Prelude in D Major BWV 850

1. J. S. Bach – The Well-Tempered Clavier Prelude in D Major BWV 850

2. A Look BACH The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, 846-869 • Completed in 1722 • Composed "for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning, and especially for the pastime of those already skilled in this study” • Purpose was… • to demonstrate the feasibility of the "well tempered" tuning system that would allow for composition in every key and • to reveal how modern and progressive composition could be informed by conservative ideas and • to reveal how modern and progressive composition could be informed by conservative ideas

3. Form BWV 850 • This prelude is a playful and bouncy piece of right hand figuration above a pizzicato-like evenly paced bass. • To ensure that the piece does not get bogged down in a march-like 4/4 feeling Bach hides an off-beat melody inside the figuration that helps propel the piece forward: • A pedal point towards the end of the prelude builds up the tension which is then released with a cadenza-like flourish ending in what seems at first as a somewhat over-stated closing for such a lightweight piece. But as soon as we move on to the fugue it becomes apparent that these closing chords were meant not so much as the prelude's closing but as a transition to the grandiose fugue.

4. Harmonic Progression bars 1 – 3d D – D bars 3 – 6d D – A bars 6 – 12d A – E bars 12 – 14d E – D bars 14 – 20d D – G bars 20 – 22d G – G bars 22 – 25d G – D bars 25 – 35 D – D

5. Chord Clusters

6. Phrasing • Articulation is legato or, better, quasi legato for the right hand. The left hand plays non legato; because of the obvious rests in the bass part, this indication is more important for the touch and coloring of the notes than for their actual length. • Due to the features beginning with bar 32 on – syncopated rhythm and keynote / leading-note / keynote (do-si-do) formula – legato playing is indispensable here. • At the same time, the newly created "tenor" should sound non legato. The "soprano" in bar 34 presents again the typical closing-formula while the simultaneous quarter-notes in the left hand continue the non legato touch.

7. Suggested Tempo The choice for the tempo in the prelude should be made after considering the following two aspects:- • The bass line is composed as a hidden two-part structure – this might indicate that behind the given time signature of 4/4 an alla-breve pulse should be made perceptible. • The treble shows a pitch pattern which is easily unmasked as an ornamentation of broken chords. A melodious treatment of this line would mislead the listeners who will expect a true melody which then does not materialize. • The appropriate tempo is therefore fairly fluent: fast enough to give the impression both of a half-bar pulse and of a non-melodious, arabesque-like right-hand patterns. From Sigland Braun J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier In-Depth Analysis & Interpretation

8. Suggested Techniques • Reduce RH stretching by moving hand side-to-side, bringing the thumb to the right as fingers 2, 3, 4, 5 are played; brining finger 5 to the left as fingers 1, 2, 3 are played. (hand relaxed & somewhat closed when large intervals are not used) (DVD #3) • Subtle amount of arm rotation (DVD #4) • Added cadential trill at end (DVD #5)

9. Special Challenges of the Piece • Alternate fingering for the smaller hands

10. Practice Suggestions • Listen to recording(s) every day (handout) • If desired, play through a couple of times to get acquainted with the piece before “getting down to brass tacks” • Make section 3 or 4 measures long (appendix A) • Plan fingering (use the suggested fingerings first and then tailor it to the hand of the student (appendix B) • Select the most difficult sections and work on those first (DVD #1) Also DVD #2

11. Presenters Marilyn Andersen…… Dr. Karen Bartman, Suzuki Piano Faculty, Levine School of Music, Washington, DC