The Six Little Preludes (

BWV The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...

933-938) are a group of preludes written by the composer

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

for

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

. They are all short,

pedagogical Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and Developmental psychology, psychological development of le ...

efforts written in or around the period of 1717–1720, but they were not published until 1802. These pieces are all short but require a strong understanding of technique. The preludes are a part of Bach's 18 Kleine Präludien (18 Little Preludes), which also contains the

Twelve Little Preludes ''Twelve Little Preludes'' ( French: ''Douze petits Préludes''; German: '), BWV 924–930, 939–942 and 999, is a 19th-century compilation of short pieces, collected from various 18th-century manuscripts written by Johann Sebastian Bach an ...

. Bach sporadically produced the pieces around 1717–1720, primarily for instructive purposes. They were not intended for public performance, rather as an aid to his son's compositional development.

Little Prelude in C major, BWV 933

The C major prelude consists of two brief sections, repeated as a pair, followed by a variation on each section, again repeated as a pair. The first segment demands complete independence of the right and left hands, with the left hand providing a busy accompaniment. The bass material becomes more rudimentary in the second segment, as the treble adopts f of this prelude makes minimal changes to the basic material, mainly brightening it by lifting the slightly altered melody into a higher register.

Little Prelude in C minor, BWV 934

This C minor effort is similar to a

minuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form that accompa ...

. It features a lively angular theme. The theme and second subject are played through twice and vary considerably on their third appearance. This piece generally lasts just over a minute.

Little Prelude in D minor, BWV 935

The Little Prelude in D minor contains features that are similar to a two-part invention. This work generally lasts about a minute and a half.

Little Prelude in D major, BWV 936

This Prelude has features associated with a

trio sonata The trio sonata is a genre, typically consisting of several movements, with two melody instruments and basso continuo. Originating in the early 17th century, the trio sonata was a favorite chamber ensemble combination in the Baroque era. Basic str ...

: it contains two upper lines and a roving bass part underpinning them. The work opens with a lively theme. It is played through twice, then varied on its third appearance, showing much development.

Little Prelude in E major, BWV 937

Unlike Prelude in E minor, this piece is interpreting a more lively scenario indicating that it is major, though Bach's frequently used mordents are not as common in this prelude.

Little Prelude in E minor, BWV 938

This E minor prelude contains features similar to the composer's inventions.BWV 938 in The Mutopia Project
Praeludium Nr. 6, by J. S. Bach (1685–1750)
/ref> Bach follows a pattern used in many of the pieces in the set, in presenting the main thematic material twice in more or less the same form, then developing it. This piece is approximately one-and-a-half minutes long.

References

External links

* Video of the Six Little Preludes performed by Benjamin Alard: https://youtube.com/watch?v=vhxOODKpXmA * {{authority control Preludes by Johann Sebastian Bach Compositions for harpsichord Articles containing video clips