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Prelude in C major (opening)
Johann Sebastian Bach, 1722. Excerpt, written out for reading practice.
- Music
- Johann Sebastian Bach
- Date
- 1722
- Key
- C major
- Time
- 4/4
- Clef
- Treble
- Level
- Easy
- Length
- Excerpt
About the music
The first prelude of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (1722), is built entirely from broken chords: each bar takes one chord and plays it as the same rising pattern, twice. In 1853 Charles Gounod used it as the accompaniment for his “Ave Maria”.
The first four bars are written here as a single line in the treble clef (in the original, the first two notes of each group are held by the left hand). It is perfect practice for reading chords as shapes rather than one note at a time.
Reading tips
- Every bar is one chord played twice. Read the first five notes and you have the whole bar.
- The chords are C major, D minor over C, G7 over B, and C major again.
- For more on reading chord shapes, see How to read chords and arpeggios.
How to practice it
Read the piece through once without playing, naming the starting note and looking for patterns and repeats. Then press Play and follow the notes as they light up. When you are ready, choose Practice this piece: it opens in the practice tool, where you can slow it down, play along on the on-screen piano, a MIDI keyboard or your voice, and have every note checked.