← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 15 in G major BWV 884
Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 67 chord changes across 49 bars — ranked 12 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 vii (C#) · III · #v (C#) · vii (A) · I7 · V7/V · iii7 (D) · V7/V (E) — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 59 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: I (4×), V7/V (E) (2×), vii7 (A) (2×), viiø7/V (B) (2×), V7 (A) (2×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)