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The short answer
Gigue, French Suite No. 3, BWV 814 is a gigue by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.
- gigue
- Baroque
- Key of B minor
- dancing
- playful
- hand independence
- scales runs
Also known as French Suite No. 3 in B minor, BWV 814; J. S. Bach.
History
A lone B leads into a longer F-sharp and a quick rising figure. The lower voice enters afterward. Make the fast detail light enough that both voices keep their rhythmic character.
Sources
What to listen for
A quick change of direction
The long F-sharp leads into B, C-sharp and D at shorter values. Hear the quick notes as a continuation of the same gesture.
A later low entry
The supporting voice waits before its B and following figure. Give that entrance its own clarity without stopping the upper flow.
How to practise it
- Group the short-note figures into clear gestures rather than stressing every note.
- Practise the independent lines separately, then combine their different rhythmic roles.
How hard is it
The opening mixes longer values with thirty-second detail and staggered entrances. Later sixteenth-note movement dominates the source; controlled coordination supports an intermediate estimate.
About this piece
- Licence
- cc-zero
- 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
