See how Bach’s C-major Prelude turns a repeating arpeggio pattern into a harmonic journey. Hear the opening and examine its voice leading.
Interactive notation
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Prelude in C major
The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I · BWV 846
Context
History of the work
The Prelude in C major opens the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection pairing a prelude and fugue in each major and minor key. Bach assembled Book I around 1722. Its title points to keyboard tuning systems that made playing across all twenty-four keys practical, not necessarily to modern equal temperament.
The prelude has become one of the clearest introductions to tonal harmony. Its surface pattern changes very little. What moves is the chord progression beneath it, allowing listeners to hear consonance, suspension, chromatic tension and release with unusual focus.
Inside the score
Music theory and form
One pattern, many chords
Each bar unfolds a harmony through the same ordered figuration. Repetition shifts attention from rhythm toward bass motion and changing chord quality.
Voice leading inside arpeggios
Although notes arrive one at a time, they imply several simultaneous voices. Common tones remain in place while other notes move by step.
A long dominant preparation
Near the end, Bach intensifies tension over a sustained dominant pedal before the final C-major resolution.
Follow the sound
Listening guide
Pattern established
Notice the stable rhythmic grid and the first move from tonic toward predominant harmony.
Chromatic deepening
Bass notes and inner voices introduce darker colors without changing the figuration.
Pedal and release
A prolonged G in the bass gathers tension before C major returns.
Common questions
About Prelude in C major
Is Bach’s C-major Prelude easy?
The notes fit the hands comfortably at a moderate tempo, but legato connection, evenness and harmonic shaping make a polished performance demanding.
Did Gounod use this prelude?
Yes. Charles Gounod placed a new melody over Bach’s harmony in the work commonly known as Ave Maria.
Research notes
Sources and further reading
Historical claims were checked against institutional catalogs, critical editions and archival collections. Links open the cited source.
Bach DigitalBWV 846 work record and source catalogLibrary of Congress Music DivisionDigitized music manuscripts and public-domain scores