Harmonising a Bach Chorale - Writing Four-Part Harmony

How to harmonise a Chorale in the style of JS Bach.If you want to improve your harmony skills or learn how to harmonise a Chorale melody in the style of Bach this video is for you. This video takes you through a Chorale harmonisation step by step, demonstrating the most effective and efficient way of completing the task. Having identified keys, modulations and cadences, the process of choosing the best chords and chord progressions is worked through, with all the reasoning explained. Common pitfalls are explored, along with the rules of harmony, with issues of voice leading also addressed. By the time you have worked through this video your harmony skills will be sharper and you will understand much more about writing in the style of Bach. Ideal for students of harmony, grade 6, grade 7, grade 8 theory of music students, and those studying for school, college, and university music courses, diplomas or degrees.

🕘 Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction to bach chorale harmony
1:09 - Analysing the phrases
3:51 - Constructing our basic chords
4:52 - Starting with the cadences
10:16 - Plotting the harmony
34:34 - Writing in the bassline
41:47 - Filling in the alto and tenor parts
56:41 - What does it all sound like?

🎓 Bach Chorale Course
Learn the art of writing classical harmony in four-parts with the Bach Chorale course. To this day, learning the technique of traditional harmonic writing is still a core study for high-level music students and successful composers around the world. Bach Chorales have formed the foundation for good harmony, from Baroque music right the way up to present day modern songs. This comprehensive and unique course skilfully supports your composition of Chorale harmonisations. Starting with the rules of basic harmony writing, enhancing Chorales with the use of suspensions and passing notes and working full Chorale exercises. Understanding Bach's Chorale technique is the corner stone to writing good harmony.

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[MusicMattersGB]

Bach Chorale - Get the rest of this course here!

[hougrel]

I have been singing Bach Chorales for just short of 60 years - this was such an intensly rewarding hour - Thank you so much

[esejsnake]

I had to smile when you played the resulting "minipiece". The whole video is so beautiful and yet straightforward at the same time! Of course instinct is important, but there is a relatively small number of things to remember if even a beginner wants to do something like this himself, and you've simplified the learning process by means of your wonderful explanation. Thank you. The knowledge that I can now do this is so exciting! You've inspired me to harmonise an old melody I've written.

[canman]

This is one of the most challenging course in music harmony.

[nlaszg]

I like how he double checks which note has which root, like he doesn't know by heart, just so we don't feel so dumb. :'D

[HaffnerLinz]

A simply brilliant video tutorial. Thank you.

[sweetygoyal]

For me Music theory would be a nightmare without these lessons.No words to say how thankful i am for providing us free lessons with such an ease, made me easy to write melody, harmony and music theory intresting.
Thank you so much sir 😊

[marshmllow]

This video helped me so much! I have a high school culminating assignment to compose a piece instead of playing something on the violin because of a back injury and I've never composed before, so thank you so much for the help. Your voice is really lovely and reminds me of my family back in England.

[carlstenger]

Wonderful lesson! I did spot 1 pair of parallel fifths. Between measures 4 and 5, the Altos and the Tenors are moving in parallel. My solution was to move the Altos to E (thus the Altos end measure 4 with a crotchet on F# and begin measure 5 with a crotchet on E); meanwhile, the Tenors end measure 4 with a quaver on D and a quaver on C#. The Tenors begin measure 5 with a crotchet on B.

[rickard.eriksson]

Have gone through hundreds of "self taught" musicians trying to teach musictheory, i barely understood anything. And now im watching this, and its built on a logical foundation. Thank you!

[chippchipp]

Thank you so much. You are a great teacher.

[nightscriber]

I have seen tons of counterpoint videos - this is one of the best thank you so much, I never thought to make a "key of optional Chords" - that is and amazing tool.

[kapitankapital]

I'm pretty sure Bach's Chorales are out of copyright

[joelsimon]

I gotta admit Gareth, these tutorials are mind-blowing! Just the P-S-R bit alone.

[JohnroJosephGuaren]

I have also checked your other videos on harmony and this one has also really helped me as well! Even though these are just basics, but the effort you put in these make us budding arrangers more inspired to create more music. Kudos to a great teacher like you!

[CaptJackAubreyOfTheRoyalNavy]

That final phrase is beautiful and so classic Bach!

[maxjohn]

There is something truly - in the most literal sense - magical about this process.

[ositotovi]

Sir. Your love for music, teaches me more in one hour that three years of school of music.I love Bach as well!!!, so from the bottom of my Argentinian grateful heart!!!.THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!. (I take my hat off!!).

[venutti]

Wonderful lesson, thank you very much. Being self-taught, it's inspiring to see the workflow of other people regarding this. I have one question about the avoidance of parallels, which you did not mention in this lesson: in which stage of your harmonization would you include checking for those? After you have finished? or while you are putting in the Alto and Tenor parts?

[martenw]

This is by far the most well explained lesson in chorale composing I've ever seen! The rules regarding the suspension were new to me! Thank you!