Performance Record of J.S. Bach – WTC I No. 24 Prelude in B Minor, BWV 869

Overview: A performance record of J.S. Bach’s Prelude in B Minor (BWV 869) from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, No. 24. Recorded on October 28, 2025 by Reiji at age 9, this interpretation focuses on precise control of “overtones” and “subharmonics” across a wide register (C♯2–C6), balancing resonance to achieve overall harmonic coherence.

Note: All content on this page is originally explained by Reiji in Japanese. The English version is translated by AI and structured by a parent, with Reiji's final approval.

Reiji's Words and Ideas

• Performer’s Note – Global Balance:
  I felt this piece demands precise, overall control of how “overtones” and “subharmonics” are blended. The range spans from C♯2 to C6; in the low register you can effectively draw out up to two subharmonics, while in the high register you can make up to four overtones speak clearly. As a result, the design naturally becomes: Low register = more overtones / High register = more subharmonics. By carefully adjusting both, the overtones in the bass and the subharmonics in the treble interlock, creating overall harmonic coherence.
• Long Values, Seconds, and “Undissonance”:
  This piece also contains many long note values and numerous spots where the voices form seconds. One of Bach’s wonders is that, even when dissonance is present, he makes it feel “undissonant.” The interval of a second smooths the overtone relationship and lets two melodies be heard as a single musical flow. For example, in measures 6–7, if the upper D is held strongly, it can sound dissonant when heard in isolation; but if the left hand brings out the right overtones, a beautiful sense of consonance suddenly emerges.
• “Playing the Rest” vs. Sustaining:
  Another crucial aspect is the treatment of “rests,” which function almost the opposite of ties. If you simply sustain, you run out of breath, and both overtones and subharmonics become harder to draw out. To keep the flow while “playing the rest” itself, I sometimes let certain overtones drop out to make the rest speak. The tension between sustaining tones and articulating rests is central to overtone control here.
• Form as an Endless Maze:
  My overall impression is of an “endless maze.” Normally a large cadence would give a clear punctuation, but even where you might expect a big boundary between the first and second halves, the music doesn’t truly settle—it keeps walking forward. I play those places not as “endings” but as “starting points.”
• Measures 15 & 46 – Identity Update:
  Measures 15 (first half) and 46 (second half) present the same melody, yet I felt a transformation there. As if 0 becomes 1, and 1 becomes 10, the behavior of overtones and subharmonics changes and the identity of the unresolved tones is updated. In these spots, I intentionally invert the balance between overtones and subharmonics, reshaping the unresolved pitch so the piece’s structure can take a physical step forward.
• *This reflects only the performer’s personal interpretation.

* These are personal reflections by the performer.