RTV repertoire catalog

Bach - 20 Short Preludes - No. 2 - BWV 925

ID 3340 · Bach, Johann Sebastian · Piano · Level 6 · Points 38000

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Bach’s Prelude No. 2, BWV 925 is a short Baroque keyboard piece in D major. The music has a bright, active character, built from running sixteenth-note patterns, broken chords, imitation between the hands, and short cadential pauses. Instead of a simple melody with accompaniment, the hands often trade small musical ideas back and forth, creating a clear two-voice texture that helps students develop independence, evenness, and control of phrase direction.Measures 1–4 introduce the main texture. The right hand begins with a quick rising figure, and the left hand answers with similar moving notes underneath. The hands alternate between running sixteenth notes and longer held tones, giving the opening a conversational feeling. The music stays light and forward-moving while clearly establishing D major.Measures 5–8 continue the same style with more imitation and broken patterns. The right hand and left hand take turns carrying the quicker motion, while the other hand supports with longer notes or simple harmonic tones. This section includes more register movement and leads the music toward a stronger cadence.Measures 9–12 begin the second page with the same active character, but the hands become more closely connected. The left hand often keeps a steady moving pattern while the right hand adds short melodic shapes, held tones, and small decorative figures. The texture feels more continuous here, with fewer empty spaces than in the opening.Measures 13–16 become the most active part of the piece. Both hands move through quicker scale-like and broken-chord patterns, with the music shifting through several harmonies before returning toward D major. This section requires careful coordination because the hands often move at the same time in different directions.Measures 17–18 form the closing passage. The music becomes more cadential, with stronger bass support, repeated motion in the upper voice, and a final long held note. The ending brings the running texture to a clear and settled close.Interesting fact: BWV 925 is traditionally known as one of the small preludes associated with Bach’s keyboard teaching tradition. Modern catalog sources note that the piece was formerly attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, but its authorship is now considered uncertain and possibly connected with Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.