Prelude and Fugue in D minor, WTC II
About this arrangement
This is No. 6 in Book 2 of the Well-Tempered Clavier, compiled around 1742 in Leipzig. The prelude is in two parts, with the main theme coming back in the dominant at bar 27. The fugue subject starts with diatonic triplet sixteenths and then moves to chromatic eighths.
Play the prelude hands separately to keep the running notes even. In the fugue, learn the subject alone, noting where it moves from triplets to eighths. Practise voice pairs, then loop the busiest bars 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 D minor, BWV 875?
Advanced. The prelude runs nonstop, and the fugue switches between duple and triple rhythms.
02 How long is BWV 875?
Our score has 88 bars in total: the prelude is 61 bars in 3/4 and the fugue is 27 bars in 4/4.
03 What should I practise first?
Start with the prelude, hands separately. Then learn the fugue subject, especially the change from triplets to chromatic eighths.
04 How is the prelude built?
As a moto perpetuo in two parts. The main theme returns in the dominant at bar 27.