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.