Prelude and Fugue in D major, WTC II
About this arrangement
This is No. 5 in Book 2 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled around 1742 in Leipzig, and was written between 1739 and 1742. The prelude is laid out like a sonata movement, with a 16-bar exposition, a 24-bar development and a 16-bar return. The fugue ends with a series of close strettos, the last bringing in the subject in all four voices near the end.
Play the prelude's three sections as separate pieces first. In the fugue, learn the subject alone, then find the stretto entries near the end and loop them at 50% until the overlapping voices are 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 Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 874?
Both halves are advanced: the prelude is long and wide-ranging, and the fugue ends in dense strettos.
02 How long is BWV 874?
Our score has 162 bars in total: the fugue is 50 bars and the prelude is 112, because our score writes the repeats out. Printed with repeat signs, the prelude is 56 bars.
03 What should I practise first?
Learn the prelude section by section (exposition, development, return). Then learn the fugue subject before working towards the final strettos.
04 What is unusual about the D major fugue?
Instead of a full return of the opening, Bach uses a series of close strettos. The last one brings in the subject in all four voices near the end.