Prelude and Fugue in E minor,

BWV The (, ; BWV) is a Catalogues of classical compositions, catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990 and the third edition in ...

855, is the 10th

prelude and fugue {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) A prelude and fugue is a musical form generally consisting of two Movement (music), movements in the same key for solo keyboard music, keyboard. In classical music, the combination of Prelude ( ...

for keyboard (harpsichord) in the first book of '' The Well Tempered Clavier'', composed in 1722 by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

. The Prelude in

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: Changes ...

855a, features as No. 18 ("Praeludium 5") in the 1720

Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach ''Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach'' (Bach's original spelling: ''Clavier-Büchlein vor Wilhelm Friedemann Bach'') is a collection of Keyboard instrument, keyboard music compiled by the Germany, German Baroque composer Johann Sebasti ...

. BWV 855a may also refer to both this Prelude and a Fughetta in the same key, an early version of BWV 855.

Alexander Siloti Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti; Russian: Александр Ильич Зилоти; 9 October 18638 December 1945) was a Russian virtuoso pianist, conductor, and composer. Biography Alexander Siloti was born on his father's estate n ...

made a piano

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

in B minor of the Prelude BWV 855a.

Prelude and Fughetta, BWV 855a

Where the 1998 version of the ''

Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis The (, ; BWV) is a Catalogues of classical compositions, catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990 and the third edition in ...

'' (BWV^2a) described BWV 855a as only a Prelude, based on its appearance in the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, BWV 855a may also refer to both this Prelude and a Fughetta in E minor, found in a manuscript copy made between 1750 and the early 19th century, once owned by F. Konwitschny but later lost. The Prelude and Fughetta were published in Series V, Volume 6.1 of the

Neue Bach-Ausgabe The New Bach Edition (NBE) (; NBA), is the second complete edition of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, published by Bärenreiter. The name is short for Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): New Edition of the Complete Works (''Johann Sebastian ...

, based on various sources for the Prelude, and on the Konwitschny source (of which a film copy had been preserved) for the Fughetta. BWV 855a is an early version of BWV 855, No. 10 in the 1722 first book of the ''Well-Tempered Clavier''.Bach Digital Work No. at \new PianoStaff << \new Staff \new Staff >>

Prelude and Fugue, BWV 855, No. 10 of ''The Well Tempered Clavier'', Book I

This piece was written for harpsichord by Bach in 1722 or earlier. \version "2.18.2" \header \score

Prelude

There are 41 measures. The bass line is made up of running sixteenth notes throughout. The treble line is made up of running sixteenth notes throughout with mixed notes in between. \version "2.18.2" \header upper = \relative c'' lower = \relative c \score

Fugue

The fugue is in 2 voices and there are 42 measures. \version "2.18.2" \header Dux = ContreSujet = Comes = upper = \relative c' lower = \relative c \score

Siloti's arrangement of BWV 855a: Prelude in B minor

made an arrangement the Prelude BWV 855a for

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

, transposing it to B minor: \new PianoStaff << \new Staff \new Dynamics \new Staff >> This arrangement has been described as "perhaps Siloti's most tender and perfect" transcription. It transposes Bach's original down from the original E minor into B minor, with the steady

sixteenth note Figure 1. A 16th note with stem facing up, a 16th note with stem facing down, and a 16th rest. Figure 2. Four 16th notes beamed together. In music, a 1/16, sixteenth note ( American) or semiquaver (British) is a note played for half the d ...

figuration that was originally given by Bach to the left hand being instead assigned to the right hand. Siloti also adds a repeat of the entire work, in order to allow for a change of voicing where the melody in the left hand is emphasized. In the published score, above, the chords in the left hand are

arpeggiated An arpeggio () is a type of chord in which the notes that compose a chord are individually sounded in a progressive rising or descending order. Arpeggios on keyboard instruments may be called rolled chords. Arpeggios may include all notes ...

; however, according to Siloti's daughter Kyriena (to whom the work was dedicated), he would omit the arpeggiation on the first pass and restore it on the repeat in order to heighten the effect of the left-hand melody. It has been performed by many pianists, most famously

Emil Gilels Emil Grigoryevich Gilels (19 October 191614 October 1985, born Samuil) was a Soviet pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time. His sister Elizabeth, three years his junior, was a violinist. His daughter Elena ...

. The date of the arrangement is uncertain: it was first published by A. Gutheil of Moscow, and was performed by Siloti in public for the "first time" (according to an announcement in the ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'') in February 1912.

References

External links

*
BWV 855: The Well-tempered Clavier Book I – X (A = 415 Hz) – Harpsichord sound
at

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website {{Authority control The Well-Tempered Clavier Compositions in E minor