Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I) sheet music

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), Level 7 · Advanced, 1:02

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What changed in this conversion
  • Some held notes in bars 12, 18 are shown shorter because that hand plays more than one rhythm at once. No notes were removed.
Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I), keyboard staff, page 1 of 3Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Regular keyboard staff. Print at 100%, not fit-to-page.CCDDEFFGGAABBold red line: C4 · Solid line: other Cs, D F G A · Dotted grey line: E | F and B | CC3C51281FCAGACFACE♭DCDB♭FEFB♭DFACB♭AB♭GEDEGCEGB♭AGAGFEFACEFAGFFACAFAB♭DB♭FFGB♭GECFAFFC3C53BCGEDEGCEGB♭AGC♯DAFEFADFACB♭AFDBABDGBDFEDEGEC♯BC♯EAC♯EGFEFC3C55B♭GEDEGCEGB♭AGAFDC♯DFB♭DFAGFGEC♯BC♯EAC♯EGFEFADAFDGB♭GECEFAFDB♭DEGEC♯AC♯DAFEFADFACB♭ASource: "Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I)", typeset by Stelios Samelis, The Mutopia Project, https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=963.Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I) · Page 1 of 3
Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I), keyboard staff, page 2 of 3C3C57GB♭DB♭GDGC♯EC♯GEDAFEFADFACB♭AFDB♭AB♭DFB♭DFEDDB♭GF♯GB♭DGB♭DC♯BC♯B♭GF♯GB♭DGC♯EDC♯DFAFDFDFB♭DC3C59A♭AEC♯BC♯EAC♯EGF♯EF♯GDBABDGBDFE♭DDBA♭F♯A♭BEA♭BDC♯BC♯CAF♯EF♯ADF♯ACBABC3C511E♭CAGACFACE♭DCDB♭GF♯GB♭E♭GB♭DCB♭CAF♯EF♯ADF♯ACB♭AB♭CE♭CAFAB♭DB♭GE♭GACAF♯DF♯GDB♭AB♭DGB♭DFEDC3C513EE♭ADAFEFADFACB♭AGDB♭AB♭DGB♭DFEDCGEDEGCGCEDCFCAGACFCFAGFB♭Source: "Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I)", typeset by Stelios Samelis, The Mutopia Project, https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=963.Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I) · Page 2 of 3
Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I), keyboard staff, page 3 of 3C3C515EGEDEGCEGB♭AGCAFEFADFACB♭AB♭GEDEGCEGB♭AGAFCB♭CFACE♭GFE♭B♭ACAFDFGB♭GECEFCAGACFACE♭DCC3C517DDCB♭AGFB♭GECB♭GAGFEFADFDB♭GEFB♭AGACFDB♭AB♭DFB♭DFEDECB♭AB♭EGB♭EGFEFADB♭AB♭CFFCACFSource: "Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I)", typeset by Stelios Samelis, The Mutopia Project, https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=963.Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I) · Page 3 of 3
Painted portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach holding a sheet of music
Johann Sebastian Bach. Elias Gottlob Haussmann, 1748. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Key facts

Level
Level 7 · Advanced. Estimated from the notes (2 of 8 on our difficulty score)
Time signature
12/8
Key signature
1 flat
Length
18 bars, 3 pages
Playing time
1:02
Notes
572
Range
C2 to C6
  • Our difficulty score of 2 alone gives Level 6; raised to Level 7 by the contrapuntal-repertoire floor, because the score cannot see counterpoint.

Source and licence

Licence of the source: Public Domain dedication.

Source: "Prelude in F major, BWV 856 (Well-Tempered Clavier I)", typeset by Stelios Samelis, The Mutopia Project, https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=963.

Source: The Mutopia Project, from the edition Bach Gesselschaft.

Playback sounds: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm (CC BY 3.0); Upright Piano KW by Gonzalo and Roberto of FreePats (CC0 1.0); Fluid R3 GM by Frank Wen and contributors (CC BY 3.0). Full sound credits.