How To Teach Bach Little Prelude in C Major

Today we’re talking about how to teach the Little Prelude in C Major, BWV 939 by Johann Sebastian Bach. This is a grand, authoritative prelude that packs a lot of punch in just a few measures.

Recommended editions:

• Vienna Urtext Little Preludes and Fugues

• Henle Urtext Little Preludes and Fugues

• Alfred Masterworks 18 Short Preludes (Willard Palmer)

• Classics Alive! Book 1 (Jane Magrath)

Syllabus listings for difficulty level:

• RCM Level 5

• Illinois AIM Level 6

• Jane Magrath Level 4-5

Skills and knowledge required to play this piece well:

• C Major key signature and chords with inversions

• Larger hand span (octave, 7ths)

• Eighth notes and sixteenth notes in 4/4 time

• Feeling of starting just after the downbeat - on “1 and”

• Articulation of lifting after first note of each downbeat

• Mordents

• Releases on rests

• Steady tempo, yet with improvisatory feeling

Stay up to date with Janna!

Enter your email address to get great piano pedagogy content in your inbox.

Please choose one:

I am a piano teacher

I am a piano student or adult learner

Subscribe

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Built with ConvertKit

The above are Amazon and Sheet Music Plus affiliate links. If you click on a product link and make a purchase, Janna will receive a small commission.