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The short answer
Gavotte, French Suite No. 4, BWV 815 is a gavotte by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.
- gavotte
- Baroque
- Key of E-flat major
- dancing
- playful
- hand independence
- ornaments
Also known as French Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 815; J.S. Bach.
History
The upper opening moves through wide intervals and then circles rapidly between two neighboring notes. The lower voice joins after a rest with a related shape. Hear the turn as colour inside the dance gesture.
Sources
What to listen for
A written-out turn
The first position repeatedly alternates A-flat and G in thirty-seconds. Hear it as one decorative event, not many separate accents.
A delayed companion
The lower line joins after a half-note rest with an eighth-note figure. Its entrance adds another layer to the opening.
How to practise it
- Keep the written-out neighboring-note decoration inside the phrase without adding extra notes.
- Practise the independent lines separately, then combine their different rhythmic roles.
How hard is it
The source writes out a rapid thirty-second alternation over differently timed lower motion. Even subdivision, register changes and coordination support 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
