Le clavier bien tempéré I - Prélude 15 BWV 860

About this work

The Prelude in G major lasts only 19 bars, but each contains generous motion. The compound metre gives the groups of notes a spring while motifs pass from one hand to the other. To keep this vitality clear, the first beat must guide the bar without crushing those that follow.

Practise in groups of three notes, keeping the wrist supple. When the motif changes hands, prepare the new departure without an unwanted accent. Then play the bass alone: it shows where the phrase finds support and where it sets off again.

Bringing out the imitations

Choose two or three returns of the motif and bring them out slightly, then play again without exaggerating the contrast. The aim is to let the listener follow the answers while preserving the overall motion. Very short pedal can colour the cadences, but the spring depends first on articulation.

A short score


Presentation: the complete keyboard part uses a double stave.
Written length: the PDF distributes 19 bars across two US Letter pages. The MIDI makes it possible to hear the 608 successive attacks.
Source: Bach's piece is in the public domain. Knute Snortum placed his LilyPond engraving under CC BY-SA 4.0. After checking the compound metre and pitches, LesPartitions.info created the offered formats and placed a credit link on the printout.