The Fugues of J.S. Bach

For intense study of rich artefacts, multimedia resources allow open-ended exploration and easy switching between different lines of thought.

This website is a rich resource for studying the 48 fugues of J.S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier. For each fugue, while a recording of the music plays, a multi-pane window displays simultaneously the score (with the current measure highlighted), a commentary on the fugue, and a schematic analysis of its structure showing the recurrence of the fugue subject and other themes (the current section also being highlighted during play). The site also contains essays on Bach’s canons and fugues, his other works, his life and times, and links to other Bach resources. [Timothy A. Smith and David Korevaar]