Harmony explained: Bach's famous Prelude in C BWV 846

Bach's Prelude in C major is an incredible piece that has captivated audiences for centuries.

Bach's preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier are considered a rite of passage for pianists. They're masterpieces of classical music, and the prelude in C major — the first piece of the collection — is by far the most famous.

In this video, we will analyze the harmony in detail and learn how that can help us better understand the overall structure. A deeper knowledge of what's behind the curtains provides insights into Bach's compositional strategies and helps us better appreciate this incredible composer.

Learn more about this and other pieces with the PianoLIT app for iOS.

Interested in learning more about all piano related topics?

#harmonicanalysis #musictheory #musicharmony #bach #bachprelude

[pwjaiter]

Amazing how Bach uses the most complex chords progressions and modulations and still makes it a very easy to listen to, very nice explanation!

[cinaminlee]

Wow. Thank you....I've been so perplexed by this piece!! Playing it over and over and trying to understand why it's so beautiful. Now I have an inkling as to why....but still a beautiful mystery.

[chmendez]

Fantastic analysis. I have seen several analysis of this piece and this is the very detailed and well explained. Excellent work.

[conradinhawaii]

A superb tutorial. I have been playing both versions of this lovely prelude since the 1950s, and you have "nailed" it here.👍💖

[andy_hawkins]

This is a wonderful video. I love the combination of the theoretical aspect AND the pure passion of Bach (and music)

[apoj]

Perfect analysis. I'm a adult beguiner and it's helping me a lot . Thanks very much

[mctoom]

Fantastic! YouTube needs more of these great videos. Thanks for taking the time to share that. Have a good day!

[lawrencetaylor]

Merci beaucoup. I want this to be my first classical piece and I've had these questions which you've answered brilliantly.

[gumbycat]

Wonderful explanation and beautiful, sensitive playing.

[buteforce]

The perfect piece of music perfectly explained

[prodbysalar]

This is the greatest insight on music theory I’ve had! So many great connections I’ve made in my mind and so much wisdom as to how each chord relates to one another. Thank you 🙏🏼

[Kekuahiwi]

Wonderful tutorial; includes the chord notation, the piano, and the commentary. Your piano has a beautiful tone. The challenge I have is that the volume of the piano obscures the commentary along with it until you've stopped playing. Thanks for the great work

[Cielnalaelle]

Great
I'm looking forward to improvise a violin melody to this, and you have spared me a lot of work Thank you very much!!!!

[BenTrem]

I've known this piece so well. _And now? _*_so much better!_*
thanks

[pandabarsch]

Great video! It's really helpful to understand music theory better. I'd love to see more videos like this :)

[LiliVG]

Wonderful, top notch explanation of the chord progression of this famous piece. Please bring us more.

[roynettejp]

Perfect analysis, the best of any I've seen. Precise, detailed and very clear. Bach would have appreciated ... Thank you very much!

[alexarcadia]

Excellent, Thank you. Hard to follow when new to theory, though it is obviously a very good study to learn.

[Mhang]

you explained all that in one go, very good
i didn't realize the dminor at the end, interesting
d minor is in the beginning as well in the 2nd chords, didn't notice that till you pointed it out

[jean.marion]

Thank you for taking the time to do this video. Made my day...