Invention No 2 | Piano Play-Along
Johann Sebastian 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. The inventions were designed to help students learn how to develop musical ideas, master two-voice counterpoint, and play with expression and precision.
This invention features a single, clearly defined motive that continues to develop and transform throughout the piece. The subject, introduced immediately in the right hand, features driving sixteenth-note figures that showcase Bach’s skill in contrapuntal writing. Stylistically, Invention No. 2 contrasts the lyrical brightness of Invention No. 1 with a character typical of minor-key Baroque works. Its beautiful intersecting lines and forward momentum reflect the intellectual rigor and expressive depth that define much of Bach’s pedagogical music.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21st, 1685 in Eisenach, Germany. A great master of the Baroque Period, Bach’s contribution to the evolution of music is undeniable. Easily regarded as one of, if not the most influential composers in music history. This, however, was not exactly the case during his time. In fact, many of Bach’s contemporaries considered his work antiquated and old fashioned and preferred the music of Georg Philipp Telemann.
