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The short answer
A keyboard lesson that also opens a door to composing. Invention No. 14 in B-flat major, BWV 785 is an invention by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.
- invention
- Baroque
- Key of B-flat major
- playful
Also known as J. S. Bach, Invention No. 14, BWV 785; Two-Part Invention No. 14.
History
Invention No. 14 in B-flat major, BWV 785 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
A lower-led canon
Follow the lower line’s lead and the answering voice.
How to practise it
Keep the small thirty-second turns within the pulse above a simpler lower shape.
- Practise the first turn slowly before connecting the following broken figure.
- Practise the lower opening at a steady pace with a complete ending rest.
How hard is it
Short thirty-second-note turns alternate with broken-chord leaps and imitation between the written voices. Precision in the small figures and a clear larger pulse matter more than sheer speed.
About this piece
- Collection
- A conversation in two voices
- Licence
- Public Domain
- Source
- mutopiaproject.org
More by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Prelude in C major, BWV 846Level 4, estimatedOpen to everyone
- Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
- Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971: III. PrestoLevel 9, estimatedWith Maestro
