PlayPiano

Baroque · prelude

Prelude No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 (WTC I)

Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 7, estimated · With Maestro

Practise it in PlayPiano

The short answer

A manuscript from 1722, a printed afterlife around 1800. Prelude No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 (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 G minor
  • gentle

Also known as Das Wohltemperierte Clavier I, Praeludium XVI.

History

Prelude No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 (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. A long trill above moving inner notes

    The upper trill sounds over repeated bass G and smaller inner movement. Listen through the long ornamented sound to the quieter changing layer.

  2. A renewed trill leads to rising figures

    Another long upper trill gives way to rising decorative replies. Hear the connection between the sustained sound and the shorter motion.

  3. Long trills move into the lower part

    Lower B-flat and C trills alternate with running replies while the upper layers continue. Follow the ornamented sustained role into the lower register.

  4. A low foundation under two upper arrivals

    Low G continues beneath an upper G fermata and an inner trill. Hear the different upper layers settle without cutting off the bass foundation.

How to practise it

Held ornamented upper tone; active layers under the long tone.

  1. Practise the sustained outline before adding the ornament; do not prescribe an exact trill realisation from this bounded read.
  2. Rehearse the active layers separately, keeping them quieter than the held upper feature.

How hard is it

Level 7, estimated

Ornamented gestures and expressive phrasing require reliable articulation and a stable underlying pulse.

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

Held ornamented upper tone; active layers under the long tone.

Practise it in PlayPiano