Complete Preludes and Fugues for Organ

By Johann Sebastian Bach

"His distinctive achievement was to present in its final shape the fabric of polyphony." -- Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians
This assessment of Bach's accomplishments is best realized in his organ music. Regarded as the world's greatest composer for organ, Bach coupled mastery of the instrument with his genius for composition to produce some of the richest and most beautiful music of all time.
This comprehensive volume -- reproduced directly from the authoritative Bach-Gesellschaft edition -- reprints 25 sets of preludes and fugues, i.e. compositions written as pairs. Individual preludes and fugues composed over the years are not included. This volume contains:
Preludes and Fugues: C Major (BMV 531); D Minor (BWV 539); C Major (MWV 547); DF Major (MWV 532); G Major (MWV 541); E Minor (BWV 548); E Minor (MWV 533); A Minor (MWV 543); C Minor (MWV 549); F Minor (MWV 534); B Minor (BWV 544); G Major (MWV 550); G Minor (MWV 535); C Major (MWV 545); A Minor (MWV 551); A Major (BWV 536); C Minor (BWV 546).
Eight Short Preludes and Fugues: C Major (BWV 553); G Major (MWV 557); D Minor (MWV 554); G Minor (MWV 558); E Minor (BWV 555); A Minor (BWV 559); F Major (MWV 556); B-flat Major (MWV 560).
Now organist and music lovers can enjoy a wealth of Bach's finest organ music in one convenient, inexpensive playing edition -- ideal for reading, study, and performance, with large note heads, wide margins, and clear reproduction.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 048624816X
• ISBN13: 9780486248165
• Release Date: March 1985
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.4" x 11.2"

Customer Reviews

This book IS complete for those works that are SPECIFICALLY Preludes AND Fugues (and are otherwise n

Another steal! Beautifully reproduced at an attractive size (I could have liked it slightly larger) and lightish weight from the Bach-Gesellschaft authoritative edition that still hasn't been dethroned by the Neue-Bach-Ausgabe. Of course, those who insist on the "St.Anne" E-flat pair or the E-major (BWV566) Toccata will need to turn to the other two volumes published by Dover. [Personally I wouldn't have minded all three volumes published in one larger-sized book; however, those who don't wish to carry more weight around than necessary can then be happy with the 'status quo'.] Very warmly recommended - what lovely music here present like the great A-minor, B-minor, E-minor and 3 C-major pairs!!!

More detail on the contents

As other reviewers have mentioned, the term "complete" does not mean that every prelude and fugue by Bach is contained. Here is a complete list of its contents: Prelude and Fugue, C Major (BWV 531; BG XV, 81) Prelude and Fugue, D Major (BWV 532; BG XV, 88) Prelude and Fugue, E Minor (BWV 533; BG XV, 100) Prelude and Fugue, F Minor (BWV 534; BG XV, 104) Prelude and Fugue, G Minor (BWV 535; BG XV, 112) Prelude and Fugue, A Major (BWV 536; BG XV, 120) Prelude and Fugue, D Minor (BWV 539; BG XV, 148) Prelude and Fugue, G Major (BWV 541; BG XV, 169) Prelude and Fugue, A Minor (BWV 543; BG XV, 189) Prelude and Fugue, B Minor (BWV 544; BG XV, 199) Prelude and Fugue, C Major (BWV 545; BG XV, 212) Prelude and Fugue, C Minor (BWV 546; BG XV, 218) Prelude and Fugue, C Major (BWV 547; BG XV, 228) Prelude and Fugue, E Minor (BWV 548; BG XV, 236) Prelude and Fugue, C Minor (BWV 549; BG XXXVIII, 3) Prelude and Fugue, G Major (BWV 550; BG XXXVIII, 9) Prelude and Fugue, A Minor (BWV 551; BG XXXVIII, 17) Eight Short Preludes and Fugues (possibly spurious) 1. C Major (BWV 553; BG XXXVIII, 23) 2. D Minor (BWV 554; BG XXXVIII, 27) 3. E Minor (BWV 555; BG XXXVIII, 30) 4. F Major (BWV 556; BG XXXVIII, 33) 5. G Major (BWV 557; BG XXXVIII, 36) 6. G Minor (BWV 558; BG XXXVIII, 39) 7. A Minor (BWV 559; BG XXXVIII, 42) 8. B-flat Major (BWV 560; BG XXXVIII, 45)

Just a note on BWV 552 "St Anne"

People below complained that BWV 552 "St Anne" does not appear in this book. BWV 552 is part of Clavier Uebung III, which includes more than a dozen other pieces (mostly chorale preludes). According to Clifford Bartlett, in actual practice, the prelude was played separately from the fugue; the rest of Clavier Uebung III was sandwiched between the prelude and fugue. Furthermore, often only pieces of the Clavier Uebung were played, rather than the whole thing. Hence, one might argue that BWV 552 stands in contrast to other pieces clearly marked "Prelude and Fugue."

Bach Preludes and Fuges

As a young organ student, I enjoyed the basic challenge and ease of reading the clean print in this fine manuscript.