Fugue No.

VI

BWV 851

The Fugue No. VI, BWV 851 is from the rst book of the Well Tempered
Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece is in D minor and is written for
three voices (soprano, alto and bass). The piece starts with a prelude and
then moves on to the fugue. It is written for a keyboard instrument .

Professor Paul M. Walker de nes the exposition of a fugue as the opening

section of a fugue in which the voices enter one by one, each stating the
principal theme, or Subject, of the fugue, followed by the Countersubject if
present. In this fugue, the exposition begins with the subject being
introduced in the soprano voice in the rst two bars and goes on till the the
rst beat of the third bar in the home key of D minor. We can say that the
subject carries 3 motifs( the rst ve eighth notes, the four 16th notes and
the last three quarter notes). These motifs either occur separately or along
with one another, later in the fugue.

A real answer appears in the alto voice in the dominant key (A minor). We
can say that it is a real answer as the intervals between each note in the
answer is the same as the interval between each note in the subject.

The counter subject is introduced in the third bar in the soprano voice. The
counter subject can be seen as two phrases because sometimes in the
piece only on of phrases is repeated.

An episode is a connecting passage in a fugue and is usually made up of

ideas from the exposition (motifs from the subject and counter subject)

The rst episode begins with the repetition of counter subject phrase 1 in the
fth bar. There is Codetta that lasts for 2 beats in bar 5, which leads us to the
restatement of the subject in bar 6 in the bass voice (D minor) and above that
the counter subject phrase1 comes in the soprano in bar 6 and counter
subject phrase 2 comes in the alto voice in bar 7. The exposition comes to
an end here.

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 The development section begins here. The subject is restated in the soprano
voice in bar 8 to 10 and the counter subject is repeated in the bass, this
forms a Neapolitan chord in the rst beat of bar 9. After which in the 10th
bar, the second episode occurs. In bars 10 and 11, all the voices are seen to
be following a descending stepwise motion. Counter subject phrase 2
repeats itself in the bass, and motifs (parts of 2 and 3) from the subject are
seen repeating in the soprano and alto voice respectively. In bar 12, an
inversion of the rst motif is seen in the alto and the second and third motifs
are seen in the bass. After which a Neapolitan chord is used to get to
dominant key and the subject comes back in A minor with counter subject in
the bass in bar 13. We can see a stretto in bars 14, where there is an overlap
of the answer with an inversion in the alto voice (Imitation of the subject in
close succession like this is called stretto) this is a dominant stretto as it
occurs in A minor. The answer incomplete in this stretto. In bar 15 and 16,
the rst phrase of the counter subject occurs in the soprano and an inversion
of motif 1 appears in the bass without the rst note of the motif. The third
episode occurs here(bar16). In bars 17 and 18 the subject is restated in the
bass and the countersubject phrase 2 comes in the soprano. We can see
another example of dominant stretto here. The answer in the alto overlaps
the subject in the bass in bar 18. In bar 19 the counter subject phrase 2
comes down to the bass voice. Episode 4 begins in bar 20. We can see that
an augmentation is used in this bar (the Bb becomes a B). This is used to
smoothly modulate from d minor to a minor. The page ends with a deceptive
cadence .

The subject occurs in the dominant key of A minor in the bass and the rst
phrase of the counter subject occurs in the soprano. We can see yet another
stretto here. Before the subject ends in the bass, an inversion of the subject
occurs in the soprano voice. In bar 23 an inversion of the subject occurs in
the bass again. In 24th bar, second phrase of the counter subject comes in
the soprano voice. A modulation takes place d minor to g minor. The fth
episode begins in the 25th bar in g minor. The rst motif of the subject
occurs in the alto voice in this bar. In bar 26 the second phrase of the
countersubject occurs in an inversion which directs us toward an inversion of
the answer in A minor in the soprano which is accompanied by phrase 1 of
the countersubject in the bass line. There is a stretto here- the answer in the
soprano is overlapped by the subject in the alto voice . The 6th episode
starts in bar 31. It starts with phrase 2 of the countersubject in the soprano
voice. In the end of bar 32 and bar 33 the motif 2 and 3 of the subject comes
in the soprano after which the rst motif comes in the alto. In bar 35 we can
see that the subject is in the bass and an inversion of the subject occurs in
the alto voice.

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 In bar 36, Episode 7 begins. We have a series countersubject phrase 1
ascending stepwise in the soprano line and inversions of motif 1 repeated in
the bass from bar 36 to 38. This builds on the recapitulation. In bar 39 the
subject occurs in the bass and counter subject phrase 2 in soprano. In bar
40 bar the answer in the bass is overlapped by the subject in the alto
(stretto). In bar 41 we can see a fragment of counter subject phrase 2 in the
bass. The nal episode occurs in bar 42. In bar 43, motif 1 comes in the bass
with thirds of the dominant chord in alto and soprano. This V chords resolves
to a D major instead of D minor (3rd of the triad is sharpened). This is called
a Tierce de Picardie.

Mentioning some NCTs - there are quite a few NCTs in the subject and
counter subject . There is passing tone E in motif 1 between D and F. There
is a neighbouring note the 2nd bar we see the note C# in between the two
Ds. Counter subject phrase 1 has quite a few passing tones ( eg. G in
between A and F).

In the beginning of episode 3 (bar16) there is an appoggiatura-the Eb leaps

to a C and then comes down by a step to B.

Suspensions and tied notes occur in both the counter subject phrases.

beginning of both counter subjects 1 and 2.

B in bar 20 is an augmentation which is used to transition into G minor.

conclusion
Bach has used the subject and counter subject or just motifs from them in
different keys to establish it strongly in the listeners mind. Sometimes he
uses them in inversions for some variety. Bach develops the piece by just
using the subject and counter subject coming in different patterns. Other
than that uses a little bit of free counterpoint. Bach uses sequence of
thirds and augmentation modulate smoothly. He uses a Tierce de Picardie
at the end of the piece to surprise and ends the piece in D major instead
of D minor.
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References:

1. Walker, Paul M. "Fugue." Grove Music Online. 2001. Oxford University

Press. Date of access 11 Apr. 2021, <https://
www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/
9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000051678>

2. Schwarm, Betsy. "The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893".

Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Sep. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/
The-Well-Tempered-Clavier-BWV-846-893. Accessed 11 April 2021.

3. Benedum, Richard. “Structure and Symbolism in Bach's Prelude and

Fugue in E-Flat, ‘BWV 552.’” Bach, vol. 10, no. 4, 1979, pp. 19–24. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/41640091. Accessed 11 Apr. 2021.

4. Kennicott, Philip. Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning. 1st ed.,

vol. 1, W. W. Norton & Company, 2020.

5. Anderson, Keith, “Work Information: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book

1, BWV 846-

869”, Naxos Music Library,

https://www.nml3.naxosmusiclibrary.com/work/1124?
catalogueid=CR2.3347. Accessed

15 Nov. 2019