Description:
“Bach - Sinfonia No. 15 - BWV 801” is classified as a Level 8 Piano work worth 224,000 points within the Road to Virtuosity progression system. It is categorized under Composers → Bach, Johann Sebastian and is part of the Baroque collection. The sheet music for “Bach - Sinfonia No. 15 - BWV 801” provided on this website is available for non-commercial use. This means it may be downloaded, printed, studied, and performed for personal or educational purposes, but it may not be sold, redistributed commercially, or used as part of a paid product without permission.
“Bach - Sinfonia No. 15 - BWV 801” is a three-page keyboard work by Johann Sebastian Bach. The music is written in 9/16 with two sharps in the key signature and begins mf with a leggiero marking. Like Bach’s other sinfonias, this piece is written in three independent voices rather than a simple melody-and-accompaniment texture. The main musical work comes from keeping the running sixteenth-note figures light, even, and clearly separated between the hands as the voices imitate and answer one another.
Measures 1–3 introduce the main texture of the piece. The upper voice begins with a quick sixteenth-note figure, while the lower voice enters underneath with its own moving line. By measure 3, the leggiero marking appears as the writing opens into light, fast passagework that moves across the keyboard.
Measures 4–6 continue the opening material with more imitation between the voices. The left hand becomes more active, and the right hand answers with quick running figures. The hands often trade short patterns rather than staying in fixed melody-and-accompaniment roles.
Measures 7–11 develop the same sixteenth-note motion with a more connected contrapuntal texture. The upper voice holds or repeats small melodic shapes while the lower voice moves beneath it. Measures 10–11 include longer slurred lines and quick figures that help lead into the next section.
Measures 12–16 shift into a softer section marked p. The writing continues in three voices, with repeated broken figures in the upper staff and moving bass support underneath. Measures 14–16 use a compact repeated pattern in the right hand while the lower voice continues to move steadily, creating a lighter contrast after the opening page.
Measures 17–22 bring back the opening style with a fuller sound. The first measure of this section strongly resembles the beginning, but the surrounding voices now move in a more developed way. Measures 20–22 continue the imitation with slurred figures, quick sixteenth notes, and overlapping motion between the hands.
Measures 23–25 introduce another dynamic contrast. Measure 23 is marked p, measure 24 grows to mf, and measure 25 returns to p. The musical material remains based on short running figures, but the changing dynamics give this section a more shaped and expressive character.
Measures 26–30 build toward one of the strongest points of the piece. Measure 26 is marked cresc., and the running sixteenth-note motion becomes broader across the hands. By measure 29, the music reaches f, with both hands moving through fuller passagework before settling into the next phrase.
Measures 31–33 move toward a temporary arrival. The right hand plays quick ornamental figures over sustained lower tones, and measure 33 includes fermatas, creating a clear pause in the music before the final section begins.
Measures 34–38 close the sinfonia with a final extended phrase. Measure 34 begins with a held upper sonority while the lower voice continues in sixteenth-note motion. The last measures return to active imitation between the hands, then settle into a final cadence with fermatas, giving the piece a clear and complete ending.
Interesting fact: Bach’s sinfonias are often called “three-part inventions.” They were written to help students learn not only keyboard technique, but also how to understand and perform several independent musical lines at the same time.
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