← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 11 in F major BWV 856
Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 41 chord changes across 18 bars — ranked 4 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 V7/IV · IV7 (F) · V7 · I7 · viiø7/V (A) · V7/V · V (E) · V7 (E) — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 41 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: V7/IV (4×), V7 (4×), IV7 (F) (3×), V7/vi (2×), IV7 (2×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)