Invention No. 13 in A minor BWV 784

About this work

An A minor arpeggio opens Invention No. 13, BWV 784: the right hand rises and falls while the bass moves more slowly. The figure then passes between the voices. Listen for the shape of that gesture as it returns, rather than just matching a sequence of notes.
Even semiquavers need steady fingers, but the longer notes matter just as much when the other hand keeps moving. Practise one voice with its full note values and rests, then add the other quietly. Reverse the balance so that the bass has a melodic direction of its own.
Where both hands run through their figures, keep the four-beat pulse clear. A chromatic change can increase tension without any need to speed up. Settle fingerings where the pattern moves into another register, so that the phrase continues smoothly across the shift.

What the document contains

The 2-page PDF contains the complete keyboard Invention BWV 784, typeset by Allen Garvin from the Bach-Gesellschaft edition and distributed by Mutopia. The engraving is declared public domain. A MIDI file accompanies the score.


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