Prelude and Fugue in E Minor (BWV 555)

from Eight Short Preludes and Fugues attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach

Background

Replace this text with any general perspectives that do not fit under the categories listed below

Registration and Organs

Replace this text any specific information on registration and organs

See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page.

Fingering and Pedaling

Replace this text with any specific information on fingering and pedaling

Articulation and Phrasing

Replace this text with any specific information on articulation and phrasing

Ornamentation

Replace this text with any specific information on ornamentation

Tempo and Meter

One of the highlights of this prelude and fugue are the syncopated figures. See for example, in the prelude, mm. 12-17. Here the left hand and pedal voices have strong beats on beats two and four, while the upper two voices have strong beats on beats one and three. This syncopation figure is repeated in the right hand, mm. 18-21. Emphasize the tension between the syncopated figures and the straigh-rhythm figures by articulating the strong beats of each voice separatel. For example, in m. 18, accentuate the down beat (beat 1) in the tenor voice, but beat two in the upper voices.

Fugue: The countersubject of the fugue also uses syncopation: see, for example, the upper voice in mm. 8-11. Here the third beats are tied to the first beats of the next bar, which makes the first beats lose their accents.

The fugue subject begins in dotted half notes, then gradually moves to quarter and eighth notes. Plan your starting tempo based on the speed of the eighth notes that will come later on, not on the dotted half notes at the beginning of the piece.

Scores and Editions

http://imslp.org/wiki/8_Kleine_Pr%C3%A4ludien_und_Fugen,_BWV_553-560_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian)

Recordings

Replace this text with any specific information on recordings

Free Online

Replace this text with any specific information on online recordings that are available free

Pay to Listen

Replace this text with any specific information on online recordings that are available for a fee

Other Resources

Replace this text with any information on other resources pertinent to performing these works

Notes

This space is for automatic insertion of footnotes. To enter a footnote from anywhere in the article, start by typing the tag <ref> and then enter the text, and type the tag </ref> to end the footnote. The footnote will then appear in this "Notes" section automatically.