Four new Preludes and Fugues in Step into ‘the 48’
Our Step into “the 48” series has reached an exciting milestone. Four new instalments bring the collection to 36 of Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues, meaning that we are now three-quarters of the way through the Well-Tempered Clavier, with just twelve works remaining.
In this series, pianist and teacher Beate Toyka introduces and performs each Prelude and Fugue, revealing its character, structure, expressive possibilities and contrapuntal craft. Her video lessons also offer practical guidance on recurring questions of fingering, articulation, tempo, ornamentation, voicing and negotiating the technical demands of Bach’s keyboard writing.
The four latest additions span very different musical worlds: ceremonial grandeur and high spirits in C major, melancholy transformed into hope in G-sharp minor, virtuoso brilliance in D major, and shimmering lightness and musical ping-pong in C-sharp major.
Each presents its own combination of musical and technical challenges. Together, they show how playing Bach is not simply a matter of managing complexity, but of transforming that complexity into vivid, clear and characterful music-making.
Prelude & Fugue in C Major, Book 2
Bach opens Book 2 of the Well-Tempered Clavier in majestic style, with a rhapsodic Prelude full of rich orchestral colours, dramatic gestures and intricate four-part writing.
It could hardly be more different from the calm simplicity of its famous counterpart at the beginning of Book 1. A dramatic pedal point calls the music to attention before the Prelude unfolds with the grandeur of a ceremonial opening. Its final section becomes quieter and more reflective, as though Bach cannot quite bring himself to leave the stage.
The Fugue is joyful and high-spirited, its lively subject shaped by mordents that echo throughout the piece and propel it forwards with irresistible energy.
Beate explores the striking contrast between the two movements and demonstrates how to preserve clarity as their voices overlap, cross and interact.
Watch the Prelude & Fugue in C Major, Book 2
Prelude & Fugue in G-sharp Minor, Book 1
What can initially sound dark and melancholic takes on a more hopeful character when Bach’s Prelude in G-sharp minor is allowed to flow with greater energy.
Beate describes how she once approached its gently lilting Siciliano rhythm slowly, emphasising its inward and brooding qualities. Experimenting with a more flowing tempo revealed something quite different: a sense of hope and positive energy emerging from beneath the music’s many twists and turns.
The profound four-part Fugue presents a different kind of intensity. Its haunting subject appears repeatedly within a densely woven texture, relieved by lyrical episodes and flowing countersubjects that must sing through the surrounding complexity.
Beate’s exploration of this work is especially revealing, showing how tempo, articulation and carefully planned fingering can alter our perception of its expressive meaning and uncover a spirit of hope within the minor key.
Explore the Prelude & Fugue in G-sharp Minor, Book 1
Prelude & Fugue in D Major, Book 2
Joyful, triumphant and virtuosic, the Prelude in D major is a brilliant gigue filled with rapid passagework, sharply contrasted articulations and the energy of a showpiece.
Its unusual rhythmic writing combines a compound metre with passages that momentarily suggest common time, creating an effect Beate compares to a wind-up toy being released into motion. The apparent ease of the opening is deceptive, as the long semiquaver lines and quick changes of position demand considerable control at speed.
The Fugue grows almost entirely from its compact subject. Its repeated notes and lyrical quavers are woven through virtually every bar, culminating in an extraordinary sequence of six stretti in which entries of the subject overlap ever more closely.
This lesson focuses on how to achieve clarity and momentum through the Prelude’s rapid passagework and the Fugue’s increasingly elaborate contrapuntal combinations.
View the Prelude & Fugue in D Major, Book 2
Prelude & Fugue in C-sharp Major, Book 1
A playful exchange between the hands gives the Prelude in C-sharp major the character of a lively dance or game of musical ping-pong.
Its shimmering broken chords and rapid exchanges require an exceptionally light touch, with the sound kept buoyant and rarely rising much above mezzo-forte. Later passages introduce new kinds of dialogue between flowing semiquavers and sharply articulated quaver figures, building towards a brilliant final flourish.
The Fugue is similarly joyful and energetic. Its buoyant three-part subject and two contrasting countersubjects are continually rearranged and exchanged between the voices, almost as though Bach were juggling them.
Beate shows how to capture the lightness, bounce and exuberance of the music, while making its formidable collection of sharps and double sharps feel increasingly natural under the hands.
Watch the Prelude & Fugue in C-sharp Major, Book 1
Explore Step into “the 48”
Three hundred years after their creation, the Preludes and Fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier remain as fascinating, rewarding and demanding as ever.
Step into “the 48” offers a growing companion to these works, combining complete performances with practical and interpretative guidance from a pianist who has studied, taught and performed them over many years.
The complete video lessons are available with an Online Academy subscription. Beate’s performances of all 36 featured works can also be viewed without a subscription or login.
Whether you are currently learning one of the works, considering which Prelude and Fugue to tackle next, or simply want to explore Bach’s extraordinary musical imagination, the series now offers a substantial library through which to begin your journey.