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Bach, Johann Sebastian : Prelude und Fuge Nr.3 Prelude Nr.3 Cis-Dur

Work Overview

Music ID : 62180
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:pieces
Total Playing Time:2 min 20 sec
Copyright:Public Domain

Commentary (1)

Author : Ooi, Kazurou

Last Updated: September 14, 2023
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

How to Approach Arpeggio Passages

Understanding how to play pieces featuring this type of arpeggio becomes clearer when these arpeggios are transformed into block chords. Here's how:

  • Find suitable points for division. For example, the end of measure 6, being a cadential section returning to the tonic chord, can serve as one division. Alternatively, measure 3, being the C-sharp major tonic chord, is also acceptable. There is no particularly right or wrong way, so divide it as you see fit.
  • In this piece, one chord appears every two beats. So, if you consider up to measure 3 as one division, you will have a total of six chords.
  • When playing these six chords, you will notice that the fifth chord has the highest tension. The second is higher than the first, the third higher than the second, the fourth higher than the third, and the fifth reaches the peak. Therefore, it makes sense to apply a gradual crescendo towards the fifth chord, and then a diminuendo from the fifth to the sixth chord. Such chord progressions can be difficult to discern at a slow tempo, but by transforming them into block chords as described, they become much clearer.

Continue with the same process thereafter.

Given that there are two voices in the treble clef, there was an audio source that used different articulations for the upper and lower voices. This was very clear, and it is also one way to maintain polyphonic order.

From measure 25, it is marked Allegro. Instead of simply making the actual beats faster than those up to measure 24, choose a tempo that clearly conveys to the listener that it is a fast tempo. Therefore, a considerably fast tempo is desirable from measure 25 onwards.

Writer: Ooi, Kazurou
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