PlayPiano

Baroque · fugue

Fugue No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 (WTC I)

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 7, estimated · With Maestro

Practise it in PlayPiano

The short answer

A manuscript from 1722, a printed afterlife around 1800. Fugue No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 (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 F major
  • dancing

Also known as Das Wohltemperierte Clavier I, Fuga XI.

History

Fugue No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 (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. A lower pickup precedes the upper entry

    The lower pickup begins while the upper line waits, before related entries join. Hear the lower gesture clearly before the texture becomes layered.

  2. Short sequences exchange moving roles

    Quick cells, held ornaments and changing lower answers overlap. Follow the running line as its role shifts between registers.

  3. Related figures renew the dialogue

    Later upper figures receive lower replies within a fuller layered texture. Hear their relationship to the opening exchange.

  4. Held strands and moving lines converge

    Sustained upper sounds accompany active inner and lower lines before the final fermatas. Hear the motion gather into the closing arrival.

How to practise it

Long wait before upper entry; earlier lower figure.

  1. Count the upper silence and identify its first sounding entry without relying on staff position.
  2. Practise the earlier sounding line separately and retain its independence when another line enters.

How hard is it

Level 7, estimated

Light imitative writing requires clean short-note articulation and balanced entries across the voices.

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

Long wait before upper entry; earlier lower figure.

Practise it in PlayPiano