Fugue in A minor, WTC I
About this arrangement
This is No. 20 in Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled in 1722 in Köthen. It comes near the end of the book, in the run of sharp and minor keys before the final pairs.
Learn the subject alone, then find where it enters in each of the four voices. Work in voice pairs, then three voices, and loop dense bars at 50%. Split the 87 bars into short sections and add them one at a time.
Start with short loops.
Use the section list as a practice map. Start at 50% tempo, loop one section, then return to the full piece once the hand shape feels stable.
Choose Right or Left to focus on one hand. Wait for note checks the highlighted notes as you play them on the screen or a connected MIDI keyboard.
Before you practice.
01 How hard is Bach's Fugue in A minor, BWV 865?
It is advanced: four voices over 87 bars, with lines that often share a hand.
02 How long is BWV 865?
Our score has 87 bars. It is a fugue only, because the matching prelude has its own page.
03 What should I practise first?
Learn the subject by itself. Then take the first exposition one entry at a time, adding a voice each time.