Rambling post deleted - see quick question below!

From what I've read, I thought Bach wrote the Preludes and Fugues in each key as exercises for his students, although I might have understood this wrong.

But why did he write "duplicates", eg there's an F minor 857/2 and an F minor 881/2. What's the difference, and if someone says they're playing the P&F in F minor, how would you know which work they mean?

Hi Skylark.
I cannot say anything about the editions you are talking about, but Bach wrote two sets of 24 P & F's (total 48). Both have P & Fs in all keys, including F minor.
The one in the present grade 8 syllabus is from WTC part 2, the second set.
And 'Fuga a 3' or 'a 4' means that the fugue has 3 or 4 voices.

edit: I was replying while you were editing!!
Anyway, both WTCs have completely different pieces in them. It is just that he used the same 'formula' once more, after the first set proved successful, he decided to write another set of 24 P & Fs.

Hope you can still follow my rambling reply now ...

Thank you! and the question about 3 or 4 was the other thing I was wondering about



In the cold light of day, I didn't understand it myself




Ah, the Steven Spielberg of his day then



Thank you for explaining!

This is all true. The Preludes and fugues were, as you say in your second post (and like the 2 and 3 part inventions), written as exercises, not only in manual dexterity but also in the art of composition.

But as well as this they were propaganda for the new system of tuning ("well temperament") that made all the major and mionor keys sound reasonably in tune. Not only could all the keys (tonalities) be used, but it now became possible to modulate to wildly distant keys within a single piece, and this made possible much of the music of the Classical and Romantic periods that followed.

Personally, I think that Bach also enjoyed showing off his brilliance and inventiveness. (Though I have no evidence for this beyond the exuberance and variety of the 96 pieces)

That's very interesting, thanks

Hi,
This is in reply to your now deleted question!

Bach produced a set of 24 Preludes and Fugues in all keys and called it 'The Well-Tempered Clavier' – this is known as Book 1.

Some years later, Bach produced another set of 24 Preludes and Fugues in all keys and this became known as Book 2 of the 'Well-Tempered Clavier'.

Book 1 has been catalogued as BWV 846 – 869, and Book 2 as BWV 870 – 893.

If you want to refer to the Fugue only of a Prelude and Fugue, you would write it as BWV 846/2 (for example). Similarly, the Prelude only would be BWV 846/1.

Fuga a 4, and Fuga a 3 refers to the number of voices, or parts that the Fugue contains.

The more expensive ABRSM edition appears to be cloth-bound. I think it is exactly the same edition as the cheaper one, though I've never seen it so can't be certain.

As for which Prelude and Fugue someone is talking about, it's not really possible. I guess it depends on the context of the discussion, though 'F minor book 2' is pretty exact

Hope this helps

Yes it does, thank you - and thanks for reading (and understanding!) my original rambling post

Look here to download:

http://imslp.org/wiki/Well-Tempered_Clavie...nn_Sebastian%29

Thanks for that link JoMook