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Baroque · fugue

Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 851 (WTC I)

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 7, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A manuscript from 1722, a printed afterlife around 1800. Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 851 (WTC I) is a fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 7, an estimate.

On this page
  • fugue
  • Baroque
  • Key of D minor
  • gentle

History

Fugue No. 6 in D minor, BWV 851 (WTC I) belongs to the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Bach's collection fair copy is dated 1722. For many years its life was in manuscript: around 1800, publishers in Zurich, Bonn and Vienna/Leipzig brought competing editions into print. That long journey from manuscript to publication is part of this piece's wider history.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. An upper gesture receives a lower entry

    The upper line curls into quicker notes and ornaments before a lower related entry joins. Hear the answer beneath the continuing opening.

  2. Held upper sounds contrast with moving replies

    Tied upper notes overlap lower motion and detached ornamented responses. Keep the held strand present as the smaller replies change.

  3. A familiar gesture returns in layers

    Opening-related upper and lower figures return within a layered passage. Listen for their familiar contour through the continuing chromatic motion.

  4. Held D sounds frame the final movement

    Upper and low D are sustained while inner chords still move. Hear those layers reach the final fermata together.

How to practise it

Mixed shorter and held upper values; delayed lower entry.

  1. Practise one duration change at a time rather than giving every attack the same release.
  2. Count through the lower silence and prepare its entry without accelerating.

How hard is it

Level 7, estimated

Subject articulation and overlapping lines require independence and clear phrase endings within the contrapuntal texture.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Johann Sebastian Bach, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Licence
Public Domain
Source
mutopiaproject.org

More by Johann Sebastian Bach

  1. Prelude in C major, BWV 846Level 4, estimatedOpen to everyone
  2. Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971: III. PrestoLevel 9, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Mixed shorter and held upper values; delayed lower entry.

Practise it in PlayPiano