The fugue was considered the intellectual peak of musical composition for many centuries, and Bach was its greatest champion. As Yamaha Artist Evan Shinners states, Bach used this first Fugue of the Well-Tempered Clavier to lay down the law, then break the law, and demonstrate to composers, performers, and listeners the endless creative possibilities within the parameters of strict counterpoint.

Shinners begins by defining "fugue" according to its Latin root "fuga," meaning "flying." What is flying? Interweaving voices. Shinners tracks each time the subject, or "theme," enters in one of the four voices of the fugue, and explains some of the special compositional tools Bach employs, such as stretto and the golden ratio.

Fugues are tricky to learn, and require careful slow practice, hands separately, until you can feel the voices emerge independently in your hands. Shinners recommends adhering to historically-informed performance practice principles, especially in ornamentation, and offers practice strategies for developing quick, articulate mordants. He then breaks down particularly challenging passages and shows how to carefully pass a voice between the hands.

In this lesson, Yamaha artist and hotshot Bach pianist Evan Shinners offers comprehensive advice on how to convincingly interpret this unruly, energetic fugue. It’s difficult to play a fugue well without understanding how it is put together, so Shinners gives an overview of how fugues are constructed: subject, countersubject, episodes, real versus tonal answers, and more. Since Bach doesn’t mark dynamics or articulation, it’s important to make an informed decision, and Shinners sheds light on the subject (pun intended): how you articulate the fugue subject is informed by the natural inflections of the human voice and instruments Bach knew, and you can derive your dynamic choice from the unrest inherent in the music.

Shinners shares his strategies for bringing out the character of each section, revealing distinctive elements: sweeping scales, grinding chromaticism, stern low notes, suspenseful rests, lyrical double notes, and hide-and-seek between different voices. He also suggests ways of managing the technical challenges of a fugue, especially intricacies of voicing requiring you to carefully distribute the weight of the hand.

The lesson closes with a brief look at how to handle the break between the prelude and the fugue, including observations about an earlier draft of the prelude as well as a subtle motivic link Bach introduced into the version we know today.

Join young Bach hotshot and Yamaha artist Evan Shinners for a lesson on one of the most popular preludes from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. His holistic insights set you on a path to playing this work with ease, beauty, and clarity of expression.

To help you avoid fatigue in this relentless prelude, Shinners offers advice on choosing a suitable tempo for each section, supported by natural phrasing that suits the melodic contour, meter, and harmonic events like modulation. He also shares insights on the prelude’s overall structure, proceeding from toccata-like figuration to a pedal point underpinning a more vocal style that mimics speech, recitative, cadenza, and soliloquy. He even finds time to discuss Bach’s interest in numerology.

Alongside these interpretive remarks, Shinners never fails to provide practical reminders of efficient, step-by-step technical solutions and groupings to help you master this prelude without physical strain.