← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 19 in A major BWV 864
Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 42 chord changes across 24 bars — ranked 16 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 vi (A) · v (G) · ii7 (F#) · I7 (E) · V7 (D) · viiø7/V (A) · V · iii — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 58 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: I (4×), V (3×), IV7 (F#) (3×), ii7 (A) (3×), I7 (E) (2×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)