Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro in E-flat major, BWV 998, is a musical composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach for Lute or Harpsichord. The piece was written around 1735. The original manuscript with the title "Prelude pour la Luth. ò Cembal. par J.S. Bach" was sold at Christie's on July 13, 2016, for £2,518,500.[1]
Structure
Prelude
The Prelude is similar to many in the Well-Tempered Clavier (the second book of which dates from around the same time as this work), in that it is composed of many arpeggios.[2] There is a pause in the motion when, just before the coda, there is a fermata over a third-inversion seventh chord with a rich suspension.[2] There is a rare example of explicit consecutive fifths in the left-hand of bar 46.
Fugue
The Fugue is one of only three that Bach wrote in ternary form, with an exact repetition of its contrapuntally active opening section framing a texturally contrasting central section.[3]
Allegro
The Allegro is a binary form dance with 16th notes.[2]
Arrangement for guitar
Arranged for guitar, it is usually played in D major with a Drop D tuning. Julian Bream played it in a BBC2 broadcast on television in early 1978 at the All Saints chapel of Wardour Castle. In 1994 he recorded it on his album Bach Guitar Recital.[4]
References
- ^ "Christie's, Auction Results, Music manuscripts, Bach".
- ^ a b c "Johann Sebastian Bach - Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro in Eb for Lute, BWV998 - Classical Archives".
- ^ "A Fugue in Ternary Form by J.S. Bach (BWV 998)".
- ^ "Bach Guitar Recital". Discogs. 6 November 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
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