Johann Sebastian Bach ： Well-Tempered Clavier I no.20 a-moll BWV 865

Placed near the end of Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier, this work pairs a prelude with a fugue. The prelude unfolds around a flowing line of smaller notes, with the voices intersecting as the music moves forward. Rather than presenting the figures mechanically, it is important to give the beat a natural sense of breath. In the fugue that follows, the subject enters successively in the different voices, and their overlapping lines create a sense of tension. A key point is to clarify the volume and articulation of each voice, bring out each entrance of the subject, and let the parts interact like a dialogue. Keep the pedal restrained enough to avoid blurring the sonority, and focus on clear articulation and finger independence to reveal the appeal of the counterpoint.