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The time when Bach wrote the Book I of the Well Tempered Clavier, 1722 Bach was very interested in writing instrumental solo works and "..put aside more ambitious orchestral projects"2. This was towards the end of the years Bach spent in the city of Cothen, where Bach was the capellmeister. Bach started his tremendous cantata output, as he started his post in Lepzig, 1723. Book II was written in 1744, at this stage of Bach's life " (1740) ...at the age of approximately fifty-five, Bach entered a kind of self-styled retirement in order to be free for projects that interested him personally, not in his capacity as a cantor"3 In the 1740's Bach's style"...displays an amazing zest for systematic penetration of compositional problems."4 At this time Bach had completed some of the greatest works of his life, including the B minor Mass, and the Art of the Fugue. Although much of the Well Tempered Clavier is written for the keyboard, it is not to be limited to a book of idiomatic exercises. These compositions are the core of proper polyphonic techniques. The information that one learns by studying these works can be applied to any situation, were tight, polyphonic music is required, from large orchestrations to choral works. The preludes of the Well Tempered Clavier are of much greater independence then the previous preludes Bach had wrote. "The preludes are raised to individual prominence; they no longer need the fugue, but from their relationship with it, they gain new reflected significance"5 Historically the prelude would simply be an introduction to a dance suite or some other form of music, but Bach has created preludes which could stand alone. "The connection between prelude and fugue is even more difficult to prove in Book II then in Book I"6. Thematic connections exist between the preludes and fugues in C Minor, G sharp, A Major, A Minor, B Flat Major, and B Flat Minor. In several other cases ..."the internal connection is so apparent that a demonstration of the unity of material is superfluous"7. Book II opens with a festive prelude in C Major which is much like The Organ Prelude in C Major(BWV 545). This prelude is suspected to have been published many years before the bulk of the Well Tempered Clavier. The Prelude in C# Minor is one of interest as it is one of the most "fine-grained" in all of the well Tempered Clavier. This was written first and later connected to the fugue for Book II. The three voices which construct this prelude, intertwine together so tightly that they only create one melody, which appears at the beginning of measure 17. Prelude No. 10 in E minor develops into a two-part two voiced prelude, in the character of a Corrente, which is the Italian version of a Courant. This is a two-part invention with a interesting time signature of 3/8. This particular prelude has a close connection to the fugue, both have the same curving lines with there melodies," ...its flexible turns are confirmed in the masculine and determined entrance of the fugue subject with its rolling triplet structure"8. Prelude number 14, in F# minor has been dubbed as one of the most important in the collection. This is in a great arioso style and only when written out for more then one instrument, can its full beauty be appreciated. This prelude is connected thematically to the fugue, they both begin with the broken chord of F# minor, and undulating movement of the triplets. "Were contrapuntal art and intellectual discipline are concerned, the prelude and fugue in B Flat Minor must be regarded as the peak of Book II of the well tempered Clavier."9 The prelude is a three-part invention, some say the greatest prelude Bach ever wrote. This prelude rejects any rhythmic and harmonic embellishment. This prelude contains an exposition of incredible length, from bar 1 to bar 30. This is begun in the alto voice, the soprano voice enters at bar 8, and the bass finally enters at bar 25. The second exposition starts at bar 31 with the soprano voice in D flat major. At bar 42 the alto voice enters in a flat major, then at bar 48 modulates to G flat major until the end of the second exposition at measure 54. The last exposition lasts from measure 55 to measure 83. At measure 55 the soprano voice uses E flat minor, and at bar 62 the alto voice takes B flat minor, these two voices build over the dominant of B Flat minor, measures 73-76, then return to cadence on tonic at measure 80. The tempo to this prelude is one of reserved grace, in a flowing four with only one accent per each measure. "The 22nd Prelude, in B flat minor, is another example of Bach's art in making counterpoints which are not only ingenious and masterful, but which serve the end of achieving an atmosphere of definite character10". This prelude has a character of "gentle nostalgia11", and uses the subject in major, and minor tonalities without loosing the essential mood. Bach uses many numerous devises in the creation of his fugues. The fugue is based on a subject, which are the opening notes of one voice. The answer is in response to the subject, and is the subject imitated in another voice, usually in the dominant. The Answer can be either real, which is an exact imitation of the subject, or tonal which is a slightly modified representation of the subject. While the subject and the answer are working, Bach adds a counter-subject, this is a line that harmonizes in counter-point with the answer, or subject depending on which voice is using it at the time. Stretto is when the subject introduced in one voice, then in another voice before the first voice is completed. Bach tended to use this in many of his fugues. In Book II Bach wrote 13 three-voice and 11 four-voice fugues which are all answered tonally. Fugue No. 9 and 22 are unique fugues which deserve an in depth examination to reveal some of Bach's techniques. Fugue No. 9 in E major, is developed in the polyphonic style of Palestrina. The subject shows characteristics of older traditions. This is a four voice fugue and contains a strong vocal style. " The 9th fugue is an ideal example of music for a vocal quartet or a four part chorus"12;
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