The preludes & fugues in F minor have received many a mention on this Forum; they seem to be a popular choice, particularly for Diploma programmes. Evidently, I'm tackling the one in D major (Bk2) but although I have trawled through many previous threads, I haven't found any references to learning this piece.

Am I the only one doing so? Does anyone else play this prelude and fugue?

From the perspective of my own practice, the prelude is falling into place nicely, I've managed to overcome one particular fingering problem - having sightread, rather than refined, pieces for so long, my brain is prone suddenly to switch into 'sightread' mode, swapping desired fingering for anything in reach; this doesn't work with Bach!

So I have moved onto the fugue in the last couple of weeks - I had left it to last in prep. for my Dip'. The suggested fingering is somewhat torturous in places, particularly since I have reasonably long fingers, and can be rather aggrannoying (my cross between aggravating and annoying!). Furthermore, this note is held, that one released, this middle finger to be swapped for the little finger, this one to be slid onto that - trying to play through without missing one of these is eminently frustrating (although the rewards are great when it works).

I took highlighters to the score, finding all 23 entries of the fugue within the double page. The four-note second subject? I have come across no fewer that 109 occurrences! I shall not be bringing those out!

Clearly I'm still working on fingering but I know that controlling dynamics when bringing out the fugue subject - it's a stretto fugue at that - will provide perhaps an even greater challenge. I'm sure I used to run through this fugue without regard for fingering or articulation, thinking it was easy! I have revised my opinion!

I have done this P&F for my diploma and it certainly has its challenges.

I agree with you on the Fugue - the 4 note second half of the subject (that's how I/my teacher treated it rather than as a second subject). This becomes very dominant if you don't bring out other features of the fugue. It's worth looking at the 6 stretti and comparing them in terms of how close the parts are for each one - they vary and become more complicated as the fugue goes on. There are other features you might like to focus on - there's a chromatic bass line into the second page and the descending D major scale in the top part in the coda to finish.

The prelude is not too bad to put together but I found parts on the second/third pages difficult to keep momentum in because of getting fingers around the notes at times. Memorising it helped a lot to get some character into this as well.


Louise

Thanks, I shall look out for those. At the moment I'm only relatively secure to the end of the first page, but I'll get there eventually, no doubt!



To my surprise, I found myself playing large sections of the prelude from memory yesterday. However, no sooner did I start to think about that, than my concern took over from the subconscious and playing faltered. I am able to play practically no music from memory (first half of Maplle Leaf Rag and that's about it) and whilst ideally I might try to memorise my pieces, I wouldn't have the confidence to play from memory in the exam. As it happens, there are remarkably few page-turns in my programme that might cause a problem.

It took me a long time to learn the fugue and I couldn't memorise all of it securely enough to play from memory. I worked hard a memorising the first page but I always managed to lose it somewhere when I tried to play without the music in front of me. There are sections that I can play securely from memory but it's all about building links between phrases/sections for me.

With the prelude, focusing on learning the left hand was the main key to memory - it is nearly always my left hand which lets me down on this! I find it much easier to memorise melody or the upper parts of most pieces.

I have been tryinig to play that fugue properly for at least 40 yrs and never really nailed it !
But I do generally prefer book 2 . I just love the F# Minor (No14)

Oh no! At that rate I'll almost be a nonagenarian before it's secure!



Who'd have guessed it?!

And is that your favourite piece in that key? The Chopin Polonaise perhaps?