An Analysis of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 847

Abstract

The work emerged against the backdrop of the transition from modal to tonal music, blending keyboard styles from Germany, Italy, and France while embodying Bach’s restrained essence! Breaking through the limitations of traditional keyboard textures, it harmonizes homophonic and contrapuntal techniques, balancing the rational structure of polyphonic composition with profound lyrical humanistic emotion, establishing a standardized keyboard form paradigm of “prelude + fugue.” It not only validates the practical value of the twelve-tone equal temperament system, driving innovation in Western tonal harmony and keyboard composition, but also possesses exceptional artistic, academic, and pedagogical significance, serving as a classic model of late Baroque polyphonic music.