L'Art de la Fugue BWV 1080

About this work

The Art of Fugue begins with a subject of almost disarming simplicity, then spends the rest of the collection revealing what it contained. Bach inverts it, stretches it, combines it with other subjects and takes it into canon. He did not specify the instrumentation: keyboard, viol consort, wind ensemble or mixed forces can all serve the music, provided that the individual voices remain distinct.

The Contrapuncti can be heard as a progression from clarity towards complexity. At first, the subject is easy to recognise; later, it appears inverted or in dialogue with several themes. In the surviving source, the final fugue breaks off after the arrival of the B-A-C-H motif. There is no need to add mystery by dimming every light: the construction supplies plenty of its own.

When practising the collection at the keyboard, mark every entry of the subject and give each one a mental colour. Play the voices separately, then in pairs, retaining their individual articulation. A moderate tempo gives the counterpoint time to establish itself. The true virtuosity lies not in speed, but in allowing listeners to know who is speaking when everyone has an excellent reason to join in.


What the document contains

a complete 102-page PDF;
the various Contrapuncti and canons in a single volume;
a compressed archive containing the document.

A separate MIDI file is also available for listening. Since Bach did not fix the instrumentation, check that the edition suits your performance project and preserves the independence of the voices.