By
Johann Sebastian Bach
The Prelude in C Major, BWV 846, is the first piece in Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier," Book I, completed in 1722. This work is known for its transparent and straightforward musical structure, characterized by a continuous flow of eighth notes in a broken chord pattern. The Prelude in C Major is distinctive among the collection due to its simplicity and purity of form, serving as a foundational piece in the classical keyboard repertoire and a prime example of Bach's exploration of harmony and well-tempered tuning systems.
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by:
Derek Remes
One of the foremost scholars of J.S. Bach's pedagogical and creative approach, Derek Remeš deconstructs the C Major Prelude, BWV 846, in the first of a three-part series dedicated to "reverse engineering" Bach's Preludes. Remeš's approach to understanding the work's structure and harmonic configuration is Bach's own: that of so-called "thoroughbass," also known as "figured bass." Far more than an accompanimental practice, thoroughbass was core to Bach's understanding of musical composition writ large. For Bach's students, the main skill to acquire was a facility with recognizing and realizing the many voice leading conventions embedded in these shorthand basslines.
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