BACH'S FORTY-EIGHT PRELUDES AND FUGUES,
Book II
Played by VICTOR HELY-HUTCHINSON
Prelude and Fugue in C
Prelude and Fugue in C Minor Prelude and Fugue in C Sharp
Prelude and Fugue in C Sharp Minor Prelude and Fugue in D
THE making of the Well-tempered Clavichord, which is the name by which the Forty-eight
Preludes and Fugues are generally known, arose from the fact that in Bach's day all keyed instruments were tuned naturally, which meant that while each separate key was truly tuned, key relationships were slightly discordant. By ' tampering ' the thirds and fifths, as is done on all pianofortes today, relative discordancy is eliminated. In order, therefore, to prove that a clavichord tuned in this manner could be satisfactory to musicians in every circumstance, Bach wrote a Prelude and Fugue in every one of the twenty-four major and minor keys. Not satisfied, however, with doing it once, he wrote another set ; it is this second hook that is being played in this week's Foundations.