Prelude No. 8 in E-flat minor, BWV 853 (WTC I)

History

Prelude No. 8 in E-flat minor, BWV 853 (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

   Singing calls meet broad chord answers

   A sustained upper call receives decorated replies above broad chords. Hear the melodic thread through the fuller supporting sound.

2. 2

   Decoration becomes more continuous

   Shorter moving figures overlap sustained voices in the continuation. Follow the line without letting each ornament become a separate accent.

3. 3

   Chromatic motion meets recurring supports

   Changing registers and decorated lines move above recurring harmonic supports. Listen to both the colour changes and the longer harmonic rhythm.

4. 4

   A decorated phrase settles into a long chord

   The final ornamented approach reaches a broad fermata chord. Hear the smaller movement as preparation for the sustained close.

How to practise it

Longer melody and short approaches; chordal support versus melodic movement.

1. Count the held note and the rest before entering its shorter approach.
2. Keep the chord layer distinct and follow its later written line without inventing hand allocation.

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