WTC I/1 in C major Prelude

The first prelude in Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier consists of nothing

but broken chords. It must therefore be described as determined purely by
processes of increasing and decreasing harmonic tension. Effects such as
creating an echo in every repeated chord or emphasizing the chords peaknotes and thus drawing attention to an imaginary melodic line divert from
the composers intention. They would misguide listeners and should thus
be avoided.
The sections are clearly discernible by their simple cadential patterns.
The first cadential closure is reached
in m. 4, the steps leading to it being:
6
m. 1 = I, m. 2 = ii2, m. 3 = V5 , m. 4 = I. Since all structural breaks in this
prelude are harmonically defined, this cadence must be interpreted as the
end of a first (short) section. The next harmonic progression concludes in
m. 11. As the sharps from m. 6 onward demonstrate, Bach now modulates
to G major. The final steps of this progression are: m. 9 = ii7 of G, m. 10 =
V7 of G, m. 11 = I of G. Once again, this harmonic close marks a structural
caesura.
There are altogether four sections in this prelude:
I
mm. 1-4
complete progression in C major
II
mm. 5-11
modulation to G major
III
mm. 12-19
modulation back to C major
IV
mm. 20-35
complex, extended cadence in C major
While no portion ever recurseither note for note or in variationthere is
a transposed passage that forms part of a structural analogy: mm. 15-19 are
an exact transposition of mm. 7-11 (see the progression I6, IV2, ii7, V7, I
in mm. 7-11 in G major, in mm. 15-19 in C major). In connection with this
transposition we also discover that mm. 7-8 are a sequence of mm. 5-6 and
mm. 14-15, a sequence of mm. 12-13. In both cases, a two-bar model is
repeated one diatonic step lower. The only structural divergence between
these two patterns results from the different amount of overlapping with
the transposed portion. We can thus confirm the following analogy:
section II (mm. 5-11) corresponds with section III (mm. 12-19);
both consist of
a model of two measures, a descending sequence,
and an analogous cadential close.
49

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WTC I/1

All aspects of performance in this prelude reveal themselves by means

of this basic analysis. As the composition contains no melodic elements,
there are no open questions about articulation or single-voice phrasing; all
notes should be sustained for the exact length of their written value.
Phrasing between structural sections is best made transparent by varying
the degrees of tension. A performer who works on a modern piano will
achieve this through dynamic means. (The phrase-ending ritardando, so
essential on early keyboard instruments, can be restricted to a minimum on
instruments capable of expressing phrasing through dynamic shading.)
The dynamic development between consecutive notes poses the biggest problem. What should be heard in a piece determined by harmonic
processes is the relationship between chords, not that between 16th-notes;
the notes forming each chord must therefore sound as equal as is humanly
possible, and greatest care should be taken to avoid any emphasis on the
uppermost pitches.
A very important factor for any sensible performance of the C-major
prelude is tempo. This should again be chosen with a view to best convey
the harmonic processes. Too fast a rendition easily diverts the listeners
attention toward an apparent display of virtuosity; too slow a tempo makes
it difficult to hear more than just one chord at a time.
The only ornament in this prelude derives from an early copy. It appears
in m. 34 and serves to emphasize the final cadence by embellishing it. The
sign indicates a simple mordent that, since it is approached stepwise,
begins on the main note: E-F-E.
As was stated above, the C-major prelude derives its expression from
its harmonic progressions. There are, however, two instances in which
these are overshadowed by secondary processes. One case is owed to the
above-mentioned sequences, the other to a protracted pedal note. The
development of tension as represented by all features is as follows:
In the course of the first simple cadence (mm. 1-4), the subdominant
function commands the greatest tension. This tension subsequently finds a
stepwise resolution via the dominant toward the tonic. The dynamic analog
to this process may be described as p - mp + - mp - p.
The following section (mm. 5-11) brings a modulation to G major,
which is reached in m. 11. As the section opening contains a sequence, the
priority of mere harmonic relationships between consecutive chords is
temporarily suspended. Within the first two measures, the harmonic relationship between the inverted A minor and D7 chords (mm. 5, 6) constitutes
a rather strong decrease in tension. (This can easily be experienced when
listening to the two harmonies, preferably when played as block chords).

