Invention No. 2 in C minor BWV 773

About this work

Bach’s second Invention, BWV 773, opens with a single voice. Two bars later, the second voice takes up the same figure while the first continues. Following that delay reveals a canon: one idea travels through both lines, and the changing way they meet keeps it from sounding like a simple repetition.

At the piano, aim to keep each voice recognisable. Play the parts separately, singing the opening of each, then combine them slowly. When the subject enters in the second voice, give it a clear phrase direction without drowning out the line still moving above it. Listen through the held notes while the other hand continues its semiquavers.

Clef changes in the lower staff follow that voice as it moves through the register. Mark them in your reading before playing so that a change of clef does not interrupt the phrase. Across the twenty-seven bars, concentrate on the beginnings of the figures and their answers; fit the ornaments into a pulse that is already secure.

What the document contains

The three-page PDF contains the complete Invention No. 2 in C minor. Allen Garvin’s engraving comes from the Mutopia Project, which cites the Bach-Gesellschaft edition and declares the engraving public domain. The source lists harpsichord or piano. A MIDI file accompanies the score. The PDF also carries a link to LesPartitions.info.