HELEN 7/4: Today’s P&F is absolutely lovely, and even though this was by far the hardest fugue so far, I played it so much better than the three previous, perhaps because I settled into the piano here and took my time. I was hoping to hear from one of our C# Major fans yesterday! That was a mental workout.
CELIA 7/5: What a joy it is to be playing through WTC 1 for the second time with you all! It feels both comforting and refreshing to play these pieces for the second July in a row. Here are a few things I noticed and my reflections on the first few P + F:
Prelude and Fugue 1: I love playing the first prelude – the rhythms are repetitive and feel good in my fingers and the chord progression is simple yet beautiful. Playing this piece makes me feel so happy and grounded. I love the fugue as well, especially the section between measures 15-19. I’m not sure if this is right (I’m kind of glancing at the music and haven’t formally analyzed the chords), but Bach seems to tonicize G, return to C, use harmonies from d minor/Major, and then by m. 20 tonicize G again before heading back to C. I love how he is able to tonicize so many different keys and then come back to the home key by the end in a way that seems so satisfying.
Prelude and Fugue 2: I think I started learning this one at one point but did not finish learning it, and I remember feeling like the prelude was a bit boring because it was so repetitive. When I played these earlier this week, I found I really enjoyed the prelude, especially the changes in tempo at the end. I find this fugue to be very cool. In many fugues, I love the part where the third (or fourth or fifth) voice enters – m. 7 in this fugue – because it is so beautiful and exciting to hear the texture become thicker and the harmony more complex. This one made me wish I was playing on an organ instead of a piano. The ending would sound so grand on an organ!
Prelude and Fugue 3: I kind of like playing in C# major because everything is sharp. It seems like if I am able to just remember that the whole time and not get distracted, and also not think about it too hard, it is fun to play in this key. When the double sharps come in is when it starts to get iffy for me and I have to start thinking harder (and I’m also usually sorry I didn’t start the piece slower).
Prelude and Fugue 4: I was kind of distracted by my cat and baby while playing these, so I didn’t make too many observations – maybe I can go back to them soon! The fugue subject is really different from a lot of Bach’s other fugue subjects. It seems darker and more pensive to me.
Looking forward to playing 5 today – I learned this one and played it at Middle School Piano Camp at Westminster Choir College!
Happy July, everyone! – Celia
HELEN 7/6: Nice comments, Celia, of the first four days, especially the number of keys present in the C major fugue. They are, I think, all related keys, and so much easier to think about that the later fugues, starting right off with no. 2. And the mention of distraction in P&F 4! Distraction is such a bugaboo for me, it’s easy to get to the end, not sure if I heard what I was playing, which defeats some of the purpose of playing. I work at staying present and listening, and I do not always prevail.