Prelude and Fugue in A major
About this arrangement
This is No. 19 in Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled in 1722 in Köthen. The fugue is written for three voices. Both books of the collection circulated in manuscript and were first printed in 1801.
Play the prelude first to settle into the key. For the fugue, learn the subject alone, then play two voices at a time. Loop the bars where all three voices move together at 50%.
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 Prelude and Fugue in A major, BWV 864?
The three-voice fugue makes it advanced. The prelude is shorter, but the fugue needs good control of independent lines.
02 How long is BWV 864?
Our score has 78 bars in total: a 24-bar prelude and a 54-bar fugue.
03 What should I practise first?
Start with the prelude. Then learn the fugue subject on its own and find its entries in the three voices.