Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude & Fugue 1
in C Major, BWV 846
from The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1
If Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier is the “Old Testament of piano music”, then this Prelude must be Genesis, chapter 1: In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth… Like the first verses of the Bible, it speaks a universal language, characterized by solemn simplicity and soothing repetitiveness.
Year: 1722
Period: Baroque
Piano score: PS Urtext 
Audiovisual Study Tool
Prelude & Fugue 1 BWV 846 Prelude - FREE SAMPLE 
Indispensable Bach
The chords and texture of this Prelude seem so basic and repetitive, that it should really put anyone to sleep in less that the two and a half minute it takes to listen to it. But because of the perfection with which Bach has put these simple building blocks together, many find that they can play or listen to this piece thousands of times without ever tiring of it. The music is not just a sequence of chords but it has several melodic lines with their own, individual itinerary - a bass line, a melodic line, and lines in between. When you start noticing these, the musical roadmap of the piece gets even clearer. On a modern piano, the sensitive musician will voice the individual chords and balance subsequent chords against each other with subtle dynamic changes to bring out the inexorability of the harmonic progression.Background
The C major prelude has served as an inspiration for many later composers. For example, it was used as the accompaniment for Gounod’s setting of Ave Maria, and Chopin alluded to it in his first etude for piano, op. 10 no 1.Practice & Performance Tips:
Bach probably played this piece as a chorale first and then broke the chords into arpeggios. In order to understand the harmonic structure of this piece, play the chord progressions first. If possible, write down the label for each harmony. Play each group of sixteenth-notes (semiquavers) as a chord, making the piece sound like a chorale.While you play this piece in chords, listen to the bass line. In fact, it is useful to play, hear and also sing the bass line alone!
Find the highest note in each measure for the right hand. This will become the "melody". After you found this "melody", play it many times alone (without the other notes). Then, add the bass line (left hand). See how the lines relate to each other. Are they in contrary motion? Parallel motion? Or does the bass stay the same and the top line moves? This will also help you memorize this prelude more easily.
The best musicians find different ways to interpret passages that sound repetitive. How can you interpret this prelude, making it sound alive and... Sign up for a Gold membership to read the practice tips.
Forum posts about this piece:
Right elbow pain by geopianoincanada
I’m working on a Bach piece and there are certain portions which have been giving me pain in my right elbow especially near the inside of the elbow opposite of the bony protrusion. I’ve attached...
What are some good Baroque pieces to play for an audition? by droprenstein
For an audition in a few months, I need to play two pieces from two contrasting periods. I mostly play music from the Romantic period. I've already decided on Romantic and Baroque, since they require, and...
Stems directions on Bach's fugue by carlosvieira
I am having a hard time on finding out wich hand should play each voices on Fugue I (BWV 846). If I stand firm to the rule that the stem direction (down to the left hand, up to the right hand), some passages...
What would my level be around by goethefan69420
Hi. I can play Tchaikovsky Neapolitan Song in a musical free way, at a pretty fast tempo, or whatever tempo I really choose. This is probably my war horse at the moment, or bach prelude in C major...
Undergrad Audition Repertoire at a Decent Canadian School by bwl_13
Hey everyone, I've decided to change my pace and switch from being a film student to a music student. I am extremely excited but also quite nervous. I live in Canada and I'm auditioning to...
Pieces before Chopin Waltz in A minor B150 Opus Posth.? by iknownothing999
Hi guys! I started to study about 2 months ago. I studied the C major Bach prelude and Burgmuller Arabesque (op. 100 no 2) by now. I know it will take time before studying it, but do you have any...
After how long should I start learning scales? by iknownothing999
Hi guys! Im new on this forum and I thank you in advance to take the time to read. Im an adult beginner and started to play about 1 month ago (I had played the classical guitar before, studying for...
How to transpose into a different key instantly? by zasinzebra
Hi Everyone, I am trying to learn how to be able to transpose music into a different key, either at sight or from memory. There was a story I read in which a young Liszt met...
Adult (Somewhat) beginner needs advice by adeus89
I am a self-taught pianist who mostly learned from Youtube and by ear. I just started to take lessons with a teacher. I had a demo lesson with her where I sort of improvised for a bit and then played a...
Sight Reading - How To Actually Do It? by svensknavi
Hello all. I'm trying to actually get my sight reading skills up, and long story short, I'm really confused on how to actually do it. As an example, a piece that I have here that I expect...
Sight Reading and Reading Along by darkbloom
I've been playing for a fairly long time (over ten years) and consider myself fairly advanced but I can't sight read at all. Nor can I follow along with complex piano music while holding the...
What would you think of someone who says "the fingerings are all wrong"? by ranjit
I recently learned Bach's Prelude in C major, on my own. When I showed it to a person, he said "the fingerings are all wrong", without commenting anything about musicality, etc. He teaches piano...
Recital Program - Little Nothings by storyseller
Hi everyone I recently came across Mozart's ballet-suite "Les Petits Riens" (little nothings quite literally) and after falling in love with it I decided to come up with a recital...
What piece should I learn next? by johnnypresto
I started playing a year ago and I'm not seeing a teacher (though I plan to start soon), but so far I've managed to learn pieces like For Elise, Canon in D, Bach's Prelude in C and Chopin's...
How many pieces at once? by mactavisho
Hi, I'm beginner-intermidiate piano student and my I'm usually working with my teacher on few pieces at once, a few months ago it was Mozart's Turkish March, Joplin's The Entertainer,...
Any recommendations for a newbie? by saltyroast
Hi, I've been playing piano for about half a year now. I can play mostly simple songs such as bach's prelude in c, chopin's nocturne op. 9 no.2, 1st mov of moonlight sonata, and I have a bit of...
Who's audio quality do you like best? by pencilart3
I like comparing audio quality of different pianists and companies. Of course, DG is at or near the top... www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyWOLkWCiJ4 Also, I was...
Bach Prelude in C major by henrikhank
Hi! I played the C major Prelude on the piano and now I am analysing this prelude. In what way should one analyse such a prelude? I read that the second chord (second bar) has a ii2 chord. What...
Members who like this piece have also downloaded:
Prelude & Fugue in C Major - BWV 846 No. 1 is a piece by the baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
The composition was first published in 1722 and is included in WTC 1 by Bach.