{{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) The prelude and fugue is a musical form generally consisting of two

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

in the same key for solo

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

. In

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, the combination of prelude and

fugue In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...

is one with a long history. Many composers have written works of this kind. The use of this format is generally inspired by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

's two books of preludes and fugues — ''

The Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of in ...

'' — completed in 1722 and 1742 respectively. Bach, however, was not the first to compose such a set:

Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer __NOTOC__ ) , baptised = ( cs, }), Royal Bohemia, Austria , death_date = , death_place = Rastatt, Margravial Baden , occupations = organist, composer, , flourished = , era = Baroque , known_for = bringing many French elements through ...

wrote a 20-key cycle in his 1702 work ''

Ariadne musica ''Ariadne musica'' is a collection of Organ (music), organ music by Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer, first published in 1702. The main part of the collection is a cycle of 20 Prelude (music), preludes and fugues in different Key (music), keys, so ' ...

''. A number of composers wrote sets of pieces covering all 24 major and/or minor keys. Many of these have been sets of 24 preludes and fugues, or 24 preludes. The first movement may be alternatively titled, resulting in a fantasy and fugue, or a toccata and fugue, among others.

Works

The following works employ, sometimes loosely, the prelude-and-fugue format. * Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer: ''

'' (1702) *

: **

Prelude (Toccata) and Fugue in E major, BWV 566 Prelude (Toccata) and Fugue in (C or) E major, BWV 566 is an organ work written by Johann Sebastian Bach probably during his 4 month-stay at Lübeck or afterwards in the winter of 1705–1706. It comprises five sections and is an early work in gr ...

(ca. 1705) **

Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543 Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543 is a piece of organ music written by Johann Sebastian Bach sometime around his years as court organist to the Duke of Saxe-Weimar (1708–1713). Extended footnote 1, with references in German. Versions and ...

(sometime around 1708–1717) **

Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 544 Prelude may refer to: Music *Prelude (music), a musical form *Prelude (band), an English-based folk band * Prelude Records (record label), a former New York-based dance independent record label *Chorale prelude, a short liturgical composition for ...

Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546 Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546 is a piece of organ music written by Johann Sebastian Bach, with the prelude dating around his time in Leipzig (1723–1750), and the fugue dating around his time in Weimar (1708–1717).

Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548 Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548 is a piece of organ music written by Johann Sebastian Bach sometime between 1727 and 1736, during his time in Leipzig. The work is sometimes called "The Wedge" due to the chromatic outward motion of the fugue ...

** ''

'', Books I and II (1722 and 1742) * Uncertain (formerly attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach) –

Eight Short Preludes and Fugues The Eight Short Preludes and Fugues (also Eight Little Preludes and Fugues), BWV 553–560, are a collection of works for keyboard and pedal formerly attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. They are now believed to have been composed by one of Bach ...

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

: Six Preludes and Fugues Op. 35 (1827/37) * Franz Liszt: ** ''

Fantasy and Fugue on the chorale Ad nos ad salutarem undam Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and dra ...

'' (1850) ** ''

Fantasy and Fugue on the Theme B-A-C-H Fantasie und Fuge über das Thema B-A-C-H (also in the first version known as ''Präludium und Fuge über das Motiv B-A-C-H''), title in English: ''Fantasy and Fugue on the Theme B-A-C-H'') ( S.260i/ii st/2nd version S.529i/ii iano arrangement o ...

'' (1855 rev. 1870) * César Franck: Prélude, Choral et Fugue (1884) * Max Reger: ''

Introduktion, Passacaglia und Fuge Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue (german: Introduction, Passacaglia und Fuge) in E minor, Op. 127, is an extended composition for organ by Max Reger, composed in 1913 and dedicated to Karl Straube who played the premiere in Breslau on 24 Septem ...

'' * Paul Hindemith: ''

Ludus Tonalis ''Ludus Tonalis'' ("Play of Tones", "Tonal Game", or "Tonal Primary School" after the Latin ''Ludus Litterarius''), subtitled ''Kontrapunktische, tonale, und Klaviertechnische Übungen'' (''Counterpoint, tonal and technical studies for the piano ...

