Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in A minor

Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in A minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, catalogued as BWV 889, is a work for solo piano in A minor. Composed during the Baroque era, it forms part of the composer's enduring contribution to the keyboard repertoire and is freely available in the public domain through archives such as IMSLP.

Johann Sebastian Bach is the central figure of the late Baroque keyboard tradition and, by common agreement, the greatest contrapuntist in Western music. His keyboard output spans every form available to him — preludes and fugues, suites, partitas, inventions, variations, toccatas, and pedagogical exercises that shaped the instrument for two centuries.

The work is suited to advanced-level pianists. As with all repertoire from this period, study editions vary; the public-domain engravings linked here are based on the most widely-circulated nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century editions and are sufficient for serious study, recital preparation, and recording.

About Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach is the central figure of the late Baroque keyboard tradition and, by common agreement, the greatest contrapuntist in Western music. His keyboard output spans every form available to him — preludes and fugues, suites, partitas, inventions, variations, toccatas, and pedagogical exercises that shaped the instrument for two centuries.

Key character — A minor

Ancient and elegiac. The natural minor of the keyboard and a constant home for Baroque dance suites and Romantic character pieces.

The Baroque Era

The Baroque era brought the keyboard from the harpsichord and clavichord to its expressive zenith. Counterpoint, dance suites, fugues, and ornamentation define the music of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, and Couperin. Pieces from this period reward careful voice-leading and articulate fingerwork.

About the Prelude form

Originally a free improvisation to test the tuning of an instrument, the prelude grew under Bach into a fully-realized character piece — and under Chopin and Debussy into a self-contained miniature with the weight of a poem. The 24-prelude cycle (one in each major and minor key) became one of the canonical forms of the keyboard tradition.