Fugue in F major, BWV 856

10.3 Hear three independent parts

Study the three-voice Fugue in F major from Book 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 856: two upper parts over a bass, as in a trio sonata, but all in your two hands. Follow each part on its own, then hear all three at once. The trio-sonata card shows the same three layers with a continuo player filling in the chords. At the keyboard: read a bass and two independent upper parts.

Ideas

• Fugue vocabulary and structure
• Independent voices
• Trio-sonata texture

Theory cards

• Trio-sonata texture and continuo
• Exchanging contrapuntal positions

Technique

• F major scale, hands together, 4 octaves