towards to upcoming double fugue. This second part of the fugato is very smooth, and JS Bach uses appoggiatura in order to create some material dissonances on which one can build emphasis. Good examples are the concurrence of F/G/Ab/Bb in one chord (bar 18, beat 1, with G in the bass) and G/Ab/Bb/C (bar 23, beat 1, with Ab in bass) – rather rare in JS Bach’s oeuvre (see for a similar dissonance e.g. the first beat of bar 39 of book 1, fugue Bb major, although there only with 3 voices).
Bar 25 finally introduces the double fugue, with the special feature that the fugato finishes off in Bb maj, which means that the introduction of the subjects in the tonic is delayed until bar 27, which creates some sort of slow down effect regarding the kick off of the double fugue.
Both bar 25 and bar 27 introduce subject A and B in their full form and in stretto. One can clearly see how subject A has been derived from motive A, and the same goes mutatis mutandis for subject B:
The double fugue is irregular
in the sense that there is no strict exposition of the two subjects,
and the development follows quite unusual lines. Further, there is a
continuous stream of fragments (some of them formed from motives A / B),
which are quite similar to the subjects, so it is sometimes not easy to
separate actual subject entries from fake / abbreviated subject entries
and from plain motives.
A good way to find the critical path through the maze is to start with the various cadences that JS Bach has weaved into the flow, and which provide some rather clear separation marks:
The strong cadences can therefore be found in bars 34/35, 41, 58 and 67/68. This provides a first indication of how to derive the architecture blueprint of the prelude in Eb major.
Further, it is of importance to look at the contrapuntal subtleties that JS Bach builds into the development of the fugue:
Coming from the cadences and the contrapuntal development, the following chart of the overall architecture of the fugue shows the way through the maze created by the dense thematic and motivic flow, in a quite practical manner:
A good way to find the critical path through the maze is to start with the various cadences that JS Bach has weaved into the flow, and which provide some rather clear separation marks:
- The first stream of motives and subject entries is closed by a cadence to G minor in bar 34/35.
- The second cadence closes halfway of bar 38 and leads to F minor. This cadence is weaker than the one in bar 34, as it happens in the middle of the flow of motivic material and thus has only little interrupting effect.
- Bar 41 also has a cadence in its center, leading to C minor. This cadence is again less strong than in bar 35, but it has a clear closing formulation through the use of the (stylistically required) trill ornamentation in the soprano. Seen from the motivic flow, it is therefore stronger than the cadence in bar 38.
- Bar 49 hosts an imperfect cadence, the effects of which are weak.
- Bar 55 modulates to F min, but through the continuous motivic flow, it has hardly any closing effect.
- The cadence in the middle of bar 58 is stronger, as it uses the soprano as leading note to modulate into Ab maj.
- Bar 67 hosts a clear closing sequence, leading the the coda in bars 68 to 70.
The strong cadences can therefore be found in bars 34/35, 41, 58 and 67/68. This provides a first indication of how to derive the architecture blueprint of the prelude in Eb major.
Further, it is of importance to look at the contrapuntal subtleties that JS Bach builds into the development of the fugue:
- Bars 25 – 31 introduce 3 pairs of strettos of subject A and B, followed by a short episode that leads into the cadence in bar 34. Quite obviously, with this cadence, the “exposition” phase is closed.
- Bars 35 – 41 are less busy and focused mainly on Subject B, which enters in 2 pairs of strettos. This section is closed by the second strong(er) cadence in the double fugue (see above).
- Bars 41 - 50 change the contrapuntal flow, in that JS Bach introduces multiple strettos that consist of subject A and 2x subject B. This phase is interrupted by two short episodes, the second of which ends in bar 52 (without a major cadence taking place).
- Bar 53 introduces a further phase of strettos of subject A and B. However, this time the emphasis is on subject B, as subject A is distributed in a rather unique way between the voices and is therefore less easy to identify for the listener. What is more audible is that subject B starts up a longer chain of ascending quarts, first in lower range of the tenor, taking its way through alto and soprano, ending as the leading tone in the cadence of bar 58.
- Bars 59 to 67 close the development parts of the fugue with another section of strettos of subject A and B, and pairs of B, respectively.
