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Play — Bach – Prelude & Fugue No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846 (WTC I) | Marta Czech · Marta Czech (the player loads on click)
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Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.
Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.
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The Prelude and Fugue in C major presents a calm, luminous clarity where apparent simplicity conceals a tight contrapuntal structure and a need for steady rhythmic control. You will notably face Indépendance des mains (2.5/5) — you must coordinate one hand to sustain the pulse while the other unfolds motifs, controlling attack and note lengths to keep balance — and Polyphonie à trois voix ou plus (2.5/5), which requires bringing out a single voice while keeping the others clear, through finger emphasis and subtle dynamic shading. This piece belongs to the cycle of preludes and fugues that sits at the core of Bach's keyboard repertoire and showcases his contrapuntal writing for keyboard.