24 Preludes and Fugues (Shostakovich)
The
24 Preludes and Fugues (Op 87) of
Dmitri Shostakovich are a cycle of piano pieces, written in each
major and
minor key of the
chromatic scale. As such it follows the form of
Johann Sebastian Bach's
The Well-Tempered Clavier written some 200 years earlier, although the musical style is Shostakovich's own.
Each key is represented by two pieces, a
prelude followed by a
fugue woven from a musical idea taken from the preceding prelude. The pieces vary in pace, length and complexity, including a five part fugue in No. 13. Unlike Bach's
Well-Tempered Clavier, in which the pieces are arranged in
parallel major/minor pairs ascending the
chromatic scale (C major, C minor, C sharp major, C sharp minor etc.), Shostakovich's set proceeds in
relative major/minor pairs around the
circle of fifths: first C major, then A minor, G major, E minor, D major, B minor, and so on, ending with D minor. (
Frédéric Chopin's set of 24 preludes is organised in the same way.)
The first prelude starts with the same notes as the first prelude from Bach's cycle and there are other references and quotations from Bach to be found in many of the later parts. Of course there are also many references and musical ideas taken from Shostakovich's own work. The complete cycle takes about two and a half hours to play.
After the
Second World War,
Dmitri Shostakovich was Russia's most prominent composer. Although in disfavour with the
Soviet communist party, he was still chosen to travel abroad as a cultural ambassador. One such trip was to
Leipzig in
1950 for a music festival marking the bicentennial of J. S. Bach's death.
As part of the festival, Shostakovich was asked to sit on the judging panel for a piano competition. One of the entrants in the competition was the 26-year-old
Tatiana Nikolayeva from Moscow, who won the gold medal.
Inspired by the competition and Nikolayeva's playing, Shostakovich returned to
Moscow and started composing his own cycle of 24 preludes and fugues. Shostakovich worked quickly, taking only one or two days to write each piece. As each was completed he would ask Nikolayeva to come and visit him in his Moscow apartment where he would play her the latest piece.
The complete work was written between
10 October 1950 and
25 February 1951. Once finished, Shostakovich dedicated the work to Nikolayeva, who undertook the premiere in
Leningrad in December 1952.
Prelude and Fugue No. 1Prelude and Fugue No. 2Prelude and Fugue No. 3Prelude and Fugue No. 4Prelude and Fugue No. 5Prelude and Fugue No. 6Prelude and Fugue No. 7The A major prelude is a two-part invention that begins with a tonic pedal and a cheerful, delicate
motif that almost could have come from Bach's
quill. The two hands imitate each other and take turns providing the melodic interest, sporadically touching on unrelated keys such as B flat major, D flat major, and C major. While there is little in the way of thematic or textural development, the piece oozes charm, and the final
cadence comes all too soon.
The three-voice fugue begins with a statement of the main theme, or subject, in the
soprano voice. While fugal subjects usually use stepwise motion, this subject uses only the notes of the A major
triad. This subject is then stated a fourth below in the
alto, as would be expected in a
Baroque fugue. After a brief interplay between the soprano and alto, the
bass is introduced with a statement of the subject, completing the exposition. The modulatory section begins in the minor key; a brief return to the
tonic key provides a breath of calm before an increasingly frenzied series of modulations. These lead to a climax in A major, signalled by a
dominant pedal, but this lasts just four bars before the music plunges into C major. The music then settles down, gently leading to the
recapitulation, where a single statement of the subject in the tonic key brings the piece to a close.
Prelude and Fugue No. 8Prelude and Fugue No. 9Prelude and Fugue No. 10Prelude and Fugue No. 11Prelude and Fugue No. 12*
Scores in PDF format*
Earsense.org Analysis of each piece.
