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The short answer
Two possible dates, fourteen years apart. Fugue in A minor, B. 144 is a fugue by Frédéric Chopin from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.
- fugue
- Romantic
- gentle
Also known as Chopin Fugue in A minor; B.144; KK IVc 2.
History
The French national library records two alternative composition years for this fugue: 1827 or 1841. That leaves its place in Chopin’s career unresolved. The catalogue also connects the work to B. 144 and KK IVc/2, helping readers recognize the same fugue across different catalogue systems.
Sources
What to listen for
A lower contour begins alone
The pickup introduces the lower line while the upper staff waits. Hear its shape before the texture thickens.
The contour returns higher
Opening-like material appears in a higher register. Recognise its shape within the changing response.
Sequences continue across registers
Further sequential replies extend the movement. Follow a chosen line through its changes of placement.
A repeated low pitch supports the close
Repeated lower support underlies the last gestures. Hear the upper movement settle into the final A sound.
How to practise it
Give the low opening line clear rhythm and phrase direction.
- Connect the short opening E.
- Keep the rest in the phrase.
- Hear the lower line as the focus.
How hard is it
Selected later passages combine unequal upper and lower note lengths, tied bass tones and independently moving eighth-note figures. Chromatic reading and keeping both lines distinct are observed demands; this placement is a selected-passage estimate, not a complete contrapuntal assessment.
About this piece
- Licence
- CC0
- Source
- musescore.com
More by Frédéric Chopin
- Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
- Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
- Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52Level 10, estimatedWith Maestro
