Fugue No. 21 in B flat major is part of J S Bach's 48 preludes and fugues for clavier. Clavier means keyboard, e.g. harpsichord or clavichord. The piano had not been invented yet as these were written during the Baroque era. The forty eight preludes and fugues were split into two sets of twenty four, the first of which was produced in 1722, the second in 1742. This piece is from the earlier set. I have also recorded the Prelude which goes with this Fugue.

A fugue is a piece of music that uses a kind of counterpoint as a compositional technique. A contrapuntal texture is a form of polyphony characteristic of Baroque music, where more than one melodic part is being heard at any one time, and the melodic parts are often independent of one another. This compositional technique contrasts with the more homophonic textures of later music, where you may hear a single melodic part being played with a distinct accompaniment part.
A fugue is a specific kind of counterpoint, where a main theme is presented in one part, then imitated a bit later in another part, then again a bit later in another part, and so on, often at different pitches. These appearances of the imitated theme are usually staggered so that the overall effect is of an elaborate tapestry of interweaving parts.

If you would like to listen to me playing a different style of music, I have recorded Classical, Romantic and twentieth century pieces too.

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