The library · Classical
Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115
Christian Petzold
The minor-key companion to the famous Minuet in G, from the same Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach: two clear voices and a second half that passes through B-flat major.
G minor · 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 | Gm · Dm/F · E♭ · D · Gm · Gm/B♭ · Am7 · D i · v · VI · V · i · i · ii7 · V |
Imperfect cadence |
| A' | 9–16 | Gm · Dm/F · E♭ · D · G/B · F7/C · B♭maj7 · B♭ i · v · VI · V · V/iv · VII7 · IIImaj7 · III |
— |
| B | 17–24 | B♭ · F/A · C7/G · F · F/A · Cm/G · Dm · B♭ III · VII · IV7 · VII · VII · iv · v · III |
— |
| C | 25–32 | Bm · Cm · Gm/B♭ · D · Adim/E♭ · B♭aug · Gm ♯iii · iv · i · V · ii° · III+ · i |
— |
The key
- G minor
- 2 flats in the key signature: B♭, E♭
- Scale
- G · A · B♭ · C · D · E♭ · F
- Pillar chords
- I = Gm · IV = Cm · V7 = D7
The tricky passages
- Bar 3: fast runs (4.7 notes per second), a melodic leap (octave)
- Bar 21: fast runs (4.7 notes per second), a melodic leap (octave)
- Bar 31: fast runs (9.3 notes per second), a melodic leap (perfect fifth)
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 major, BWV Anh. 114 · Christian Petzold
- Sonata in C major, K. 545: 1st movement · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Turkish March (Rondo alla turca), K. 331 · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart