The library · Classical
Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114
Christian Petzold
The minuet from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, long attributed to Bach: two clear voices, ideal for starting hands together.
G major · 3/4 · 140 beats per minute · 32 bars · 41 s · intermediate level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A A' B C
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–8 | G · G/B · C · G/B · Am · G · G/D · D I · I · IV · I · ii · I · I · V |
Imperfect cadence |
| A' | 9–16 | Bm7 · G · C · G/B · D7/A · G · D7/C · G iii7 · I · IV · I · V7 · I · V7 · I |
Perfect cadence |
| B | 17–24 | G · D/F♯ · Em · A · Bm · D · D7 I · V · vi · V/V · iii · V · V7 |
Imperfect cadence |
| C | 25–32 | Bm · C · G/B · Dsus4 · D · Em · G iii · IV · I · Vsus4 · V · vi · I |
— |
The key
- G major
- 1 sharp in the key signature: F♯
- Scale
- G · A · B · C · D · E · F♯
- Pillar chords
- I = G · IV = C · V7 = D7
The tricky passages
- Bar 3: fast runs (4.7 notes per second), a melodic leap (major sixth)
- Bars 11–12: fast runs (4.7 notes per second), a melodic leap (octave)
- Bar 17: fast runs (4.7 notes per second), a melodic leap (more than an octave (16 semitones))
The plan: 15 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
- Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- 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