C major

51

In keeping with the law defining dynamics in sequences, the same relationship must apply to the following two chords, on a softer level because the
sequence descends. From the last chord of the sequential pattern onward
there follows a further gradual release of tension. The dynamic analog to
the process in this portion of the prelude may be expressed in these terms:
mf + - mp + - mf - mp - mp - p+ - p.
A similar development occurs in the third section. Like the preceding
one it starts with a sequence, and again, the relationship between the first
and the second chords in the model is one of relaxation. The release of
tension is even stronger here than in the earlier sequence as mm. 12 and 14
each consist of a diminished seventh chord resolving onto an inversion of
the supertonic (m. 13) and of the tonic itself (m. 15). At the end of this
sequence the harmonic tension therefore appears already abated to something very close to the softest shade used in this piece. The following four
measures, a transposition of mm. 8-11, should portray a dynamic outline
exactly like the one in the corresponding measures so as to assist listeners in
grasping this analogy. The concept of mm. 12-19 is thus approximately:
poco f - mp + - mf + - mp - mp - mp - p + - p.
The fourth section is almost as long as the first three sections together.
The emergence of the dominant pedal in m. 24 serves to divide it into two
subsections. The first of these subsections, from m. 20 to the downbeat of
m. 24, ends in an imperfect cadence. The harmonic development sets out
from the C-major seventh chord (m. 20) but then leads away from the tonic
in bold steps. The process includes two diminished-seventh chords; in
addition, there is a hint of an independent bass line, which enhances the
sense of urgency. Upon closer inspection, the end of this bass line reveals
a circular movement preparing the beginning of the pedal note by sounding
both the natural leading-note (from the semitone below) and the artificial
one (from the semitone above) to the dominant keynote G. The audacity of
these harmonic steps can best be conveyed in the following dynamic plan:
mp - mp + - mf + - poco f +.
After this forceful increase, the next subsection begins with a sudden
hush to a level hardly above piano. From here the pedal note takes effect. Its
typical gradual and smooth dynamic growth continues not only while the
bass remains on G but all the way to the end of the piece, thus closing the
prelude on something like a triumphant forte chord. The dynamic balance
in this section may therefore be represented quite convincingly as follows:
p + - mp - mp - mp + - mf - mf - mf +- poco f - poco f - poco f + - f - f.

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WTC I/1
The graph attempts to show the processes determining this prelude.1

WTC I/1 in C major Fugue

The subject of this fugue is one and a half measures long. It begins
unaccented, after what can be called an implied breath on beat 1. This
creates the impression of a very long upbeat, in which the tension toward
the following downbeat is smooth and not very strong.
In its original statement the subject ends at m. 23 on E. That this E has
to be regarded as the final note of the subject becomes obvious when we
compare the first entry with later ones: they either end after this E or its
equivalent in another key (see, e.g., mm. 9-10, 10-12), or they continue in
a different way each time. The closure is further supported by the subjects
harmonic background: the dominant is reached at the beginning of m. 1
1

Carl Czerny added an extra measure. He argued that first, it seemed highly improbable, for
a composer as conscious of subtle numeric balancing as Bach was, to have written a piece
consisting of the uneven number of 35 measures; second, a bass line with a diminished third
such as the one in mm. 22-23 seemed melodically incorrect and would therefore require a
chromatic link. Czerny therefore inserted a tonic six-four chord to correct Bachs error,
and by doing so destroyed the forceful tension built up here with so much ingenuity.

C major

53

(on either D or G; the dominants point of arrival varies throughout the

fugue) and resolves onto the keynote-chord on this E. The fact that the first
statement is followed by an extension, made up of two sequences of the
last four notes, does not change its basic confines but serves to grant a
smooth transition from this first entry to the next.
Ten of the subjects thirteen intervals are seconds, and stepwise motion
also dominates the fugue as a whole. The few larger intervals, however,
confound the picture somewhat because of their particular nature. They do
not, as might normally be expected in the context of overall stepwise motion,
represent high-tension intervalsintervals whose expressive gesture is
regarded as blending particularly well with the character expressed by
stepwise motion. Instead, the three leaps interrupting the subjects smooth
line are two perfect fourths and a perfect fifth, i.e., leaps without particular
emotional content.
The rhythmic structure is complex. The subject features four different
note values: eighth-notes, dotted eighth-notes (or, in m. 2, the same value
written with tie prolongation), 16th-notes, and 32nd-notes. Syncopations
are a regular feature throughout the fugue; in fact the fugue comprises only
six measures not displaying at least one syncopation.
The question of phrasing in the subject allows for two competing
answers, both of which can be supported with evidence from within the
composition itself. The choice between them is thus one of individual conviction or interpretation: (a) The overall pitch pattern, showing ascending
steps at the beginning, descending steps at the end, and leaps in the middle,
supports the option that this subject is conceived as an indivisible phrase.
The absence of obvious melodic sequences confirms this view. (b) For
interpreters who feel that rhythm plays a crucial role in this subject, there
is a pattern that is repeated in slight variationa sequence-like process
revealing the subject as made up of two halves. The first half consists of
four eighth-notes moving upward in stepwise motion. They are followed,
after a rhythmic prolongation, by shorter note values leading downward.
The second half starts similarly with four eighth-notes that, this time, move
in jumps up and down but are also followed, after the same rhythmic
prolongation, by a group of shorter note values leading downward. The
phrased subject would thus be defined by the analogous rhythmic structure
of its two segments. This option finds support in a harmonic progression
that allowsalthough Bach does not
always compose thusfor two complete cadences coinciding with the two
V
rhythmically determined halves (see
V V I vi ii

