Fugue in D-sharp minor, WTC I
About this arrangement
This is the fugue from No. 8 in Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled in 1722 in Köthen. Bach's manuscript has it in D-sharp minor, though many modern editions print it in E-flat minor to match the prelude. Its outline resembles the chorale Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir.
Learn the subject by ear first, then trace it through the three voices. The fugue uses canons, the subject upside down and in longer notes, so work in voice pairs before all three. Loop each episode at 50% and finish by playing the closing bars slowly.
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 D-sharp minor, BWV 853?
Advanced. It is long, the key has six sharps, and the subject appears in canons, upside down and in longer note values.
02 How long is BWV 853?
Our score of the fugue has 87 bars in 4/4. The prelude, in E-flat minor, has its own page.
03 What should I practise first?
Play the subject alone until the leap and the stepwise descent feel natural. Then add one more voice at a time, starting with the opening entries.
04 Why is it in D-sharp minor when the prelude is in E-flat minor?
Bach's manuscript notates the fugue in D-sharp minor. Several scholars think he only changed the key signature to pair it with the E-flat minor prelude. Many modern editions print both in E-flat minor.