← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 12 in F minor BWV 881
Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 104 chord changes across 71 bars — ranked 24 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 · III+7 (C) · i · III (Bb) · #iv · III+7 (C) · viiø7/VII (C) · V7 — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 104 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: i (5×), III+7 (C) (4×), V7/III (4×), iv7 (4×), iv (4×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)