Fugue in C minor, WTC I
About this arrangement
This is No. 2 in Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled in 1722 in Köthen. The two-bar subject first sounds in the middle voice, then in the top voice in G minor, then in the bass in C minor. Like the prelude, the fugue ends with a major chord (a Picardy third).
Play the subject alone until you can sing it, then find each entry: middle voice, top voice, bass. Practise two voices at a time before putting all three together, and loop the bars after the entries at 50% to keep the lines clear.
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 C minor, BWV 847?
Three voices and 31 bars make this one of the friendlier fugues in Book 1. It is reasonable for an intermediate player who can already hold two lines in one hand.
02 How long is BWV 847?
Our score has 31 bars. It is a fugue only, because the matching prelude has its own page.
03 What should I practise first?
Learn the two-bar subject by itself. Then play each entry on its own, in the order it appears, before joining the voices.
04 Where does the subject enter?
It starts in the middle voice, then enters in the top voice in G minor (the dominant) and in the bass in C minor, the home key.
