Five Minute Mozart - Music Theory Education

Prelude in C Major, BWV 846, by Johann Sebastian Bach, is the first piece in book 1 of a collection of keyboard studies published in 1722 titled The Well-Tempered Clavier. This set of preludes and fugues in all 24 Major and minor keys was designed to demonstrate the musical possibilities of the newly standardized well-tempered tuning system.

Invention No. 1 in C Major, BWV 772, by Johann Sebastian Bach is the first in a collection of 15 two-part inventions composed for keyboard instruction. Bach originally compiled and presented these works to his son Wilhelm Friedemann around 1720, though they were later widely circulated after being included in the Clavier-Büchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.

Invention No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 773, by Johann Sebastian Bach is the second of the 15 two-part inventions that Bach composed as instructional pieces for keyboard students. Like the rest of the collection, it was written around 1720 and included in the Clavier-Büchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.

Often attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, Musette in D Major is a short keyboard piece found in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, a collection of keyboard works compiled in 1725 for Bach’s second wife. Like several works in the notebook, the Musette's authorship remains uncertain, but it is still widely associated with Bach and regularly performed as part of his keyboard repertoire

Long attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, Minuet in G Major is now known to have been composed by Christian Petzold, a German organist and composer of the Baroque era. The piece was included in the 1725 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, a collection of keyboard works compiled by Johann Sebastian.

Composed in the mid-18th century and published in 1770 as part of his Kenner und Liebhaber (“For Connoisseurs and Amateurs”) series, Solfeggio in C Minor, H. 220 (Wq. 117/2), is one of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s most well-known solo keyboard works. Though brief, the piece is a striking example of the Empfindsamer Stil (“sensitive style”) that C.P.E. Bach championed throughout his career

Written in 1761 when he was just five years old, Minuet and Trio in G Major, K. 1 is the earliest known composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The piece is part of the Nannerl Notenbuch, a collection of music compiled by Mozart’s father, Leopold, for Wolfgang’s sister, Maria Anna (“Nannerl”).

Composed around 1783 and published in 1784, “Rondo Alla Turca” is the third and final movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331. Commonly known as the “Turkish March,” this lively piece draws on the popular 18th-century European fascination with Turkish (Ottoman) military music.

Composed around 1783 and published in 1784, “Rondo Alla Turca” is the third and final movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331. Commonly known as the “Turkish March,” this lively piece draws on the popular 18th-century European fascination with Turkish (Ottoman) military music.

Composed around 1783 and published in 1784, “Rondo Alla Turca” is the third and final movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331. Commonly known as the “Turkish March,” this lively piece draws on the popular 18th-century European fascination with Turkish (Ottoman) military music.

Composed around 1783 and published in 1784, “Rondo Alla Turca” is the third and final movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331. Commonly known as the “Turkish March,” this lively piece draws on the popular 18th-century European fascination with Turkish (Ottoman) military music.

Composed around 1783 and published in 1784, “Rondo Alla Turca” is the third and final movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major, K. 331. Commonly known as the “Turkish March,” this lively piece draws on the popular 18th-century European fascination with Turkish (Ottoman) military music.

“Sonata Facile” (also known as Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in 1788 and famously titled by the composer as “für Anfänger” (“for beginners”). Despite its nickname, the sonata is a model of clarity and elegance, offering refined musical ideas in a deceptively simple framework.

Bagatelle in A minor, No. 9, Op. 119 by Ludwig van Beethoven is one of a set of eleven short piano pieces that were published together in 1823, though many of them were composed earlier. This particular Bagatelle is modest in length and simple in texture, yet it reflects Beethoven’s mature style, balancing Classical clarity with Romantic expressiveness.

“Für Elise” (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59) is one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most famous and frequently performed piano pieces. Although it was composed in 1810, it remained unpublished during Beethoven’s lifetime and was only discovered and published posthumously in 1867—40 years after his death.

“Für Elise” (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59) is one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most famous and frequently performed piano pieces. Although it was composed in 1810, it remained unpublished during Beethoven’s lifetime and was only discovered and published posthumously in 1867—40 years after his death.

“Für Elise” (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59) is one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most famous and frequently performed piano pieces. Although it was composed in 1810, it remained unpublished during Beethoven’s lifetime and was only discovered and published posthumously in 1867—40 years after his death.

Moonlight Sonata (Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2) by Ludwig van Beethoven was composed in 1801 and published the same year. Officially titled “Sonata quasi una fantasia” (sonata in the manner of a fantasy), the piece broke with traditional sonata form by opening with a slow, atmospheric movement rather than a fast, energetic one.

Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4 by Frédéric Chopin was composed between 1835 and 1839 and published in 1839 as part of his famous set of 24 Preludes, Op. 28. This prelude stands out as one of the most introspective and somber pieces in the collection, embodying Chopin’s gift for expressing deep emotion in a brief, concentrated form.

Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie was composed and published around 1890 as part of a series of six pieces known as the Gnossiennes. These works stand out for their unconventional approach to form and harmony during a period when Romanticism was still prevalent in classical music.

Gymnopédie No. 1 by Erik Satie was composed and published in 1888 as the first of three Gymnopédies. These pieces marked a significant departure from the lush Romanticism dominant at the time, introducing a new kind of simplicity and restraint that would influence later Impressionist and minimalist composers.

Gymnopédie No. 2 by Erik Satie was composed and published in 1888 as the second piece in his famous set of three Gymnopédies. Like its companion pieces, it exemplifies Satie’s break from the ornate Romantic style, embracing simplicity, subtlety, and a meditative mood that was quite innovative for its time.

Gymnopédie No. 3 by Erik Satie was composed and published in 1888 as the final piece in his set of three Gymnopédies. Continuing the stylistic approach of the earlier two, this work epitomizes Satie’s distinctive aesthetic of simplicity, restraint, and atmospheric subtlety, which contrasted sharply with the prevailing Romantic excesses of the time.

Composed and published in 1899, Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin is one of the most famous and influential ragtime piano pieces ever written. This work helped popularize ragtime music and established Joplin as the “King of Ragtime.”

Composed and published in 1899, Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin is one of the most famous and influential ragtime piano pieces ever written. This work helped popularize ragtime music and established Joplin as the “King of Ragtime.”

Composed and published in 1899, Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin is one of the most famous and influential ragtime piano pieces ever written. This work helped popularize ragtime music and established Joplin as the “King of Ragtime.”

Composed and published in 1899, Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin is one of the most famous and influential ragtime piano pieces ever written. This work helped popularize ragtime music and established Joplin as the “King of Ragtime.”

“My Country Tis of Thee” is a patriotic American song first published in 1831 with lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith. The melody is borrowed from the British national anthem, God Save the Queen, making it a familiar and easily singable tune that resonated strongly with American audiences of the 19th century.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was written as a poem titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry” by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of 1812. The poem was later set to the tune of a popular British song called “To Anacreon in Heaven,” and the combined work was officially designated as the national anthem of the United States in 1931.