← Bach · Well-Tempered Clavier
Prelude 5 in D major BWV 874
Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Under its figuration, this prelude is 68 chord changes across 57 bars — ranked 32 of 42 by measured difficulty (expert) 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 · I (A) · I · I (A) · viiø7/V (D) · iii7 (C#) · V7/V · I7 (F#) — and the whole prelude keeps moving at roughly that harmonic pace.
What it leans on
Of 70 labeled changes, the harmonies that do the most work: V7 (E) (6×), V7 (5×), I (4×), vi7 (D) (4×), IV7 (B) (4×).
Free scores
- Blocked-chord reduction (MusicXML) — the harmony skeleton the player performs
- The prelude as written (MusicXML)