Coming from the cadences and the contrapuntal development, the following chart of the overall architecture of the fugue shows the way through the maze created by the dense thematic and motivic flow, in a quite practical manner:
From a tension / relaxation perspective,
the double fuge section of Eb major is a very equally distributed piece
of music. The music gains in tension in bars 42 et seqq, and a
structural climax is reached in bars 58 et seqq, where the multiple
quart risings of subject B find their target in the cadence to Ab major,
and the return of (clean) stretto of subject A and B. I call this part
“Jubilate”, because it has such a positive and indeed “home-coming”
radiation and feel. From that on, the double fugue nears its closing,
which is reached by entering the coda section in bar 68, after a final
stretto of subject B. The final stretto, for a brief moment, creates the
impression of a technique that JS Bach puts into play later in WTC book
2, e.g. bars 95 et seqq of fugue F minor ("thickening the texture by
treating the subject as a double entry in thirds or sixths - see Yo Tomita,
The Implications of Bach’s Introduction of New Fugal Techniques and Procedures in The Well-Tempered Clavier Book Two, Understanding Bach XI, 2011), whereby of course in this case the effect is the result of the stretto of a subject that has a sequential form, rather than an actual double entry.
As can be seen from the above chart, the episodes do not play a major role throughout the double fugue.
A final remark to counterpoint: The double fugue exhibits some of JS Bach's most radical voicings in book 1. E.g., at bar 39, bass and tenor show parallel quints (G/D - C/G, with a short time delay). In the same bar, alto and bass exhibit parallel octaves (bar 39 beat 3, bar 40 beat 1 and 4: C/C - F/F - E/E) - with interesting effects.
Regarding fingerings, the prelude Eb major does pose some difficulties, but its not a major problem to play it technically clean. Here is a short section that has puzzled me for a long time and which might need special attention (all fingerings under the note relate to the left hand and vice versa):
The Implications of Bach’s Introduction of New Fugal Techniques and Procedures in The Well-Tempered Clavier Book Two, Understanding Bach XI, 2011), whereby of course in this case the effect is the result of the stretto of a subject that has a sequential form, rather than an actual double entry.
As can be seen from the above chart, the episodes do not play a major role throughout the double fugue.
A final remark to counterpoint: The double fugue exhibits some of JS Bach's most radical voicings in book 1. E.g., at bar 39, bass and tenor show parallel quints (G/D - C/G, with a short time delay). In the same bar, alto and bass exhibit parallel octaves (bar 39 beat 3, bar 40 beat 1 and 4: C/C - F/F - E/E) - with interesting effects.
Regarding fingerings, the prelude Eb major does pose some difficulties, but its not a major problem to play it technically clean. Here is a short section that has puzzled me for a long time and which might need special attention (all fingerings under the note relate to the left hand and vice versa):
There are some really outstanding interpretations
on record for the Eb major prelude. My favorite comes from Till
Fellner, who captures both the peaceful and flowing character as well as
the formal subtleties perfectly. I also enjoy listening to Ashkenazy,
Janssen, Schiff I, Stadtfeld (whose play is very transparent, almost
"Gouldian", but misses some points of the architecture), and Tureck (how
beautiful and peaceful!).
Quite fascinating to take a closer look at the recordings out there. The three sections of the prelude Eb maj (prelude, fugato, double fugue) set the stage for some material changes of tempo by the major interpreters, some of which are quite subjective. Many slow down the fugato a bit (one could say: to make it sound more "solemn" - e.g. Hantai, Gulda, Leonhard and others). Jando takes this to the extreme, he slows down from prelude at 72 BPM to fugato at 52 BPM, starting the following double fugue at 54 and continuously speeding it up. Again, Jando's double fugue is very thoughtful, but to me his choice of tempo disturbs the natural architecture of the piece and therefore its overall concept. Similar Richter at
100/68/85 BPM, for whom bar 25 becomes something like a kick start moment, speeding up from the fugato at 68 BPM to the tempo of the double fugue at 85 BPM (which, again, is much slower than the tempo of the prelude section at 100 BPM - unclear). Gould goes the other way and starts up the prelude at 34 BPM and then turns the fugato into a alla breve tempo at 60 BPM (strictly against the note on the 1722 autograph). Finally, he speeds the double fugue further up to 90 BPM. His double fugue is great to listen to, but still I find the choice of tempo not convincing (quite definitely its Gould, not Bach, talking there).
Quite fascinating to take a closer look at the recordings out there. The three sections of the prelude Eb maj (prelude, fugato, double fugue) set the stage for some material changes of tempo by the major interpreters, some of which are quite subjective. Many slow down the fugato a bit (one could say: to make it sound more "solemn" - e.g. Hantai, Gulda, Leonhard and others). Jando takes this to the extreme, he slows down from prelude at 72 BPM to fugato at 52 BPM, starting the following double fugue at 54 and continuously speeding it up. Again, Jando's double fugue is very thoughtful, but to me his choice of tempo disturbs the natural architecture of the piece and therefore its overall concept. Similar Richter at
100/68/85 BPM, for whom bar 25 becomes something like a kick start moment, speeding up from the fugato at 68 BPM to the tempo of the double fugue at 85 BPM (which, again, is much slower than the tempo of the prelude section at 100 BPM - unclear). Gould goes the other way and starts up the prelude at 34 BPM and then turns the fugato into a alla breve tempo at 60 BPM (strictly against the note on the 1722 autograph). Finally, he speeds the double fugue further up to 90 BPM. His double fugue is great to listen to, but still I find the choice of tempo not convincing (quite definitely its Gould, not Bach, talking there).