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WTC I/1

the harmonic progression underlying the subject statements in mm. 2-4 and
5-7). As far as the subtler harmonic progressions from one eighth-note to
the next are concerned, there are so many variations throughout this fugue
that it is not possible to state one unequivocal solution.
Ludwig Czaczkes in his analytical
book on Bachs WTC made his own
choice when he reconstructed in fourpart texture what he regarded as this
subjects harmonic basis.
When deciding on subtle dynamic
processes in the subject, the aspects to
be taken into particular consideration
are the two rhythmic phenomena and their respective harmonic functions:
the syncopation is rhythmically stronger, but it falls on the harmonically
rather weak tonic-to-dominant movement; the dotted eighth-note is rhythmically weaker but supported by the stronger harmony, the subdominant.
The preference of one climax over the other therefore rests on whether
interpreters feel the harmonic process more strongly than the rhythmical
one, or vice versa.
If a performer chooses option (a) for the phrase structure and reads the
subject as a unit that allows for no further subdivision, only one climax has
to be determined, which will come smoothly prepared by an increase in
tension and be followed by a relaxation. Performers perceiving the subject
as made up of two halves (b) have to decide which of them is stronger and,
consequently, which of the two shorter tension build-ups is more powerful.
In the latter case the subject would contain two releases, with the E at the
end of the first subphrase as a transitory solution, i.e., not quite as soft as
the final E.
The design of the C-major fugue has often been called programmatic:
as the first of a collection of twenty-four fugues it contains twenty-four
subject statements. These appear as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

mm. 1- 2
mm. 2- 4
mm. 4- 5
mm. 5- 7
mm. 7- 8
mm. 7- 8
mm. 9-10
mm. 10-12

A
S
T
B
S
T
A
B

9. mm. 10-12
10. mm. 12-13
11. mm. 14-15
12. mm. 14-15
13. mm. 15-16
14. mm. 15-16
15. mm. 16-17
16. mm. 16-18

A
T
A
T
B
S
S
A

17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

mm. 17-18
mm. 17-18
mm. 19-20
mm. 19-20
mm. 20-22
mm. 21-23
mm. 24-25
mm. 24-26

T
B
T
A
S
T
T
A

C major

55

Three of these subject statements are varied: The bass entry in m. 17

begins with a rhythmically doubled first note, annihilating the subjects
characteristic up-beat character. The tenor statement in mm.14-15 shows a
variation at the end, after the syncopation. The soprano entry in mm. 15-16
states only the subjects first half before giving way to a new beginning,
which now unfolds as a complete statement in this voice.
While parallels of the subject are not used in this fugue, stretto is a
prominent feature. After the first four entrances, i.e., as soon as each of the
voices participating in the fugue has entered, subject statements overlap
more often than not. The nine stretto combinations that Bach uses are listed
below. (The normal-sized capital distinguishes the respective group leader,
i.e., the voice that counts as building the round. The leader in a stretto
can be detected by asking the following three questions: which voice
presents the version that is more faithful to the original?, which serves to
establish a new key?, or simplyin the absence of other distinctions
which voice enters first?)
Strettos begin in measures
involving voices
7
10
ST, BA
14
15
16
17
AT, BS, SA, TB
19
20-21
TA, ST
24
TA
Interestingly, the first six stretto combinations give a complete account
of the six alliances possible between four voices: the soprano is paired with
the alto (entries 15-16), with the tenor (5-6), and with the bass (13-14); the
alto is further paired with the tenor (11-12) and with the bass (8-9); finally,
tenor and bass are also paired (17-18).
The C-major fugue does not feature any counter-subject. In view of the
immense density of material created by the twenty-four subject entries, this
will hardly come as a surprise. In the absence of counter-subjects, this
fugue claims full attention for its strettos. A sketch of the phrase structure
and the dynamic design should therefore depict the pattern created in such
group statements.
In the two examples below, the entries in mm. 14-16 are rendered in
alternative interpretations: the first suggestion shows what happens if the
subject is seen as an indivisible phrase climaxing on the syncopation; the
second excerpt interprets the subject as consisting of two subphrases, with
the climax of the first subphrase stronger than that of the second.

