Prelude no 3 in C-sharp major, BWV 848

About this work

The Vivace of the third prelude gives the hands scarcely any rest. Its rapid figures answer one another, change register and cross the keyboard with an energy very different from the serenity of the C major prelude. The challenge is less about running than about keeping a clear pulse as the pattern passes from one hand to the other.

Begin by isolating the exchanges: the last note of one group must lead naturally into the first of the next. Written accents and dynamic contrasts give direction to this continuous motion. If every semiquaver receives the same weight, the texture becomes heavy and returns of the motif cease to be audible.

Preparing the joins

Choose a tempo at which changes of hand remain clean, then assemble the sequences in four-bar blocks. Practise rising figures with a supple lateral gesture and anticipate every movement of the thumb. The coda still demands precision: keep the rhythm lively, but do not let acceleration obscure the final cadences.

About this edition


Scoring: solo keyboard, notated on a treble and a bass stave.
Files: the 104 bars occupy three pages. The MIDI contains 811 attacks, with no added note or transposition.
Source and rights: the composition is free of copyright. This engraving by Knute Snortum is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Its heading mistakenly gave the number BWV 850; LesPartitions.info corrected it to BWV 848, checked the music, added the site's link to the document and wrote the accompanying text.