'' (1942) * Leonard Bernstein: ''

Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs ''Prelude, Fugue and Riffs'' is a "written-out" jazz-in-concert-hall composition composed by Leonard Bernstein for a jazz ensemble featuring solo clarinet. The title points to the union of classical music and jazz: Prelude (first movement) an ...

'' (1949) * Dmitri Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87 (1950–51)

Composers

The composers listed below, who lived and composed in the 19th and 20th centuries, employed this format. *

Mark Alburger Mark Alburger (born April 2, 1957 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania) is a San Francisco Bay area composer and conductor. He is the founder and music director of the San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra, as well as the music director of Goat ...

, ''12 Topical Preludes and Fugues'' *

Algernon Ashton Algernon Bennet Langton Ashton (9 December 1859 – 10 April 1937) was a British composer, pianist, and Professor of piano at the Royal College of Music 1884–1910. Ashton was born in Durham. He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory as a pu ...

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (3 April 1895 – 16 March 1968) was an Italian composer, pianist and writer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In ...

David Cope David Cope (born May 17, 1941 in San Francisco, California) is an American author, composer, scientist, and former professor of music at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). His primary area of research involves artificial intellige ...

, 48 Preludes and Fugues * David Diamond, 52 Preludes and Fugues * Hiroshi Hara * Hans Huber * Alexander Iakovtchouk * Andersen Viana - Sinfonia Amerindia/Prelude and Fugue * David Johnson, 12 Preludes and Fugues * A. A. Klengel *

Trygve Madsen Trygve Madsen (born 15 February 1940) is a Norwegian composer and pianist. Early life and education Born in Fredrikstad, Madsen demonstrated musical ability at an early age when he began to learn to play the piano at age six and first started comp ...

, 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano, Op. 101 * Henry Martin *

* Bruce Cameron Munson *

Frank Tveor Nordensten Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

, 3 Preludes and Fugues, Opp. 99 & 109 *

Vsevolod Zaderatsky Vsevolod Petrovich Zaderatsky (russian: Всеволод Петрович Задерацкий; 21 December 1891, Rivne, Russian Empire 1 February 1953, Lvov, USSR) was a Russian Imperial and Ukrainian Soviet composer, pianist and teacher at ...

, 24 Preludes and Fugues, 1937-39 *

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

, 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87, 1950–51 *

Dmitri Kabalevsky Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky (russian: Дми́трий Бори́сович Кабале́вский ; 14 February 1987) was a Soviet composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue of Russian gentry descent. He helped set up the Union of Soviet Co ...

, 6 Preludes and Fugues for piano, Op. 61, 1958–59 *

Rodion Shchedrin Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin ( rus, Родион Константинович Щедрин, , rədʲɪˈon kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ɕːɪˈdrʲin; born 16 December 1932) is a Soviet and Russian composer and pianist, winner of USSR State ...

, 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano, composed in 1964 and 1970 * Igor Rekhin (b. 1941 in

Tambov Tambov (, ; rus, Тамбов, p=tɐmˈbof) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Central Federal District, central Russia, at the confluence of the Tsna River (Moksha basin), Tsna and ...

, Russia), 24 Preludes and Fugues for solo Guitar, 1990 *

Sergei Slonimsky Sergei Mikhailovich Slonimsky (russian: Серге́й Миха́йлович Слони́мский; 12 August 1932 – 9 February 2020) was a Russian and Soviet composer, pianist and musicologist. Biography He was the son of the Soviet wri ...

, 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano, 1994 *

Nikolai Kapustin Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (russian: link=no, Никола́й Ги́ршевич Капу́стин ; 22 November 19372 July 2020) was a Soviet composer and pianist of Russian-Jewish descent. He played with early Soviet jazz bands such as the ...

, 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 82, 1997 Musical forms