Little Prelude in E minor (BWV 938)
Johann Sebastian Bach · Level 4 (Intermediate) · Baroque · Piano
The last of the Six Little Preludes BWV 933–938: a lively two-part invention in 3/8, with long sequences of sixteenth notes. One of the little preludes Bach wrote around 1720 for his pupils, handed down mainly in copies by his circle (Johann Peter Kellner): short pieces, ideal before tackling the Inventions. E minor, 3/8, 50 bars (about one minute), complete score.
▶ Play this piece with the interactive score
How to practise it
- Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
- Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
- Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
- Count one beat per bar once the notes are secure; spot the sequences (the same pattern a step lower) to memorise faster. No pedal: legato comes from the fingers. Practise hands separately in Wait mode, then put them together slowly. Start hands separately in Wait mode, then put hands together at a slow tempo before speeding up gradually.
More pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach
- Partita 4 (BWV 828) — movement 6
- Aus meines Herzens Grunde (Chorale 1) (BWV 269)
- Two-Part Invention No. 1 in C major (BWV 772)
- Prelude No. 1 in C major, Well-Tempered Clavier I (BWV 846)
- Two-Part Invention No. 13 in A minor (BWV 784)
- Two-Part Invention No. 8 in F major (BWV 779)
- Little Prelude in F major (BWV 928)
- Two-Part Invention No. 4 in D minor (BWV 775)
Source : Mutopia Project · CC BY-SA 3.0