Contrapunctus 1
During Bach’s final years he created the Art of Fugue. An incomplete piece from Bach’s life. He finished composing Contrpunctus 1 in the year 1749 one year before his death. But due to his death. His incomplete work The Art of Fugue was published on 1751 along with Contrapunctus 1.
The fugue’s medium is the keyboard and the form of this piece is a fugue. The piece itself goes from a moderately vigorous piece from the first half to a slightly more open piece in the second half. However, it never strays away from it’s the somber style giving it an eternal feel, with the soprano rising in the second last bar to its highest note, then staying with B flat, before settling with the concluding D major.
Analysis:
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This piece is separated into 4 episodes. The piece starts off with a question and answer type of segment with the alto and bass being the question and the soprano and tenor being the answer. This is played for 6 measures for the first episode.
The mid-section begins with the alto but is answered with soprano which is transposed to A. Then the bass melody overlaps with the soprano melody while it still plays. This is played for 4 measures until there is an answer in tenor ending the second episode. This continues for 5 measures until the melody of soprano starts playing which the listener anticipates to be alto.
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The last section starts with the melody of bass but the listener anticipates this to be in soprano. Thus ending Episode 3. A pedal point in the bass is played then Rhetorical pauses start occurring. And finally the final statement over the sustained pedal on the tonic. And finally ending in a major chord. Ending episode 4.