Pieces / J. S. Bach
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I · BWV 846

Prelude in C major

Johann Sebastian Bach, 1722 · 28 keys · Medium

About the piece

This prelude opens The Well-Tempered Clavier, the 48 preludes and fugues Bach wrote to show off every key. Each bar is one chord, broken into the same rising pattern. In 1853 Gounod wrote his Ave Maria as a melody over it.

You play the first four bars, one pattern per bar, without the low bass note. They are moved a tone lower to fit the 17 keys.

Key
C major
Played in
B-flat major, a tone lower
Time
4/4
Keys
28
Licence
Public domain

Prelude in C major letters

The whole passage, as letters to type. P is a black key; a dash holds the note a little longer.

S F U L F U L
A G K P G K P
A F K P F K P
S F U L F U L -