Reflections

Like its counterpart in Book 1, No 21. in B flat major, this fugue saturates all three of its voices with clear, independent and exquisitely interlocking counterpoint. It is bright, lovely and heartfelt. The initial section of the fugue, the exposition and the first episodes, explores the subject along with countersubject material that is very closely allied to the subject: it blends wonderfully. In fact, the first countersubject, beginning a measure after the subject, has an identical and simultaneous motion (parallel) to the subject, perfectly harmonizing it in thirds (two octaves higher). The sequence of descending eighth note pairs in harmony (based on the "tail" motive of the subject) carries onward, bleeding from subject to episode seamlessly (and happily).

The second section (the fifth subject entry) introduces the two countersubjects shown below. A simple but blissful interlocking occurs during the final few bars of the subject:

Here is a very interesting observation from Siglind Bruhn:

"The beginning is particularly noteworthy because the first note does not form part of the tonic chord. Among the forty-eight fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier, there are only two which set off from a note outside the home-key chord: The fugue in F-sharp major (volume 2) commences on the leading note, thus approaching the key note from below, while this fugue in B-flat major begins on the second step, preceding the tonic from above."