Course | Piano | JS Bach: 2-part Inventions

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Intro &
Invention No. 1 in C Major, BWV 772

Invention No. 4 in D minor, BWV 775

Invention No. 7 in E minor, BWV 778

In the Inventions and Sinfonias autograph dated 1723 we read the following introduction written by Bach himself:

"Forthright instruction, wherewith lovers of the clavier, especially those desirous of learning, are shown in a clear way not only 1) to learn to play two voices clearly, but also after further progress 2) to deal correctly and well with three obbligato parts, moreover at the same time to obtain not only good ideas, but also to carry them out well, but most of all to achieve a cantabile style of playing, and thereby to acquire a strong foretaste of composition."

In a few lines J. S. Bach was able not only to define music, but also clarified their main target. Today these words are often ignored by majority of performers and teachers. As a matter of fact, pianists do perform this music in a very mechanical and metronomic way, like a sort of exercise or technical etude, without any real understanding of music and its structures, and in a way that do not develop any cantabile style, nor let them acquire any knowledge in composition.

The three inventions studied in the course offer three different approaches, where the main melody and its creation I the starting point, and then the complete invention is built up upon the bass line. In this way the compositional process used by Bach will be very clear. And the various exercises proposed in the course would stimulate creative and cognitive processes.

After this course you will realize that playing Bach music is not difficult at all. On the contrary, with the proper knowledge and awareness, it is possible to really enjoy this music and overall understand it. 

Instructor: Alberto Firrincieli