Well Tempered Clavier Book I: Fugue Eb major
The fugue in Eb major stands in quite a contrast to the sophistication of the Eb major prelude. A good friend of mine once asked me: "with this incredible prelude, do we really need the Jodel-fugue as a consequence?". It was of course ironic, and we both agreed: yes, we need it. JS Bach obviously resisted the temptation to top the prelude with an even more enormous fugue. Instead, he chose a very delightful and almost rollicking subject, accompanied by a equally jolly countersubject, all put together into a very transparent and almost "classic" fugal structure without any specialities. Such, he completes the unusual combination of the Eb major P/F to a very balanced and indeed perfect pair.
Here are subject and countersubject together (A / S):
The fugue in Eb major stands in quite a contrast to the sophistication of the Eb major prelude. A good friend of mine once asked me: "with this incredible prelude, do we really need the Jodel-fugue as a consequence?". It was of course ironic, and we both agreed: yes, we need it. JS Bach obviously resisted the temptation to top the prelude with an even more enormous fugue. Instead, he chose a very delightful and almost rollicking subject, accompanied by a equally jolly countersubject, all put together into a very transparent and almost "classic" fugal structure without any specialities. Such, he completes the unusual combination of the Eb major P/F to a very balanced and indeed perfect pair.
Here are subject and countersubject together (A / S):
This basic overview-map shows what happens in this fugue from a structural perspective:
The above chart shows a clean exposition
in bars 1 to 7, with the subject entering both in its original and in
answer form, followed by episode 1. Looking further, JS Bach distributes
subject entries going through all 3 voices two further times, in the
sequence S/M/B and B/S/M. All subject entries are separated from each
other by short episodes, and in addition to that, the two development sections are
separated from each other by an imitation section, exhibiting fake
entries in the soprano (see section "imitations" in the above chart).
The fugue ends with a simple coda, of which might say it kick already in
when the subject is played in the middle voice in bar 34.
The key aspect to play this fugue convincingly is to produce a (controlled) feeling of joy and positive vibes, letting the voices do their jumps, trills and chord arpeggios in a very transparent and energetic way. To achieve this, one has to take care of the fingerings, given the fact some passages are quite difficult to play. Here are some details one needs to take care of:
The key aspect to play this fugue convincingly is to produce a (controlled) feeling of joy and positive vibes, letting the voices do their jumps, trills and chord arpeggios in a very transparent and energetic way. To achieve this, one has to take care of the fingerings, given the fact some passages are quite difficult to play. Here are some details one needs to take care of:
- To simplify things, I prefer to shorten the trills in bars 7, 21 and 30, in order to be able to play the 16th note, that changes hands in that section, properly. Rather a slightly shortened trill than a spoiled phrasing of the arpeggio! Here is what I mean (full ornamentation in bar 2 and shortening in bar 7):
- Personally, I prefer to play the d on the 3rd beat of bar 15 with the left hand, in order not to disturb the flow of the 16th notes in the right hand. Anyways, one needs to master a 10th here. The disadvantage of this is of course that the d can only sound as 1/8th (as in the notation), while some interpreters enjoy to let it sound longer, which is obviously only possible if one uses the right hand to play it.
- Apart from the above mentioned trill sections (bars 7, 21 and 30), the most difficult parts, in my view, are bars 26 (for the right hand) and bar 30 (which requires full control in the left hand and a very smooth hand over of the Eb into the right hand, so that the left hand can move quickly to the descending arpeggios). These bars should be practiced diligently until it is the most natural thing in the world. A faulty execution of it can spoil the whole performance.
The Eb major fugue is recorded in excellent manner by Hantai - his articulation and ornamentation are just magnificent. Nice versions also from Koroliov, Gould, Janssen and others, who capture the joyful character of the fugue well. Very subtle and dancing Schiff I, whose play is incredibly transparent and speaking (interestingly, his older version seems more convincing than his 2012 version, which is less balanced and fluctuates needlessly in tempo). Too slow in my opinion Leonhard (at 63 BPM, versus Richter at 110 BPM) - like this the fugue feels like in a movie in slow motion.
My own recording of the fugue in Eb major can be found here.
Here is the BPM map of BWV 852:
7,484
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