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Baroque · prelude

Prelude No. 3 in C-sharp major, BWV 848 (WTC I)

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 8, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A manuscript from 1722, a printed afterlife around 1800. Prelude No. 3 in C-sharp major, BWV 848 (WTC I) is a prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 8, an estimate.

On this page
  • prelude
  • Baroque
  • Key of C-sharp major
  • joyful

History

Prelude No. 3 in C-sharp major, BWV 848 (WTC I) belongs to the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Bach's collection fair copy is dated 1722. For many years its life was in manuscript: around 1800, publishers in Zurich, Bonn and Vienna/Leipzig brought competing editions into print. That long journey from manuscript to publication is part of this piece's wider history.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. The running figure changes roles

    The upper running figure receives a lower answer, then the lower part carries the quick notes. Follow the moving role across registers.

  2. Related figures travel through sequences

    Related moving figures return at changed levels, followed by another lower running response. Hear their common shape through the changes.

  3. The written opening figure returns

    The source reuses the opening figure in both parts. Compare that familiar pattern with the preceding changed-register sequences.

  4. Alternating flourishes find a short close

    Cross-staff continuation and alternating flourishes lead to a compact chordal ending. Follow the musical strand through the placement changes, not a fixed hand label.

How to practise it

A returning anchor inside a changing upper pattern; low changing roots with a recurring higher pitch.

  1. Practise the recurring 73 lightly, then listen for the changing notes as the contour rather than accenting every return.
  2. Rehearse that lower pattern separately and retain its unequal lengths beneath the continuous upper motion.

How hard is it

Level 8, estimated

Continuous agile figuration needs evenness, coordinated changes of harmony and fluent fingering in a less familiar key.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Johann Sebastian Bach, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
The prelude gallery
Licence
Public Domain
Source
mutopiaproject.org

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

A returning anchor inside a changing upper pattern; low changing roots with a recurring higher pitch.

Practise it in PlayPiano