← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 10 in E minor BWV 879
Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 109 chord changes across 109 bars — ranked 9 of 42 by measured difficulty (intermediate) 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 iv7 (E) · i · iv7 (G) · III+ (D#) · iv7 (E) · i (G) · VI7 · v7 — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 108 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: iv7 (E) (5×), i (5×), V (4×), iv7 (G) (3×), viiø7/iv (B) (3×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)