The four part cadence adds the alto clausula
In this case the alto clausula is simply 5-5-5 or Sol-Sol-Sol
In future lessons we will see that the alto clausula actually has many variations
Try writing them using this worksheet:
The alto clausula has additional variants – primarily 5-4-3 (often embellished as 5-6-5-4-3)
Alto Clausula VariantsAnalytical Interlude
Go through the following Bach fugue and try to identify clausulae. No need to get through the whole piece, just get a sense of how they appear. Use colors to differentiate the different clausulae. Remember that key centers change fairly often (use your ears and the accidentals to determine where and to which key centers).
