Prelude No. 5 in D major, BWV 850 (WTC I)

History

Prelude No. 5 in D major, BWV 850 (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

• blog.henle.de

What to listen for

1. 1

   A continuous line above detached attacks

   Upper sixteenths continue above detached lower attacks and rests. Hear the longer running direction without filling the lower gaps.

2. 2

   Registers and bass supports change

   Related moving cells shift register above changing bass supports. Listen to the changing foundation within the continuous upper pattern.

3. 3

   Low A supports chromatic expansion

   Sustained low A underlies denser chromatic motion. Hear the added colour without losing the long foundation.

4. 4

   Separated chords make a held arrival

   Arpeggiated chord responses interrupt the running texture and lead to a full fermata chord. Hear the change from motion to sustained arrival.

How to practise it

Lower start followed by climbing high pitches; longer low attacks against shorter moving notes.

1. Hear the initial low attack as preparation, then practise the high ascent and return with evenly spaced small steps.
2. Maintain the longer low-note duration while the higher line continues its shorter attacks; do not release both layers automatically at every high-note change.

How hard is it

About this piece

Collection

The prelude gallery

Licence

Public Domain

Source

mutopiaproject.org

More by Johann Sebastian Bach

1. 1Prelude in C major, BWV 846Level 4, estimatedOpen to everyone
2. 2Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
3. 3Italian Concerto in F major, BWV 971: III. PrestoLevel 9, estimatedWith Maestro