Fugue no. 2 in C minor, Well-Tempered Clavier Book I (BWV 847)

A Moment of Bach

The famous C minor fugue near the beginning of the Well-Tempered Clavier expresses the emotions of sadness, loneliness, and melancholy, according to harpsichordist Masato Suzuki. Suzuki provides a sensitive performance with attention to articulate detail in the fugue subject.

This, naturally, leads Christian and Alex into a comparison with race cars.

But, more straightforwardly, this fugue is part of the large journey that is the whole two books of preludes and fugues. The first prelude is a walk in the garden; its fugue is a hopeful step forward. But the following prelude in C minor is intrepid and fearless, boldly marching out the door. So, this fugue is when we finally run onto the road, with all of the uneasiness this entails. Explore with us how these first four parts of the WTC work together, what a countersubject (or even a second countersubject) is, and how this fugue embodies the very word root of "fugue" (to fly, flee).

Fugue in C minor as played by Masato Suzuki for the Netherlands Bach Society

Playlist with the entire Well-Tempered Clavier