Prelude and Fugue in B minor
About this arrangement
This is No. 24, the last pair in Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled around 1722. The fugue subject is 21 eighth notes long and uses all twelve chromatic degrees. The prelude is in binary form, with sections of 17 and 30 bars.
Learn the long subject in short pieces, then play it in each voice. Work on the prelude's two upper lines over the steady bass, hands separately. In the fugue, loop the bars where the countersubject clashes with the subject 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 B minor, BWV 869?
It is advanced. The four-voice fugue is long and chromatic, and it asks for steady control of every line.
02 How long is BWV 869?
Our score has 123 bars in total: a 47-bar prelude and a 76-bar fugue, both in 4/4.
03 What should I practise first?
Start with the prelude's two upper voices over the bass. For the fugue, learn the subject by itself before adding voices.
04 What is special about the B minor fugue subject?
It is 21 eighth notes long and explores all twelve chromatic degrees.