‘When Bach writes of sorrow, it never crushes us. Perhaps because there is no trace of bitterness. ’

Wanda Landowska

‘Contemplative’, ‘remotely beautiful’, ‘a calm and floating unearthliness’ – descriptions of the f# Prelude from Book 2 vie with one another in a futile attempt to capture an emotional world that exists in music, and only in music.

And the fugue? Well, you can get a head start by listening to these three snippets:

… and we’ll carry on from there on Wednesday.

Course materials:

Fugue in f#, Book 2

(available for download in the box on the right).

Below (you never know when you’ll need them!) is some general stuff – useful for intervals, key signatures, etc.

Keyboard

Cycle of 5ths

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