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Baroque · allemande

Allemande, French Suite No. 4, BWV 815

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 6, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

Allemande, French Suite No. 4, BWV 815 is an allemande by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.

On this page
  • allemande
  • Baroque
  • Key of E-flat major
  • dreamy
  • gentle
  • broken chords
  • voicing

Also known as French Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 815; J.S. Bach.

History

The opening stays in a lower register, with short upper figures above a held low foundation. Little rests divide the moving groups. Let those gaps make room for the sustained voices rather than breaking the phrase apart.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. A low-register beginning

    The first B-flat pickup leads into a figure near the lower middle of the keyboard. Listen for warmth and clear direction rather than a bright high melody.

  2. Sound through the gaps

    Rests interrupt the quick upper groups while low half notes continue. Hear the connection that the held line supplies.

How to practise it

  1. Keep the spread chord-tone pattern even while shaping its longer phrase.
  2. Keep sustained and moving voices audible without making the supporting layer heavy.

How hard is it

Level 6, estimated

The upper sixteenths combine spread chord tones and rests above quarter and half-note support in separate voices. Balancing sustained and moving material supports an intermediate estimate.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Johann Sebastian Bach, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Licence
cc-zero
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

Practise it in PlayPiano