DESCRIPTION:
J. S. Bach, Prelude BWV 923 Fugue BWV 951, Edward Smith harpsichord
Harpsichord by Mirko Weis
Recorded in 2002
The Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Albinoni dates from Bach's Weimar-Coethen period (1720-30), as do the better-known Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, the C minor
Fantasy and the Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV 894. Of this group of pieces, only the Fantasy is known in an autograph source. The other works exist in numerous manuscript copies which are often innacurate and in disagreement with each other. The present fugue is an elaborated version of BXV 951a, on a theme taken from the second movement (Allegro) of Albinoni's trio sonata Op. 1 no. 8. The same collection also furnished themes for two other keyboard works by Bach, BWV 846 and 950. It has sometimes been doubted that the splendid prelude really belongs to the fugue, but three of the more reliable sources group them together. The prelude is partly
notated as series of simple chords, leaving to the performer the task of inventing arpeggio figuration.