Fugue no 4 in C-sharp minor, BWV 849

About this work

Five voices give this fugue an exceptional density as soon as the entries begin to accumulate. The grave, measured subject is built from readily recognisable intervals. Yet it should not simply be brought out everywhere: the countersubjects, held notes and silences also shape the rise in tension.

Begin by marking the appearances of the subject in pencil and noting the register in which each occurs. A bass entry does not need the same weight as a high answer. When several lines overlap, hold long values for their full duration and lighten voices already heard. The counterpoint will remain clear without becoming massive.

Building a progression across 115 bars

Practise three voices first, then add the other two in short sections. Identify the relative points of rest and the areas where entries draw closer together. This map avoids playing the whole fugue at the same intensity. At the keyboard, a very stable pulse makes it possible to tighten the busiest episodes without rushing the cadence.

About this edition


Scoring: solo keyboard; the contrapuntal writing reaches five voices.
Files: the engraving extends across four pages. The MIDI preserves the 1,323 attacks and range of the source.
Source and rights: the work is in the public domain. Knute Snortum distributes his LilyPond transcription under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0. For this version, LesPartitions.info checked the 115 bars, created the structured formats, placed a clickable link at the foot of every page and wrote the performance advice.