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I'm trying to identify this fugue subject attributed to J.S. Bach in "Treatise on the Fugue" by Andre Gedalge (page 363 here: https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/5/59/IMSLP243942-SIBLEY1802.23095.8245-39087011252220text.pdf)

Fugue subject excerpt

The alto clef may indicate that it's not a keyboard or organ fugue. It's presented in C Minor which is likely the original key. I've tried searching through lists of Bach fugues and am unable to determine where this comes from. I am looking for the full Fugue.

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  • Take a look at What online resources are available for identifying songs from audio or score?.
    – Aaron
    Commented Jun 21, 2023 at 3:08
  • If that fails, then, when your reputation is higher (20+), you can ask in our chat room. This type of question otherwise isn't the kind of thing this site is intended for.
    – Aaron
    Commented Jun 21, 2023 at 3:09
  • Older counterpoint books also LOVE using movable clefs. So the use of alto clef here may have been deliberate and might not strongly indicate that it was or wasn't originally intended for a certain instrument.
    – nuggethead
    Commented Jun 21, 2023 at 12:59
  • @nuggethead Bach would have used the alto clef for the second voice had he written the fugue in open score, as he did Art of the Fugue. But in general you're right; it's also entirely possible that the author also represented keyboard fugues in open score for pedagogical reasons even if the source was not in open score
    – phoog
    Commented Jun 22, 2023 at 12:10
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    @phoog you are right! Open score is not only easier to puck apart the individual voices, but it's easier to typeset/engrave as well. This I find especially true for fugues with more than four voices printed on 2 staves -
    – nuggethead
    Commented Jun 23, 2023 at 17:29

1 Answer 1

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It's the second part of the closing chorale from the first part of the cantata Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21.

I found it by looking at the Wikipedia List of fugal works by J. S. Bach. I suspected a cantata fugue, and since the list of cantata fugues is first, I started there. I went to the linked page for each cantata and investigated choral movements shown as being in C minor. Fortunately BWV 21 is the third cantata on the list and only the second having at least one choral movement in C minor.

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  • Thank you so much - I'm very grateful! It's not listed on Musipedia, and I had gone through the wikipedia list as well but missed this one.
    – lrouleau
    Commented Jun 23, 2023 at 17:52

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