← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 10 in E minor BWV 855
Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 63 chord changes across 41 bars — ranked 22 of 42 by measured difficulty (advanced) in this survey. Played as block chords, it's a progression you can learn in an afternoon; the piece is that progression wearing sixteenth notes.
Practice this piece → Practice chords → Learn it section by section → Hear the harmony →
How it opens
The first changes are i · iiø7 (E) · iiø7 (A) · #viio7 · iio (A) · VI7 (E) · iiø7 (E) · III7 (D) — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 78 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: i (5×), iv (4×), iv7 (4×), #viio7 (3×), VI7 (B) (3×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)