Avoiding 'Fugue State' when playing Bach's fugues

Abstract

Musical memorisation is an important part of a pianist's daily life. Since the romantic period, a tradition of playing piano repertoire from memory has spread and become a skill regularly required in piano performances, assessments and competitions. in recent decades, research has given new insights into how pianists memorise. However, few studies are dedicated to the role of the piano teacher during this process and to the development of pedagogical tools to enhance this skill within the classroom setting. This paper is based on a case study carried out at a music conservatoire with secondary school students, having as main purpose the development and pedagogical implementation of strategies for the memorisation of a fugue from J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. The results were encouraging, in view of the great effectiveness and speed of learning, together with a significant improvement in other performing skills.