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The short answer
A teaching piece with a history before its familiar title. Sinfonia No. 3 in D major, BWV 789 is an invention by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.
- invention
- Baroque
- Key of D major
- joyful
Also known as J.S. Bach Sinfonia No. 3 in D Major (3-part Invention); Sinfonia 3, BWV 789.
History
Sinfonia No. 3 in D major, BWV 789 belongs to Bach's three-part Sinfonias. 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
The theme changes companions
Hear the familiar subject alongside its two changing counter-lines between the interludes.
How to practise it
Keep the moving lines distinct as another voice joins.
- Count the eighth-note pulse while fitting each pair of sixteenths inside it.
- Practise the voice 2 entry against the held upper note before adding the bass.
- Connect the examined opening at a comfortable tempo only when its separate layers feel settled.
How hard is it
The opening alternates eighths and sixteenths, then a middle line enters under tied upper notes while the bass becomes active. Independent releases, balance and keeping the moving figures even are the central demands.
About this piece
- Licence
- CC0
- Source
- musescore.com
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
