Bach, Prelude I in C minor, BWV 846 from the Well Tempered Clavier (Book 1) with sheet music
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Bach, Prelude I in C minor, BWV 846 from the Well Tempered Clavier (Book 1) GUITAR TAB sheet music
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The Prelude and Fugue no. No. 1 in C major (BWV 846) is the ideal tandem to understand how Bach contrasts harmonic freedom with mathematical rigor.
- The Prelude (The Freedom of Harmony)
Structure: It is a study of arpeggios. It does not have its own melody, but the “music” arises from the progression of the chords.
The pattern: The same rhythmic pattern is repeated in each measure (twice per measure).
The objective: To prepare the ear by clearly establishing the key of C major through a sequence that generates increasing tension until the final resolution.
- La Fuga (The rigor of counterpoint)
Structure: It is a fugue for four voices. Unlike the prelude, here the melody (the “subject”) is everything.
The Subject: It is short and very recognizable (it begins with C-D-E-F-G…).
The Key Technique (Stretto): This fugue is famous because Bach uses many strettos (when one voice begins the theme before the previous one has finished), creating a sense of constant and dense imitation.
The contrast
While the prelude is vertical (you think falling chords), the fugue is purely horizontal (you follow melodic lines that intertwine). It is as if the prelude were the coloured “canvas” and the fugue was the detailed “drawing”.