Fugue No. 1 in G minor: I. Fugue
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Get the practice plan for Fugue No. 1 in G minor: I. Fugue
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- Hear it through at Slow (80 bpm). Open it in the reader, choose Slow, and follow the page with your eyes without playing. As it plays, count 4 to the bar.
- Learn the right hand of bars 1 to 8 on its own. Say the note names out loud the first time through, then play it three times without stopping.
- Learn the left hand of the same bars on its own. Keep it quiet and even: it is the floor the tune stands on.
- Put hands together at Slow, 80 bpm. Bars 1 to 8 only. Stop after every wrong note and play that bar again before moving on.
- Move up to Steady (120 bpm) once Slow feels easy three times in a row. Then learn the next 8 bars the same way: right hand, left hand, together.
- Play the whole piece (about 4 minutes) from the start, at whatever speed keeps it going. A steady run with a few slips beats a fast one that stops.
About this piece
François Roberday's Fugues et caprices of 1660 pair each fugue with a lively companion on related material. This first fugue, arranged for piano from the organ original, uses a one-flat signature for what sounds as G minor and turns to a triple-time section before its close.
How to play it
Keep a steady minim beat in the opening and let the imitation between voices be heard clearly. When the triple section begins, lighten the touch so it dances.
Reading it, and printing it
The score opens in Artform's reader, which shows the music as engraved notation and plays it back so you can hear the line before you try it. You can slow the tempo down, loop a passage that is not working yet, and print the page when you would rather have paper on the stand.
The file itself is MusicXML, which MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale and Dorico all open, so the notes are yours to keep whatever you read them in.
Edition: Mutopia Project #660, licensed CC BY-SA. Converted to MusicXML by Artform and checked note for note against the original.
More free Roberday sheet music
Learn the music behind it
Reading a piece and understanding it are different skills. If you want the harmony under this one, the chord trainer teaches chords the way songs use them, and the scale pages cover the fingering for every key.