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WTC I/1

Only twice is the density of the material in this fugue briefly interrupted. As the subject is absent in these measures, they qualify as episodes:
E 1 = m. 13 (last three eighth-notes) to m. 14 (first eighth-note),
E 2 = m. 23 (after the first 16th-note) to m. 24 (first eighth-note).
Furthermore, the fugue ends with two subject-free measures: the last
statement concludes on the first 16th-note of m. 26, thus: E3 mm. 26-27.
None of these subject-free measures is even remotely related to the subject;
neither are there any episode motifs. The two subject-free passages within
the fugue are both clearly identifiable as cadential closes. The second half
of m. 13 features typical closing formulas in all three sounding voices,
leaving no doubt that something is about to come to an end here. In mm.
23-24, soprano and bass once again present those typical patterns while the
inner voices join in neutral, quasi-chordal style.
Surprisingly, the ending of the composition avoids all these established
formulas. Two measures earlier Bach had already started a tonic pedal,
thus making it clear that the piece is approaching its end. Now he allows

C major

57

the other three voices to continue freely, with harmonic and melodic developments independent of both material bounds and pattern restrictions. One
after the other the voices then come to a halt: the tenor withdraws first,
upon which the alto becomes less eloquent. The soprano is the last to
remain active by running up to the high C.
The final note in the soprano, the high C, deserves a mention. This note
has not been previously reached in this composition. As is widely known,
it marks the upper limit of the keyboard instruments in Bachs time, just as
the preludes final low C marks the confines at the other extreme. These
two tiny details are another hint that Bach, in writing his twenty-four
preludes and fugues, aimed to demonstrate in full all that was possible on
this instrument.
The dynamic role each of the three subject-free passages plays in the
development of this fugue will have become apparent from what has been
said above. The two inner episodes serve as cadential closes and thus have
a relaxing tendency. The two final measures, on the contrary, succeed in
creating somethinghowever smallof their own, thus contributing to a
build-up toward a final climax.
Both the overall stepwise motion and the rhythmic structure with its
four different note values and frequent syncopations suggest that the basic
character of this composition is rather calm. Within the overall frame of
this character, the chain of three leaps in the subject adds an element of
contrast that should be feltand playedas such.
The most appropriate tempo is a calmly flowing one: flowing enough
so that the quarter-notes, rather than the eighth-notes, are felt as a pulse;
calm enough so that the 16th-notes still sound serene. Regarding the
relative tempo of the fugue to its prelude, retaining the beat would lead to
a somewhat dull result since both the time signature and the 16th-note
motion are the same in both pieces. Therefore, a proportion of 3:2 or 2:3
seems better suited. [Approximate metronome setting: prelude beat = 80 or
90, fugue beat = 60.]
The articulation in the fugue is mainly legato. One conspicuous (and
regular) exception occurs with the three leaps in the subject, which, being
consecutive jumps, must be detached. Similarly, leaps and cadential-bass
patterns in non-subject portions of any voice are also exempt from legato
articulation.
The fugue contains three ornaments, namely in mm. 13, 18, and 19.
The one in m. 18 is indicated in the Urtext as deriving from Bachs own
manuscript. It is a mordent that begins on the upper auxiliary note and
touches down twice on the main note, thus resulting in four regular notes

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WTC I/1

A-G-A-G. The two other ornaments both embellish typical soprano closing
formulas. As the Urtext printing in brackets indicates they do not appear in
the autograph but were added in various early copies. Ornamenting this
characteristic dotted note in a cadential formula was common practice, and
performers should include some kind of embellishment in any case. The
simple mordent (as suggested in m. 19 by the symbol in brackets) is a more
likely solution in both cases than the compound ornament recommended
by the small-print version in m. 13 since an anticipation of the final note in
the soprano formula (see A-A mm. 13-14 and D-D m. 19) normally replaces
and thus precludesa trill with a suffix ending.
The design of the fugue is clearly laid out. Bach orders the voices
presenting the subject, and the sequence of single and stretto statements, in
a consistent pattern:
mm. 1-7
entries in all four voices, no stretto
mm. 7-14
entries in all four voices, two with stretto partners
mm. 14-19
entries in all four voices, all with stretto partners
mm. 19-27
two stretto pairs including three of the voices, followed
by one repeated (redundant) stretto pair in the coda.
Within these four groups, the coupling of voices in stretto also seems
to follow a plan: the second round joins the higher and the lower voices
in each register (S + T, A + B), the third round groups the adjacent and the
outer voices (S + A, A + T, T + B, B + S), the fourth round leaves out the
bass completely but uses the next lowest voice, the tenor, in all three
combinations.
The complete ensemble is built up four times: The first four entries
produce the regular assembling of all voices involved in the fugue (see
mm. 1-7: from one to four voices). The ensemble is consequently reduced
to three voices in the first stretto statement. In both the following alto entry
and the next stretto, one of the voices is resting, so that the full ensemble is
again reached at the fourth statement of this group (see mm. 7-13, from
three to four voices). After the cadential close in A minor, the ensemble is
momentarily reduced to only two voices. This marks the return to C major
as a genuine new beginning. The following three strettos then sound in full
ensemble (see mm. 14-19, two to four voices). Finally, the stretto in mm.
19-20 that overlaps with the closing formula has the soprano pausing. The
full ensemble is restored with the ensuing statement (see mm. 19-27, from
three to four voices).
The harmonic progression within this fugue leads first from C major
to its relative A minor, confirmed by the cadential close of mm. 13-14. A
new start in C major is diverted after four entry pairs to D minor. This key

