The library · Classical
Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772
Johann Sebastian Bach
A short motif in sixteenth notes, started by one hand, taken up by the other, then turned upside down: the whole invention grows from it, in two equal voices.
C major · 4/4 · 80 beats per minute · 22 bars · 1 min 06 · advanced level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A B Coda
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–8 | C · G · Cmaj7 · Em · C · Am · D7 · G · Em · Bm · G · Dsus4 · D7 I · V · Imaj7 · iii · I · vi · V7/V · V · iii · vii · V · IIsus4 · V7/V |
— |
| B | 9–16 | G7 · Fmaj7/E · Em/G · Gm7/F · Gm7 · E7 · Bm7♭5 · E7sus4/B · Dm7/A · Esus4 · F/A · Em7 · Dm V7 · IVmaj7 · iii · v7 · v7 · V7/vi · viiø7 · III7sus4 · ii7 · IIIsus4 · IV · iii7 · ii |
— |
| Coda | 17–22 | G7/B · Dm6 · C · Am7 · B♭/F · A7sus4 · C/E · G7/D · C V7 · ii6 · I · vi7 · ♭VII · VI7sus4 · I · V7 · I |
Authentic cadence |
The key
- C major
- No sharps or flats
- Scale
- C · D · E · F · G · A · B
- Pillar chords
- I = C · IV = F · V7 = G7
The tricky passages
- Bars 5–6: fast runs (10.7 notes per second), a melodic leap (minor seventh), notes outside the key, lots of notes
- Bar 11: fast runs (5.3 notes per second), a melodic leap (minor sixth), notes outside the key, lots of notes
- Bar 13: fast runs (5.3 notes per second), a melodic leap (octave), notes outside the key, lots of notes
The plan: 24 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
More pieces from the library
- Ode to Joy · Ludwig van Beethoven
- Prelude in C major, BWV 846 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114 · Christian Petzold
- Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 · Christian Petzold
- Sonata in C major, K. 545: 1st movement · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Turkish March (Rondo alla turca), K. 331 · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Jeff Covey / Mutopia Project · CC BY-SA 3.0