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Baroque · sarabande

Sarabande, French Suite No. 3, BWV 814

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 6, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A French dance that finds its own singing voice. Sarabande, French Suite No. 3, BWV 814 is a sarabande by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.

On this page
  • sarabande
  • Baroque
  • Key of B minor
  • gentle

Also known as Bach French Suite III Sarabande; Sarabande: French Suite No. 3 in B minor, BWV 814.

History

The Netherlands Bach Society hears this Sarabande as stately but more songlike than Couperin's French models. That comparison puts an individual movement into a living musical conversation: Bach borrows a dance tradition without simply repeating its manner. It is an attributed stylistic reading, not a surviving account of the day he composed it.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. A layered contour begins the song

    Listen for the opening line within its accompanying voices, not only the highest notes.

  2. The continuation grows more decorated

    The opening gains decoration before its repeat close. Hear the smaller movement remain connected to the line.

  3. A lower entry develops through sequences

    The second span starts lower and continues sequentially. Follow the returning shape through its changed register.

  4. Chromatic contours gather into the close

    Changing contours lead to denser closing gestures. Hear their independent movement settle at the final repeat.

How to practise it

Preserve the upper ties over independently moving lower voices.

  1. Practise the upper rhythm on one key, omitting attacks at tie continuations.
  2. Practise each lower voice separately, then combine before adding the melody.
  3. Connect the examined opening at a comfortable tempo only when its separate layers feel settled.

How hard is it

Level 6, estimated

The tied upper melody and two independently encoded lower voices require controlled releases and distinct voicing. Slow movement alone does not make that coordination elementary.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Johann Sebastian Bach, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Licence
CC0
Source
musescore.com

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

Preserve the upper ties over independently moving lower voices.

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