RTV repertoire catalog

Bach - 20 Short Preludes - No. 5 - BWV 928

ID 3343 · Bach, Johann Sebastian · Piano · Level 7 · Points 57000

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Bach’s Prelude No. 5, BWV 928 is a short Baroque keyboard prelude in F major. The music has a bright, active character, built from running sixteenth-note patterns, broken chords, short rests, and two-hand imitation. Instead of using a simple melody with accompaniment, the hands often trade quick figures and harmonic patterns, creating a lively two-voice texture that helps students practice coordination, evenness, and clear Baroque phrasing.Measures 1–4 introduce the main texture. The hands begin with short separated gestures, then move into quick sixteenth-note figures and small chordal answers. The right hand and left hand take turns carrying the faster motion, giving the opening a light, conversational feeling.Measures 5–8 continue the same active style, but the music moves through more changing harmonies. The right hand uses broken patterns and short melodic fragments, while the left hand supports with moving bass notes and held tones. This section keeps the sound flowing while still leaving small spaces between the gestures.Measures 9–12 become more chromatic and searching. Both hands move through quick figures with accidentals and shifting harmonies. The texture remains clear, but the music sounds less settled than the opening because the harmony is moving away from the home key.Measures 13–16 begin the second page with a more continuous pattern. The right hand plays repeated sixteenth-note figures while the left hand answers with bass notes and simple moving lines. A trill near the end of this section adds a decorative Baroque touch before the music continues forward.Measures 17–20 bring back stronger two-hand motion. The right hand moves through quick patterns while the left hand becomes more active underneath. The texture grows fuller in places, with both hands sharing the running motion and moving toward a stronger cadence.Measures 21–24 form the closing section. The music continues with broken-chord figures, short rests, and a final settling of the harmony back into F major. The last measures slow the motion into longer note values and close with a clear final chord and fermata.Interesting fact: BWV 928 is one of the little preludes connected with the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, a keyboard notebook Bach began for his son in 1720. Pieces like this were useful for teaching because they combine musical character with practical keyboard technique.