C major

59

is again confirmed by a closing formula (m. 19), although the two outer
voices alone hold on to this tonal anchor while the two inner parts continue
with stretto statements of the subject. As can be seen from both the keys of
the stretto group-leaders and the prolonged bass notes (see mm. 19-20: D,
21-22: G, and 24-27: C), the fugue then reverts to the home key, which is
confirmed by a cadential close in C major in mm. 23-24. In terms of the
harmonic development, the last four measures thus appear as a coda, since
the final cadence has already taken place and the tonic bass note sounds as
an extended pedal note.

There are several interesting analogies within the four sections. Both
the first and the second sections feature a harmonic progression launched
from the tonic and followed by entries on the unusual repeated dominant.
mm. 1-5: A (I), S (V), A (V) mm. 7-12: S + T (I), A (V), B + A (V)
The first sections two initial entries relate to their counterparts in the
second section (counting again the strettos group leader as the relevant
voice) in inversion, as do the third and fourth entries of these two rounds.
mm. 1-7: A, S T, B
mm. 7-13: S, A B, T
The first stretto of the third section (mm. 14-15) is analogous to the
first stretto of the second section (mm. 7-8) insofar as both the pitch level
and the distance between the second entry and its leader (two eighth-notes)
are identical. The second stretto in the third round (mm. 15-16) appears as
an intensified variation of the corresponding second entry in the second
round (mm. 9-10), again with the same pitch level. Hence:
mm. 7-10:
mm. 14-16:
stretto (S + T, on C + G)
stretto (T + A, on C + G)
distance 2 eighth-notes
distance 2 eighth-notes
single entry (A) on G
stretto (B + S) leader on G

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WTC I/1

Finally, the fourth stretto of the third section (mm. 17-19) brings a
modulation into a new key, as does the fourth entry of the second section
(mm. 12-13); in addition, both the group leader here and the single entry
there sound in the dominant of the key of their destination.
mm. 12-13
mm. 17-19
fourth entry of section II
fourth stretto of section III
on V of A minor
leader on V of D minor
The first section shows a gradual, constant build-up of the ensemble
without any interruption by episodes. The tension rises steadily but, in the
absence of additional intensifying factors, reaches only medium level. The
second section, consisting of a twofold stretto-plus-single-entry sequence,
indicates a slight twofold relaxation. The first is supported at its end by the
closing formula (see soprano mm. 9-10: GF-G), while the second is
enhanced by the modulation to the minor key and the ensuing resolution
within the cadential close. The third section builds up tension from two to
four voices in the densest imaginable stretto setting. The dynamic processes are similar to those in the first section but considerably intensified.
Tension reaches its height at the end of this round; here the modulation
with its final turn to D major, the Picardy-third version of the expected D
minor, with the elaborate cadential formulas and the impatiently overlapping first stretto of the ensuing section create a supreme climax. The
fourth section resembles the second insofar as it appears made up of two
halves. After two entries that modulate back from D through G to C, thus
initiating a harmonic relaxation, the cadential measure 23 represents an
obvious caesura. The following coda replaces the expected stretto + single
entry with a stretto over an extended pedal note, but complements this with
two measures of subject-free development.
There are thus striking relationships between the two halves of the
fugue: The first section builds up tension. This build-up extends into the
beginning of the second section but is then not developed further, owing
both to the divided layout of this section and to the regressing harmonic
development. The third section builds up tension toward the overall climax
of the fugue. This elevated tension is continued into the overlapping beginning of the fourth section, after which it subsides gradually, both because
of the divided layout of this section and its softening modulation and
cadential close.