Bach was one of the few composers whose genius allowed
him to write instructive works for students that could
also stand alone as pure music for the listener.
Schumann, Bartók, and a few others also produced
pedagogical compositions that accomplished both
objectives, but Bach may have been the most effective
here. Certainly, the Well-Tempered Clavier is one of
the supreme efforts in the genre. And one can go on to
cite his more modest pedagogical creations, like the
so-called Little Preludes (1...(+)
Bach was one of the few composers whose genius allowed
him to write instructive works for students that could
also stand alone as pure music for the listener.
Schumann, Bartók, and a few others also produced
pedagogical compositions that accomplished both
objectives, but Bach may have been the most effective
here. Certainly, the Well-Tempered Clavier is one of
the supreme efforts in the genre. And one can go on to
cite his more modest pedagogical creations, like the
so-called Little Preludes (12). Though Bach himself did
not assemble this compilation, it logically and
conveniently groups the individual pieces according to
key sequence. Although their grouping is logical and is
often retained in recordings and on recital programs.
The Little in the set's title refers not just to the
modest requirements of the piece, but to its length,
which here is about a minute.
The ninth Prelude in E minor (BWV 932) is an incomplete
work with only 10 1/4 measures surviving. For the sake
of this arrangement, I have completed the work and
notated my additions in the score in red.
SHEET MUSIC