PlayPiano

Baroque · invention

Two-Part Invention No. 6, BWV 777

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 6, estimated · With Maestro

Practise it in PlayPiano

The short answer

A keyboard lesson that also opens a door to composing. Two-Part Invention No. 6, BWV 777 is an invention by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.

On this page
  • invention
  • Baroque
  • dancing

Also known as J. S. Bach, Invention No. 6, BWV 777.

History

Two-Part Invention No. 6, BWV 777 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. Opening material returns

    Recognise the opening idea after its developmental changes.

How to practise it

Respect the ties in the upper syncopated figure while the lower line moves.

  1. Count a slow subdivision while playing the opening tie.
  2. Practise the six rising lower eighths evenly before adding the upper figure.

How hard is it

Level 6, estimated

The off-beat opening, ties and short thirty-second-note figures make pulse control as important as finger fluency. Both lines need to remain clear through the two repeated sections.

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 6” by J. S. Bach (1685 to 1750) (local file: Two-Part Invention No. 6). Mutopia edition maintained by jeff covey. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=159. 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. Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971: III. PrestoLevel 9, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Respect the ties in the upper syncopated figure while the lower line moves.

Practise it in PlayPiano