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Baroque · invention

Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 5, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A keyboard lesson that also opens a door to composing. Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 is an invention by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 5, an estimate.

On this page
  • invention
  • Baroque
  • Key of C major
  • joyful
  • playful
  • voicing

Also known as Invention 1, BWV 772.

History

Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 belongs to Bach's two-part Inventions. The earlier teaching notebook for Wilhelm Friedemann was begun in Köthen on 22 January 1720. Bach made a separate fair copy of the collection in 1723, revising its presentation and order. These dates mark stages in the collection's history, not the exact day this individual piece was composed. The collection reached print in 1801, long after Bach's lifetime.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. Hear one voice answer the other

    After a short rest, the upper voice presents C-D-E-F-D-E-C. The lower voice introduces the same pattern halfway through the bar while the upper voice continues. Listen for two related lines rather than melody plus background chords.

  2. The idea moves to a new starting note

    The upper sixteenth-note pattern now begins on D and moves around G, A and B. Later in the bar the lower voice presents G-A-B-C-A-B-G. Compare the shapes as the starting notes change.

  3. The opening texture changes sides

    The lower voice now starts the quick pattern after a short rest. The upper voice has longer notes and rests before joining with another sixteenth-note figure. Listen to the moving focus pass between the voices.

How to practise it

Recognise the small figure as it passes between the two voices.

  1. Practise the opening figure without the ornament, then add the marked detail lightly.
  2. Practise the lower entry from its rest, then combine while hearing both lines.
  3. Connect the stated opening gestures at a comfortable tempo, keeping their distinct releases.

How hard is it

Level 5, estimated

The intermediate target values independent musical lines and consistent phrase direction across the complete invention, rather than one line treated as background throughout.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Johann Sebastian Bach, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
A conversation in two voices
Licence
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
Source
mutopiaproject.org
Credit
“Invention 1” by J. S. Bach (1685 to 1750) (local file: Invention No. 1, BWV 772). Mutopia edition maintained by jeff covey. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=40. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Changes to the supplied file: none; any later conversion or edit must be disclosed separately.

More by Johann Sebastian Bach

  1. Prelude in C major, BWV 846Level 4, estimatedOpen to everyone
  2. Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971: III. PrestoLevel 9, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Recognise the small figure as it passes between the two voices.

Practise it in PlayPiano