Johann Sebastian Bach
Minuet (by C. Petzold)
in G Major, BWV Anh. 114
from Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach

ID: 903

Bach or Petzold?

Whoever composed this little Minuet, its simplicity and straightforwardness is arresting. The dancing character and the way the composer uses and varies the simple motive of the first two measures throughout the piece is very characteristic of the Baroque era. The right hand is almost written as a five-finger exercise, but it represents an elegance rare among such practice-pieces. The left hand mostly provides simple bass- and leading notes, but in one or two places there is a foretaste of the imitation and finger coordination required for Bach's more advanced pieces.

Background

Scholars seem to be more or less agreed that the Minuet in G from Anna Magdalena Bach's Notebook is more likely to have been penned by Bach’s colleague, the organist and composer Christian Petzold (1677-1723). The notebook functioned as a kind of musical diary, into which Bach’s wife Anna magdalena copied pieces composed by her husband and others, sometimes without indicating authorship.

Practice & Performance Tips:

The minuet is the most common dance in the Baroque period. At that time, the ladies wore a very long, puffy, heavy dress, with which they could not move too quickly. Remember that when playing minuets! Can you play them in a very charming manner and with a very steady pulse, without rushing?

PHRASES
Practice this minuet by phrases. There are four 8-bar phrases in this dance. The first phrase is very similar to the second phrase. Circle the different measures in both phrases. Compare and practice the measures that are different first.

PRACTICING HANDS APART
It is very important to practice hands separately. Each hand should be treated as an independent voice. Try to sing along as you play each voice (or each hand). If you can memorize each voice first, you will play the voices really well when you put hands together.
Mm. 25-26: notice the addition of a third voice here. You do have to hold the half-notes as if you were playing a duet with only one hand! This is a great moment for you to vary the sound and play these and the next two measures piano.

ARTICULATION
Baroque composers rarely marked articulations (slurs and staccato) on their music. But it was common practice to normally play eighth-notes... Sign up for a Gold membership to read the practice tips.

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