Bach, Fugue in D minor, BWV 851 (John Robin, June 2024 recording)

This fugue in D Minor follows the prelude in D Minor from my previous video.
While many of the preludes have become popular, usually the fugues are less well-known except to piano students who might recall studying them. This fugue should be thought of as the continuation of the prelude in D Minor, and indeed, its mood is set up by the mood of the prelude.
Fugues are incredibly difficult to learn. They consist of 3 or 4 voices all repeating a main motif. In this case, there are 3 voices: a bass, an alto, and a soprano.
The main motif opens on D minor, with what begins as an ascending scale, but then is broken into a hint of an e minor chord, then a shift to the diminished 7th, C# Minor. Only then, from the B-flat of that diminished 7th does it complete the 5-notes of the D-minor scale it began with, and even then, only with a trill that avoids the note until the end. As if to make the point further, Bach then has a descending 4-note scale from that A, which then returns to G and descends back to the initial D from which it began. And then -- surprise -- back up to the E where it first departed, only to jump to C, the leading note (7th note) or the scale, not raised this time. So Bach establishes a promise that through the harmonic freedom of raising or lowering the leading note, we will wander to other keys.
This motif is repeated in the alto, but this time on A instead of D. It comes in the bass on D, and this is the completion of the exposition.
For the remainder of the piece, the motif weaves in and out, in ever-greater complexity. Bach introduces an inverted motif as well -- instead of going up from D to G, it descends from D to A, and completes the exact pattern, but with the intervals reversed. As well, Bach introduces fragments of the motif in some sequences.
The art of learning a fugue then is all about discovering these patterns, and then making sure they stand out. When they are understood, you will hear them as long complete lines that sing together.
I spent 2 months on this piece and the work was, daily, spending time with the individual voices and appreciating how they come together as duets, and then as a trio. Learning a fugue is a bit like watering a plant in a room with lots of sun. Each day, you do what you must with it, and trust it will grow.
This piece was beautiful to enjoy daily as I saw it grow in a fuller sound. Indeed, I felt I had lived up to Bach's intentions with it (and the prelude, as I always practiced them together), being a piece to deepen my musical development. So now I move on to more beauty, but this one is etched in my mind and soul as I go deeper to making heartfelt music.