← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 23 in B major BWV 868
Book I of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 61 chord changes across 19 bars — ranked 13 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 I7 · vii7 (G#) · V7 (C#) · I7 · iii7 (C#) · V7/V (G#) · V · I — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 40 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: I7 (4×), V (3×), I (3×), vi (3×), vi7 (F#) (3×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)