Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 871

The Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 871, is a keyboard composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the second prelude and fugue in the second book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. It was composed in 1738.

Prelude

The prelude, in the key of C minor, has 28 measures and is in the time signature of. The prelude is not heavily ornamented, but it does contain a few trills. The piece is mainly made up of sixteenth notes and eighth notes and a few quarter notes and half notes.
The melody in the opening bar features prominently in, and is claimed to have inspired, the Italian song La voce del silenzio.

Fugue

The fugue, also in the key of C minor, has 28 measures and the time signature is. It consists of half notes, quarter notes, dotted eighth notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, and some 32nd notes. The fugue is not heavily ornamented, and it ends in a Picardy third.