← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 23 in B major BWV 892
Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 38 chord changes across 24 bars — ranked 26 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 ii7 (B) · viio (C#) · IV7 (D#) · V7 · I (D#) · V7 (A#) · I7 · I — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 25 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: ii7 (B) (1×), viio (C#) (1×), IV7 (D#) (1×), V7 (1×), I (D#) (1×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)