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Baroque · prelude

Prelude No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 (WTC I)

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 7, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A manuscript from 1722, a printed afterlife around 1800. Prelude No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 (WTC I) is a prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 7, an estimate.

On this page
  • prelude
  • Baroque
  • Key of F major
  • joyful

Also known as Das Wohltemperierte Clavier I, Praeludium XI.

History

Prelude No. 11 in F major, BWV 856 (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. Arches flow above broken support

    Upper running arches sit over lower broken eighth-note figures and rests. Hear each arch as a connected shape.

  2. Held ornaments leave room for moving answers

    Long ornamented upper sounds alternate with mobile lower figures and held lower replies. Follow the exchange between movement and sustain.

  3. Tied inner layers thicken the texture

    Overlapping upper held notes and a slower inner line join sustained lower sound. Hear the layers without making every moving note equally prominent.

  4. The running shape narrows toward the end

    A held ornamented note and broken-chord answer lead to a shorter closing gesture. Hear the active lower line finish even as the upper part leaves space.

How to practise it

Upper sixteenth figures; lower eighths and rests.

  1. Group the small notes around the compound pulse instead of accenting each attack.
  2. Practise the lower pattern with its longer arrival and silence intact.

How hard is it

Level 7, estimated

Quick flowing figures need relaxed evenness, stable subdivision and clear harmonic arrivals.

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

Upper sixteenth figures; lower eighths and rests.

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