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Baroque · invention

Invention No. 12 in A major, BWV 783

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 6, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A keyboard lesson that also opens a door to composing. Invention No. 12 in A major, BWV 783 is an invention by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.

On this page
  • invention
  • Baroque
  • Key of A major
  • grand

Also known as Invention 12, BWV 783; Two-Part Invention No. 12.

History

Invention No. 12 in A major, BWV 783 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. Home colour returns

    Recognise the final subject area’s return to the home key.

How to practise it

Keep the ornamented broad line independent of the active sixteenths.

  1. Practise the plain upper rhythm, then add the written ornaments without rushing.
  2. Practise the first two lower sixteenth groups softly and evenly.

How hard is it

Level 6, estimated

The written texture alternates ornamented held notes with longer sixteenth-note passages and wide broken-chord shapes. Maintaining one phrase through these changes is the intermediate challenge.

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 12” by J. S. Bach (1685 to 1750) (local file: Two-Part Invention No. 12). Mutopia edition maintained by jeff covey. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=174. 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

Keep the ornamented broad line independent of the active sixteenths.

Practise it in PlayPiano