J. S. BACH Jonathan Berkahn - Victoria University - Victoria ...

incorrectly prepared suspended fourth in bb.21-22, and so on—all of which occur
within the exposition (Ex.1.3).
Not surprisingly, the soundest passages turn out to be the very plain, literal sequences;
unusually literal for J. S. Bach. And so Humphreys’ argument continues remorselessly
to its conclusion, and the world is poorer by one Bach prelude and fugue. Reluctantly
we concede that BWV 534 is not so much a stepping-stone on the way up to the
mature preludes and fugues of the 1710s (as had been previously assumed), but instead
a step down from them, by ‘a promising apprentice composer who was, perhaps,
attempting a compositional project slightly beyond his technique.’ 28
Not everyone has accepted Humphreys’ arguments. Georg Stauffer remained
unconvinced in his review, pointing out ‘how little we know about the evolution of
28 Ibid., p.184.
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