Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BWV 861
The Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BWV 861, is No. 16 in Johann Sebastian Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Book I, keyboard music consisting of 24 preludes and fugues in every major and minor key.
Bach's G minor fugue is "insistent and pathetic".[citation needed] The subject also appears in his funeral cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (God's time is the very best time).[1] The subject of the fugue employs a minor 6th leap in the first measure, then resolves it with a more conventional stepwise motion. Overall, the piece has a foreboding and admonishing tone.[citation needed]
Harmonic analysis
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The prelude and the fugue of BWV 861 are set in G minor. Although no modulations are present, there are multiple times that the key deviates to the dominant.
Prelude
The first two measures of the prelude are an elaboration of tonic. There is a chain of suspensions in m. 3 that leads to the secondary dominant (A major) that leads to the dominant (D major), which then leads back to tonic (G minor). The 5th measure begins with a ii-V-I progression and leads to a C dominant seventh chord.
This marks the beginning of a series of modulations moving up a fourth each time. He modulates twice, arriving in B♭ major for the recapitulation of the opening theme in m. 1. A G dominant seventh chord is used in the fourth beat of m 8. Measure 9 marks the beginning of a sequence that lasts two measures and further establishes C minor as tonic. There is another recapitulation of the opening measure in mm. 11, this time in C minor. There is a diminished triad on beat 3 of mm. 12 and a D dominant seventh on the fourth beat as we prepare to modulate back to G minor. There is another C minor chord on the third beat of mm. 13, which turns into a Neapolitan sixth when the top line lands on an A♭ on the fourth beat. The next measure begins on D, which leads to G minor for the second beat.
Tonic (G minor) is then elaborated until mm. 17. There is another Neapolitan chord that leads to a diminished chord on the raised fourth scale degree, providing a leading tone to the D dominant seventh chord with a 4-3 suspension in the soprano. The penultimate measure begins with a pedal tone that last till the end of the prelude. The G minor chord is turned into a G dominant seventh as it modulates to C minor, then a C diminished triad with the pedal tone G in the bass still. Finally, the dissonance is resolved and the piece ends with a Picardy third.
Fugue
The subject of the fugue begins in G minor. The second voice enters on the pickup to the fourth beat of m. 2, and it begins in the dominant (D minor), even though the first note of the theme is a G in this instance. The third voice enters in m. 5 in the tonic and the fourth a measure later in the dominant once again. The first episode begins in D and modulates to the B♭ major for the recapitulation of the subject. The second episode is in G minor, and it remains in G minor until the end of the piece with a Picardy third.
References
- ^ AEF Dickinson[incomplete short citation]
Sources
- Bach Digital Work Nos. 01016 and 01017 at www
.bachdigital .de - Boalch, Donald Howard; Mould, Charles; Roth, Andreas H. (1995). Makers of the harpsichord and clavichord 1440-1840 (3rd Edition). Clarendon Press
- Dickinson, Alan Edgar Frederic (1956). Bach's Fugal Works, with an Account of Fugue Before and After Bach. I. Pitman and Sons
- Dürr, Alfred (1989). New Bach Edition Series V: Keyboard and Lute Works Volume 6.1: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier I, Score and Critical Commentary Bärenreiter
- Lowrance, Rachel A. (2003). "Instruction, Devotion, and Affection: Three Roles of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier". Musical Offerings, Vol. 4, No. 1
Further reading
- Bach well tempered clavichord. For the piano, Book 1 (library vol. 13). Czerny Schirmer, 1893
- Pianos and their makers. Alfred Dolge. Covina publishing company, 1911, p. 31
- Oxford dictionary of music, Volume 6. Concert music 1630-1750. Edited by Gerald Abraham. Oxford University Press, 1986, pp. 627–646
- Oxford history of western music, Volume 2. Richard Taruskin. Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 233–259
- Johann Sebastian Bach (Revised). C. Hubert Parry. G P Putnam's sons London and New York, First printed in 1909
External links
Interactive Hypermedia
- BWV 861 Fugue (Flash) - Philip Goeth performing
- BWV 846-869 Prelude and Fugue (Flash) at the BinAural Collaborative Hypertext David Korevaar, Philip Goeth, and Edward Parmentier performing
- Video analysis of the Fugue in G minor, BWV 861 (official YouTube channel of David Thomas)
Sheet Music
- Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BWV 861: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- v
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- Fugue in G minor, BWV 131a (doubtful)
- Sonatas, BWV 525–530
- Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 531
- Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532
- Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537
- Toccata and Fugue in D minor ("Dorian"), BWV 538
- Toccata and Fugue in F major, BWV 540
- Fantasia and Fugue in G minor ("Great"), BWV 542
- Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543
- Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 544
- Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546
- Prelude and Fugue in E minor ("Wedge"), BWV 548
- Eight Short Preludes and Fugues, BWV 553–560 (doubtful)
- Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 562
- Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV 564
- Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (doubtful)
- Prelude (Toccata) and Fugue in E major, BWV 566
- Fantasia ("Pièce d'Orgue") in G major, BWV 572
- Fugue in G minor ("Little"), BWV 578
- Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
- Concertos, BWV 592–597
- Orgelbüchlein, BWV 599–644
- Schübler Chorales, BWV 645–650
- Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes, BWV 651–668
- Chorale partita Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig, BWV 768
- Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her", BWV 769
- Neumeister chorales, BWV 1090–1120
- Chorale fantasia Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält, BWV 1128
- Inventions and Sinfonias, BWV 772–801
- English Suites, BWV 806–811
- French Suites, BWV 812–817
- Partitas, BWV 825–830
- Overture in the French style, BWV 831
- Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893
- Book 1
- No. 1 in C major
- No. 2 in C minor
- No. 3 in C♯ major
- No. 4 in C♯ minor
- No. 7 in E♭ major
- No. 10 in E minor
- No. 16 in G minor
- No. 21 in B♭ major
- No. 22 in B♭ minor
- Book 2
- No. 1 in C major
- No. 2 in C minor
- No. 3 in C♯ major
- No. 4 in C♯ minor
- No. 5 in D major
- No. 6 in D minor
- No. 12 in F minor
- No. 13 in F♯ major
- No. 18 in G♯ minor
- No. 22 in B♭ minor
- No. 24 in B minor
- Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue
- Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906
- Toccatas, BWV 910–916
- Six Little Preludes, BWV 933–938
- Italian Concerto
- Harpsichord solo concertos
- Goldberg Variations
- discography
- Gould recording
- Aria variata alla maniera italiana
- Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother
- Suite in G minor, BWV 995
- Suite in E minor, BWV 996
- Suite in C minor, BWV 997
- Prelude, Fugue and Allegro in E♭ major, BWV 998
- Prelude in C minor, BWV 999
- Fugue in G minor, BWV 1000
collections
- Clavier-Übung III: Prelude and Fugue in E♭ major ("St. Anne"), BWV 552, Chorale preludes, BWV 669–689, Duets, BWV 802–805
- Concerto transcriptions, BWV 592–596 and 972–987
- Klavierbüchlein W. F. Bach
- Notebook A. M. Bach
- Twelve Little Preludes