This site offers an analysis of Bach's Fugue BWV 846 in C major (WTC Book 1). The site focuses it's analysis on the entrance and treatment of the subject and answer for this fugue. The site also provides a score and recording of the fugue for students to follow and watch the subject and answer entrances as the music unfolds.
Type of Material:
This site is an analysis and animation.
Recommended Uses:
This site would be a good introduction to analyzing this fugue, fugal form and vocabulary. Once familiar with the entrances and treatment of the subject and answer students could be called to further analyze the use of counterpoint and harmony in this fugue as well as the alternation of exposition and episode.
Technical Requirements:
This site requires Flash, Javascript and HTML.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The major learning goal of this site is to understand the entrances and treatment of the subject and answer in JS Bach's Fugue BWV 846 in C major from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book I. This site identifies the subject and answer of this fugue as well as the sequence in which the subject and answer entrances are made and are altered as the fugue unfolds, and provides examples of stretti.
Target Student Population:
The target student population for this fugue would be undergraduate music theory students analyzing fugues for the first time.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Ability to read music notation; understanding of basic music theory, the fugue and its musical terms.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The thorough explanation of the fugue's subject and answer, entrances and treatment followed by an animated score and recording of the fugue are the strengths of this site. The score of the fugue is also presented in four staves so students can easily see each voice of the fugue.
Concerns:
Individual notes do not highlight as music is played although blocks of color do appear. Sound quality is based on computer sound and not an actual keyboard recording.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The potential effectiveness of this site is high. It presents the concepts with a clear text and analysis supplemented by musical examples and then presents the fugue in an easy to read score with a recording and animation to show the entrances of each subject and answer. The learning goal of this site is very focused on analyzing and understanding the entrances of the subject and answer in this fugue.
Concerns:
Would be more beneficial if music notation (all individual pitches) highlighted as it was performed on an actual instrument and not based on a computer program/sound quality. Music can be stopped but it cannot be made to pinpoint a specific note or measure. This site does not analyze the counterpoint, harmonic structure or larger formal structure of the fugue.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
This site is easy to use and navigate. All instructions on how to use the site are clearly presented and intuitive.
Concerns:
No concerns.
Other Issues and Comments:
One cannot stop recording to focus on a specific measure or replay a specific measure.
Creative Commons:
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