← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 12 in F minor BWV 857
Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 58 chord changes across 22 bars — ranked 29 of 42 by measured difficulty (expert) 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 i7 · iiø7 (F) · III+ (C) · V7 · VI+ (F) · V7/iv · iio (Bb) · iiø7 — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 53 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: V7 (7×), V7/III (3×), iiø7 (F) (2×), III+ (C) (2×), V7/iv (2×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)