# How to practice and play a fugue



## guy

*How can I practice and play a fugue?*

How would I go about practicing a fugue? It is the first fugue from the 3rd movement of beethoven's 31st piano sonata. I've gotten to measure 19, but then that trill happens. Plus, I don't think I'm emphasising the subject enough. Can someone help me?


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## PetrB

A fugue is a fugue is a fugue, so practice with one of the voices left out (using the fingering) and sing, no matter how well and in what register, the missing voice. Shuffle that up, leave another voice out you will sing while playing the others.

A trill is more directly a matter of finger technique - depending upon the fingering, your hand, etc. 
For that, it is time to ask a teacher: whether you have a teacher or not, you can make a single appointment with one to inquire about a small list of well-thought out questions before you go for that one session.


Best regards.


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## guy

Thank you, and I will attempt this as best as I can. I do have a teacher, and I will ask her at my next lesson with her. Thanks!


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## hreichgott

I would think it makes sense to keep the emphasis on the upper voice from its entrance until that trill and big cadence. The upper voice has the subject anyway. At the conclusion of the cadence the LH will come in with the subject like gangbusters so it would make a nice contrast.

Edit: just listened to Takacs and Goode here -- both emphasize the upper voice including trill at that spot -- Goode emphasizes the upper voice from its entrance until the cadence, while Takacs actually makes more of the middle voice while the upper voice is playing its entrance, then brings out the upper voice once it starts playing those little downward-moving repeats of the last few notes of the subject.


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## Chordalrock

I'm late to the party but, someone has to say it: emphasising the subject in a fugue -- at least any fugue whose roots are in Bach -- is un-historical, incorrect approach, and boring and wrong. I know everybody does it, but that's only to say doing the opposite is even more important than it would otherwise be.


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## Jonathan Wrachford

guy said:


> How would I go about practicing a fugue? It is the first fugue from the 3rd movement of beethoven's 31st piano sonata. I've gotten to measure 19, but then that trill happens. Plus, I don't think I'm emphasising the subject enough. Can someone help me?


wow! you must be really good! I've never played any fugues though, sorry, just want to tell you to keep up.


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## Matsps

How do you practice a fugue? *Slowly*


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