Prelude in D major
BWV 925 performed by Fernando Lourens
Maltezerhuis, Utrecht
Behind the music
Story
Story
Extra videos
Extra videos
Credits
Credits
Elementary but not easy
In this little Prelude, we hear the elements of the musical form that made Bach famous
Bach is one of the most celebrated composers of all time, but during his life he was also regarded as an outstanding teacher. His best pupils were possibly his wife and children, for whom he wrote a number of Klavierbüchlein, or exercise booklets, containing brief pedagogic tips and simple practice pieces. By practicing them, his family learned not only keyboard playing, but also the ins and outs of music theory and composition. In this way, Bach continued the tradition of his musical family, as he himself had been taught by his big brother Johann Christoph.
Around 1720, when Bach’s eldest son was ten, his father wrote the first teaching method we know for him. The Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann is still regarded as one of the classics in the pedagogic genre, and is popular among piano teachers who want to give their pupils a first introduction to Bach’s work. There are more than sixty pieces in the booklet, ordered by level and ranging from the simple Applicatio in C major, BWV 994, to the relatively challenging three-part Sinfonias. The lion’s share was written by father Bach, but some were by other composers and some even appear to be by Friedemann himself; blood will tell.
The Prelude in D major, BWV 925 number 27 in the Klavierbüchlein, is one of the pieces attributed to both father and son. It is a fugue; a musical form that father Bach had mastered to perfection and raised to new heights. No wonder, then, that he wanted to pass on this knowledge to his son. The essence of a fugue is a short melody – a subject – that is often no longer than a bar or two. The composer then spins out this short melody to create a whole piece; something that is much easier said than done. It is extraordinarily difficult to find a subject that is flexible enough to manipulate musically, while still retaining its character. Father Bach became world-famous for doing so. In his Kunst der Fuge, he found a subject that he could turn into nearly an hour and a half of music; a feat never before accomplished by another composer. This prelude, however, lasts just a minute and a half, but that doesn’t mean it is easy. If the piece is indeed by Wilhelm Friedemann, then he was ten when he composed it. The subject is restless and eager, as if son Bach wants to show his father that he’s a match for him.
Young talent
Once every two or three years, the Netherlands Bach Society organises a talent development project for gifted young musicians under the age of 18. The projects, which focus on the performance practice of Bach’s music, allows us to bring talented youngsters into contact with historical performance practice and give them deeper insight into Bach’s music. In this project, we worked with keyboardists of the future. Seven very talented international youngsters between twelve and eighteen years old were selected from auditions to take two masterclasses about Bach, the harpsichord and baroque playing techniques and styles, given by Siebe Henstra. Each keyboardist rehearsed movements from the Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, including the Nine Little Preludes, BWV 924-932, which Bach wrote to use in lessons with his son Wilhelm Friedemann. The rehearsed works were recorded for All of Bach in October 2024, at the Maltezerhuis in Utrecht.
Extra videos
Vocal texts
Original
Translation
Credits
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- Release date
- 5 February 2026
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- Recording date
- 16 October 2024
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- Location
- Maltezerhuis, Utrecht
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- Harpsichord
- Fernando Lourens
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- Instrument
- Titus Crijnen, 1992 after Johannes Ruckers, 1638
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- Director and camera
- Robin van Erven Dorens
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- Music recording
- Guido Tichelman, Pim van der Lee
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- Music recording, edit and mix
- Guido Tichelman
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- Camera
- Martijn van Beenen
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- Lights
- Ernst-Jan Thieme
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- Data handling
- Brechtje van Riel
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- Assistant music recording
- Marloes Biermans
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- Producer
- Lisanne Marlou de Kok
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