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Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 - Prelude No.1 in C BWV846a
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Bach |
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Opus Details
For feedback and questions, please contact Victor Gomersall.
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The Well-Tempered Clavier, which in German = Das Wohltemperirte Clavier, is a collection of solo keyboard music by Bach. There are two books, each containing 24 preludes and fugues, one of each in every major and minor key. Book 1 dates from 1722. Bach himself said that they are "for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning, and especially for the pastime of those already skilled in this study." Prior to Bach's time, keyboards were tuned to natural ratios, so C major was perfect, G and F were fairly close to perfect, and the other keys become incresingly out of tune as the number of flats and sharps increased. So it was not possible to write keyboard music in all 12 keys, because those with more than one or two flats or sharps would sound out of tune. By Bach's time, a method of tuning called "Well-Tempered" made all the keys sound pretty good. However,this was not the same as our modern equi-tempered scale, in which the frequency of every semitone bears an equal ratio to the preceding semitone, namely 12√2, which is the 12th root of 2.
This one is the first in book I, it is a prelude in C major. In the romantic period, French composer Charles Gounod wrote an aria to fit the chordal structure of this prelude, so the prelude becomes the accompaniment to Gounod's new tune. This is entitled Ave Maria, and it is available in Best Classical Tunes, catalogued under Gounod.
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Short Piece
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Solo
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Featuring Piano
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Baroque Period
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Time Signature
4
/4
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Key Signature
C Major
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Play MP3 using player below.
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1 Main theme
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A PDF file of the score is displayed below. Move mouse to top of score and click the rightmost icon, to show Adobe reader toolbar, and to print the score
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