Bach Prelude and Fugue in F major

The prelude is in the form of a two-part invention and is characterised by exuberant arpeggios that lead to ornamented longer notes. The ornaments in my Henle edition are carefully differentiated from each other, depending on the angle of curve at the beginning of the mordent or trill sign. When I first studied this piece I adopted a minimal approach to the ornaments but on returning to it this year, I went for more of a flourish! The main challenge for me in the 3-part fugue that follows was the articulation: where to place the slurs in the subject, or main theme of the piece, particularly when this appears in the three different voices, and often with another part in the same hand.

Share