The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 Vol.2: Piano (Solo)

This Edition Peters version anchors you to the 1751 first printed edition, giving pianists direct access to how Bach's work was disseminated and understood in his own era rather than through later editorial interventions. The 80-page score presents fugal architecture at its most disciplined and intellectually rigorous, rewarding pianists who thrive on contrapuntal clarity and structural mastery.

Intellectually demanding yet deeply meditative, The Art of Fugue unfolds as pure musical architecture, where each voice maintains equal importance and every note serves both harmonic function and linear continuity. The cumulative effect of moving through these fugues is one of increasing mastery over material; patterns build, transform, and recombine in ways that challenge both mind and fingers.

Advanced pianists and serious students working toward repertoire mastery, as well as musicians interested in studying Bach's most systematic treatment of fugal procedure. This score appeals to performers preparing for advanced recitals, competitions, or examinations where Bach's keyboard works carry weight.

• Establish independent voice lines before building tempo; each voice deserves to sing with its own rhythmic integrity rather than blurring into the harmonic mass.
• Practice each fugue by hands separately until you achieve secure voice independence, then combine only when both hands are secure at performance tempo.
• Shape phrases by the subject entries rather than by harmonic breathing; this prevents the underlying architecture from becoming obscured.
• Resist the urge to add pedal excessively; Bach's voice writing is lucid enough to carry without resonance, and clarity serves the counterpoint better than wash.

Program individual fugues from this volume as standalone pieces for an all-Bach recital, where smaller selections allow audiences to absorb contrapuntal detail without fatigue. These works are also essential preparation for pianists tackling the Goldberg Variations or the Well-Tempered Clavier, as they train the independence and clarity these other major keyboard cycles demand.

• Independent voice leading across both hands
• Recognition and execution of fugal subjects, countersubjects, and stretto entries
• Tracking multiple structural layers simultaneously
• Voicing with clarity in dense contrapuntal textures
• Baroque performance conventions including phrasing and ornamentation